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AIBU?

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Original poster

School "cookery"?

58 replies

Sychnant · 05/06/2015 08:44

DS is in Year 7 and this term they are doing cookery.

Next week he has to take in dried pasta, grated cheese/breadcrumbs, a suitable dish, and... a jar of pasta sauce.

I think this is ridiculous, and not cookery. It will be pretty awkward to carry home (2 buses) and I can't see that it will be nice to eat after being reheated. And it's not really cookery is it. He knows how to stir together pasta and sauce and put them in the oven. I'd much rather they taught him to make a red sauce, which we can then mix with pasta and have for tea.

Should I say something to the school or will I sound like a loon??

OP posts:
PenguinBollards · 05/06/2015 08:49

How bizarre! I'd probably say something, casually, because opening a jar of sauce is not cooking. If they're boiling the past why can't they also simnmer a tin of tomatoes with some onions and garlic? Confused

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 08:52

Yes, precisely!!! Would be much better for them to actually make something.

Should I put a note in the homework planner do you think?

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 05/06/2015 08:53

That really is weird.

My year 7 DS made the same thing last term but there was no jar of sauce included. The sauce was made from scratch in the lesson.

WRT travelling home with it, there's nothing you can do about that.

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 08:56

Thanks Worra, your school sound much more sensible!

The travelling home wouldn't be an issue with a tupperware of red sauce... it's the fact that it's a large dish with no lid. Can see there being nothing left to eat even if we wanted to :D

OP posts:
The5DayChicken · 05/06/2015 08:56

That sounds like a God awful 'cookery' lesson. Is there any chance whatsoever that the teacher is going to use the wide variety of jarred sauces the students bring to demonstrate the varied nutritional value and highlight the benefits of actually making pasta sauce?

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 08:57

That would be nice, 5 Day! I doubt it... but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now :)

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 05/06/2015 09:00

Dd did home economics for 5 years they never used a jar sauce once I don't think but her school you paid by term and they provided the ingredients a jar sauce is a faff expensive and a cop out imo

WorraLiberty · 05/06/2015 09:01

Oh I see, yes a dish like that would be hard to travel home with.

My DS's school provide a foil container and lid. They also write the re-heating instructions on it.

Mrsjayy · 05/06/2015 09:05

Go to the £ shop buy him foil dishes will be easier to carry home

ItsTricky · 05/06/2015 09:08

Omg.. that's tragic. A basic tomato sauce is easy and a great base for many dishes.

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 09:11

Thanks everyone. Glad it's not just me that thinks this is daft!

Great idea about the foil dishes Mrsjayy. It's a 30 mile round trip to town but I think the local farm shop has them so I'll pop down there today.

I only got a quick look at the list today, but will no doubt be back to update with the other lovely things they will be cooking... :D

OP posts:
AuntieStella · 05/06/2015 09:22

This was in 'chat' a couple of days ago (it'll go pfft idc, but worth a look)

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2393986-Is-cooking-at-school-a-bit-of-a-farce

Is he doing cookery/catering, or food tech?

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 09:24

Thanks for the link! Not just our school then :)

He tells me it's Home Economics. I'll have to grab his diary when he gets home and have a proper look.

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 05/06/2015 09:27

Dd in her first 2 years of high school it was home economics then she chose it as an option it was called hospitality Confused .

MyCatIsAGit · 05/06/2015 09:30

I think it's a farce.

But I know my stepkids (who never help with cooking, other than making themselves chicken nuggests and chips or heating up a pizza, which is a whole other thread) would think this was 'cooking'.

For some kids, boiling water for pasta, timing it, straining it, heating up the ready made sauce stirring it together, grating cheese etc will all be a huge mystery. Maybe making the sauce as well would just be a step too far.

It's better than teaching them to ping a ready meal. Baby steps perhaps?

It obviously isn't cooking...but it might just be the start for some of them.

You could always send him in with a jar of sauce that you and he have made...

MyCatIsAGit · 05/06/2015 09:31

(to be fair to my Stepkids - they can cook if needs be - it's just easier if someone else does it!).

chillychicken · 05/06/2015 09:33

My first home ec class was to...make a sandwich.

I did that every bloody day at home!

FenellaFellorick · 05/06/2015 09:34

what is the point of that? I agree it's daft.

My son is doing cookery. Today it's sweet and sour chicken. Among the ingredients are chicken breasts, honey, pineapple, a chilli, mange tout, baby sweetcorn, soy sauce.. It really is proper cooking (well to me, I am sure chefs would still scoff Grin )

They also have to come up with their own dishes that fulfil certain criteria - last lesson it was a salad with a carb, 2 protein, 3 fruit or veg I think it was. We ended up sending him with ingredients for a potato, pomegranate and parma ham salad. It had cheese and oranges in it too - sounds revolting but actually it was bloody gorgeous!

I don't see the point in sending kids to cookery class with a ready made pizza base and a pack of grated cheese.

GlitzAndGigglesx · 05/06/2015 09:38

I remember a food tech lesson where we were told we would be making ravioli next lesson. On the ingredients list was a packet of fresh ravioli Hmm

anon33 · 05/06/2015 09:39

I remember in HE making tomato soup (opened the tin and poured into the pot) and cheese on toast. Cheese had to be grated so that might have counted towards food prep.

WorraLiberty · 05/06/2015 09:39

OP, do you do an online supermarket shop? Most supermarkets sell a pack of foil containers with lids.

Sometimes these shortcuts are made due to lack of time in lessons, but my DS's school will teach the kids to make the sauce one week, then they'll stick it in the freezer and make the rest of the dish the following week.

Last term his apple and his crumble were made 1 week apart Grin

Mrsjayy · 05/06/2015 09:40

A carton of passatta is about 40p they could make a quick sauce i know they are only 12 and all that but schools bang on about healthy eating blah blah and then ask for jar sauce for a cooking class they could make a pasta with cheese or something

TeenAndTween · 05/06/2015 09:47

As one of the first lessons, I don't think it is unreasonable.

They only have an hour. They have to prep, cook, and wash up. Some kids will need teacher assistance on some aspects, and the teacher can only be in one place at a time.

Learning to do more than one thing at once can be hard in cooking, as MyCat stated.

Don't over-estimate the time it would take some kids to chop things up first. My (as it turned out) dyspraxic DD was a walking accident in all her tech lessons in y7&8.

Much better to ensure all the kids understand basics of timing and safety first, before rushing through too much.

After a few sessions they can progress to harder stuff, gradually bringing in new skills.

Original poster
Sychnant · 05/06/2015 09:48

lol sounds like it could be worse!

I really don't want to be one of "those mums" (I'm really not one. Scruffy, disorganised, etc) but I love the idea of making the sauce with him over the weekend. (He won't be so keen...)

Thankyou everyone :)

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 05/06/2015 09:55

I guess you are right about the prep thing i just think that starting on a jar sauce is a bit meh they could have made something else that was just as easy

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