School cookery, very expensive

[Toomanyblanklooks]

I’ve just checked what DD needs for cookery tomorrow. 8 chicken breasts!
AIBU to thinks it’s too expensive and too much food?

Depends what it actually costs. It all costs something and the food plus energy may still make it an economical option. I cook a lot of things that need half an hour in the pressure cooker, but I cook three nights worth so it is economical for us.

@AvengedQuince , yes sure, when you have the central heating off because you can't afford it, you might not want to be told it's economical to have something simmering for 90 mins. You win.

which Is a much better idea.

I wasn't trying to 'win'. Just pointing out that I think it would be negligible compared to the cost of ingredients or, say, central heating. We only use 3300kwh of gas per year which includes the shower, so not a lot of heating ourselves.

Even sending 4 chicken breasts would be too much for my family!!!!!!!!

a pack of 8???????????

i am a music teacher. I have to say I did say an agressive email when the kids were bringing vats of curry to my classroom and spilling them everywhere because they were huge. I ended up having to clean my classroom and the carpet is stained in one place and it’s a brand new secondary school and classroom!

maybe this is my secondary school……..!!!

i also heard them mentioning they are doing smoked salmon too - it stinks!!!

That's crazy, what on earth is she making and where does she go to school? Oxford? Cambridge? I moan that my son has to take some mince, garlic and onions lol. I would ask the teacher is you're supplying the whole class, are you sure it's not a typo?

not in a million years would i eat any meat prepared and cooked for by a group of teens in a cookery class.

I've always said this, rather than a whole class go and buy eg 1 pepper to take half, an onion to take half, a bulb of garlic to take 2 cloves etc why not pay the school for the ingredients?

a very small class, not in a mainstream school

OP - presumably you are in fairly close contact with the school, just drop them an email to confirm what’s going on as strikes you are a vast amount of meat

My kids school bought the ingredients, and then you paid a fee to cover the cost. Not practical to bring own food. What if their lesson is the last of the day and children are carrying chicken in their bags, and not being able to keep it chilled or get chicken juice all over their stuff. That's completely mad. Schools will be able to buy cheaper through their suppliers and be able to store the food in the correct manner.

Assume they mean 8 chicken tenders!

Looks like a ridiculous recipe, doesn't make any sense. They shouldn't be using breast...much cheaper to use boneless leg or thighs and it cooks better. I would check with the school.

That’s bonkers! Even all the spices, they aren’t something everyone just has in the cupboard! When I was at school it was really basic stuff that most household would have

using chicken breast in chicken curry.... that would be a bigger concern for me.

If you're worried about cost, use lumps of cardboard instead of chicken breast, no one will be able to tell the difference.

Or if you don't want to cook with cardboard use thighs, with bone and skin, they at least have some flavour. I agree, it's way underspiced, overtomatoed and it would be a crime against curry to be called such.

Oops, 20 was a typo. Yes it says serves 10. I'm on a mobile and didn't check carefully what I'd written.

Just thought of this this thread as I've received an email from school.

They ask if we can make a voluntary contribution of £3 for store cupboard ingredients for the next nine weeks of cooking lessons - oil, spices, flour etc.

Also please can we send in one large baking potato and a plastic container with a lid. I reckon we can manage that

The thought of all that unrefrigerated raw chicken is giving me the fear 😳 Absolutely bonkers!

@Islandgirl68, When I was a food tech teacher, if I'd wanted to do that, I'd have had to do an order for a supermarket online, pay for it myself and claim it back, wait for it, carry it up 2 flights of stairs, unpack it, store it in my tiny fridges until needed, distribute it and then take payment for it from the kids and be responsible for that money until I got it down to finance. We shared a technician with resistant materials so there'd be no extra capacity there. I'm sure you'd rather I'd have spent my time you know, teaching, and planning interesting lessons and marking the work produced. Would also love to know what you mean by 'their suppliers' when most schools have contract caterers in. Spices should be provided for a few pence though as they're no bother!

Maybe meant to be 8 thighs?

There used to be a lady on the market who sold spices in really small quantities. I mean small like a teaspoon.

Some enterprising teenager should start doing that in the school.

@KirstenBlest

"they're cardamom not cardoman."
It just shows how little I use them, though I know I have a packet in the cupboard, which means if I ever need them, they will probably have lost any flavour by now, anyway.
The point being tha as far as I know, you can just buy 4 or 5 of them, but have to buy a packet. And this applies to many of the other ingredients, apart from the 8 chicken breasts.

My DC are in their 20s now and I was always very impressed by the school recipes and demands which were very modest and the recipes were healthy and always worked. This seems far too much chicken and I am not sure the cream, sour cream would fit the heathy bit. Am also thinking that the cartons of cream etc are 'difficult' to transport and along with the chicken would need to be immediately refrigerated...

If they’re being taught how to make a curry at least learn the generic basis of curries which can then be adapted to all other curries. Learning one specific receipe which is both bland, over-rich and un-Indian doesn’t teach you anything.

I didn’t contact the school just decided to alter the amounts of ingredients as if I was making this at home. I have all the spices as I often cook with them and bought a 750g pack of chicken from Morrison’s for £4.49.

The teacher is sick and the lesson has been cancelled!