Cooking/Introduction

The Wikimedia Cookbook is used as a major resource for this page.

Cooking involves knowledge of ingredients and equipment, the use of skills and techniques and the ability to plan and safely organise food preparation, usually within budget and time constraints. The Activity units associated with each of the three modules of the cookery course build a comprehensive programme of study that will benefit students wanting to make progress in the subject for whatever reason they become involved.

The course makes extensive use of the Wiki Cookbook and Wikipedia as sources of information and each assignment in the Activity units is based on a recipe, techniques and ingredients in the Cookbook. The practical cooking assignment is a crucial part of the Activity unit. There is no substitute for “hands on” experience: words and pictures cannot convey the feel, taste and smell of food, yet it is these sensations which are the very essence of gastronomy.

The use of I.T., computation, web research^[1] and organisational skills^[2] are given due emphasis in each Activity unit. Some assignments involve downloading and working with PDF format worksheets, so a capable PDF reader is needed (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader). Open source software such as Open Office and Inkscape can be employed and students are encouraged to used their acquired skills and knowledge to make contributions to Wiki projects.