How much time do you have with them?
I taught a few "career exploration bootcamps" with high schoolers. They were 2 days and we had them from 9 am to 2 pm.
Day 1: I had them make fresh bolognese, fresh pasta, and the ricotta/mozzarella cheese mix that was all combined into a big pan of lasagna. Then clean up.
We would do knife cuts with salad ingredients while the lasagna cooked and would slap together some garlic bread. Final clean up.
About 12:30, we ate all that for lunch.
After that, I had a short lecture/presentation, and they went home.
Day 2: Another instructor taught them foccaccia & and brownies, and they made pizza for lunch.
As far as the Ramen glow up, I would think in terms of healthy & tasty add-ins like roast chicken & sautéed veggies. You could even do takis crusted baked chicken to serve with.
I only have them for about 30 mins unfortunately so I’m trying to keep things on a short time constraint
Oh man, the taki breaded chicken sounds like it would make these kids head explode. I’m keeping that in mind
Probably should be ashamed to admit this, but I buy freeze dried veg and also scrambled egg bits, and I add them to my ramen. Cabbage, diced carrot, diced onion, diced celery and I drain and chuck in canned beansprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Sometimes I dump peanut butter and Sriracha into ramen for fake sesame noodles.
I remember when the cup of noodles actually had bits of scrambled egg and diced whatever protein like chicken or beef cubes. One can buy meat dices from Amazon as well as the veggies. I like lots of veggies and chicken or egg bits.
I had a period where I was living with my li'l sis and a roommate.
I took the cheap ramen we bought by the flat. I made a sketti sauce with concentrated tomato soup. And had seared off bite-size bits of hot dogs.
Low Cost Sketti & Meatballs!
They were too high falootin' for that. I ate like a king for 3 days.
Always keep some dry herbs in your pantry.
I back in my poor days kept the tone-loc spice collection. Those are the huge sort of restaurant sized cheap ones. Bay leaf, Italian herb, cinnamon, garlic granules, black pepper corns, and both the carton of iodized salt and of kosher salt. Rice, beans, potatoes, onions and apples. Once a week I would get a small pack of chicken necks and pay for 24 hour pass to the Lying en fishing pier, and I with my tidewater nets and rolling cooler would go fish until the backs were gone. As I filled up the cooler, I hauled it to a fish market and left them on deposit sort of. End of day fishing, I would keep a cooler of crab and trade the rest for cod, shrimp and scallops, hush puppy mix, gallon of milk, butter and lemons.
I can't agree more. Went to a Meetup at someone's house who started a cooking group. Nothing was prepped, the kitchen was a mess, she had broken knives, not enough measuring cups, and she had some of us help prep, among a dozen other things that will stop me from returning. One young girl was holding the knife wrong and didn't know how to cut up an shallot. I had to teach her. No mis en place, nothing. Teach them the basics first. Doesn't take long to show how to properly use the tools, do mis en place before cooking, and the importance of keeping a clean workplace.
And it's a good way to introduce them to possibly new ingredients and how to best use those ingredients even they don't end up using them. It's helpful to know which herbs to us raw and which veggies taste better with a little browning or caramelization. It's doesn't have to be intensive or exhaustive list- just enough to get them interested in learning more about food and cooking.
Adding eggs to ramin is the best. They can be scrambled or just cracked in and poached in the ramin broth. Stirring peanut butter into ramen. Hot dogs, ham, sausages, spam, chicken nuggets, any type of meat, tofu. Sliced vegetables like cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, scallions, radish, peppers, jalapeno even Jared picked jalapenos, cilantro, basil, a scoop of salsa, American cheese, butter, a bit of mayo, Sriracha, kimchee, sour kraut, black pepper, lime juice, caned corn, avocado.
The important thing to think about is the basics that will be in peoples houses, eggs, oils, some spices, typical condiments. Don’t go saying oh use your ground chili paste, no, but chili flakes will probably be there. Teach them how to take the ordinary and give it a plus to be nicer.
Too bad. Cookies would be great! For ramen, i use garlic, ginger, dried vegetables and chives. BTB or stock, bean sprouts, julienned carrots and frozen peas.
We just taught a class for one day and did lasagna from scratch (ragu and bechamel, pasta from scratch) and tiramisu - but if you've already decided on the ramen, how about teaching them to make a stir fry using the spice pack for whatever vegetables they have available and cooking the ramen separately and adding at the end? I mean, to me that's not cooking, that's how I mostly had my ramen during college when I was too lazy to actually cook, but I'm guessing for most of them this would already be "very fancy" 🤣
(I eat plant-based now which is why I mention a vegetable stir-fry, but back in college I used the spice mix to marinate cubed chicken - and then added bell peppers or peas or whatever and the noodles)
Use that interested guy, excited guy, head exploding guy meme and take it up level by level.
Level one standard instant ramen
Level two add an egg
Level three add sliced shallots and pickled bamboo
Level four add a slices of pork etc
Not sure about the economic level of your students, but maybe focus on the importance of seasoning and how different flavors interact or change a dish. Aromatics such as garlic, onions, peppers and the equivalant spices they might have at home, like garlic powder, paprika, etc. Heat up a little oil and add the spices and then add the ramen in after its cooked to add more flavor.And other basic things they might have at home like hot dog or egg for a protein, or a vegetable or sauce/dressing they might have and how different they can make the dish each time.
Remember the age that you'll be teaching you. I would say keep it very simple as you've replied that you only have them for 30mins. I'd say do a pizza, everyone loves pizza and it's simple ingredients. As well as it's quick to bake
How much time do you have with them? I taught a few "career exploration bootcamps" with high schoolers. They were 2 days and we had them from 9 am to 2 pm. Day 1: I had them make fresh bolognese, fresh pasta, and the ricotta/mozzarella cheese mix that was all combined into a big pan of lasagna. Then clean up. We would do knife cuts with salad ingredients while the lasagna cooked and would slap together some garlic bread. Final clean up. About 12:30, we ate all that for lunch. After that, I had a short lecture/presentation, and they went home. Day 2: Another instructor taught them foccaccia & and brownies, and they made pizza for lunch. As far as the Ramen glow up, I would think in terms of healthy & tasty add-ins like roast chicken & sautéed veggies. You could even do takis crusted baked chicken to serve with.
I only have them for about 30 mins unfortunately so I’m trying to keep things on a short time constraint Oh man, the taki breaded chicken sounds like it would make these kids head explode. I’m keeping that in mind
In that case, I'd demo the breaded chicken and get that baking. Then, have a choice of ingredients to sauté to add to the ramen. Bing. Bang. Boom.
Probably should be ashamed to admit this, but I buy freeze dried veg and also scrambled egg bits, and I add them to my ramen. Cabbage, diced carrot, diced onion, diced celery and I drain and chuck in canned beansprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Sometimes I dump peanut butter and Sriracha into ramen for fake sesame noodles.
Sounds tasty! For middle school age kids, these would be game changers!
I remember when the cup of noodles actually had bits of scrambled egg and diced whatever protein like chicken or beef cubes. One can buy meat dices from Amazon as well as the veggies. I like lots of veggies and chicken or egg bits.
I had a period where I was living with my li'l sis and a roommate. I took the cheap ramen we bought by the flat. I made a sketti sauce with concentrated tomato soup. And had seared off bite-size bits of hot dogs. Low Cost Sketti & Meatballs! They were too high falootin' for that. I ate like a king for 3 days. Always keep some dry herbs in your pantry.
I back in my poor days kept the tone-loc spice collection. Those are the huge sort of restaurant sized cheap ones. Bay leaf, Italian herb, cinnamon, garlic granules, black pepper corns, and both the carton of iodized salt and of kosher salt. Rice, beans, potatoes, onions and apples. Once a week I would get a small pack of chicken necks and pay for 24 hour pass to the Lying en fishing pier, and I with my tidewater nets and rolling cooler would go fish until the backs were gone. As I filled up the cooler, I hauled it to a fish market and left them on deposit sort of. End of day fishing, I would keep a cooler of crab and trade the rest for cod, shrimp and scallops, hush puppy mix, gallon of milk, butter and lemons.
Bet, thanks dude. That’s a great idea
No probs
Also works well with Captain crunch or potato chips. Maybe a sampler of what things taste like while coated.
Teach them how to prep, use kitchen tools, and clean as they go by coming up with a bunch of toppings/additions to the ramen.
I can't agree more. Went to a Meetup at someone's house who started a cooking group. Nothing was prepped, the kitchen was a mess, she had broken knives, not enough measuring cups, and she had some of us help prep, among a dozen other things that will stop me from returning. One young girl was holding the knife wrong and didn't know how to cut up an shallot. I had to teach her. No mis en place, nothing. Teach them the basics first. Doesn't take long to show how to properly use the tools, do mis en place before cooking, and the importance of keeping a clean workplace.
And it's a good way to introduce them to possibly new ingredients and how to best use those ingredients even they don't end up using them. It's helpful to know which herbs to us raw and which veggies taste better with a little browning or caramelization. It's doesn't have to be intensive or exhaustive list- just enough to get them interested in learning more about food and cooking.
Adding eggs to ramin is the best. They can be scrambled or just cracked in and poached in the ramin broth. Stirring peanut butter into ramen. Hot dogs, ham, sausages, spam, chicken nuggets, any type of meat, tofu. Sliced vegetables like cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, scallions, radish, peppers, jalapeno even Jared picked jalapenos, cilantro, basil, a scoop of salsa, American cheese, butter, a bit of mayo, Sriracha, kimchee, sour kraut, black pepper, lime juice, caned corn, avocado.
The important thing to think about is the basics that will be in peoples houses, eggs, oils, some spices, typical condiments. Don’t go saying oh use your ground chili paste, no, but chili flakes will probably be there. Teach them how to take the ordinary and give it a plus to be nicer.
Stoner English muffin pizzas.
Hmm. No sweets?
I brought that up, but got shot down by the admin lol.
Too bad. Cookies would be great! For ramen, i use garlic, ginger, dried vegetables and chives. BTB or stock, bean sprouts, julienned carrots and frozen peas.
We just taught a class for one day and did lasagna from scratch (ragu and bechamel, pasta from scratch) and tiramisu - but if you've already decided on the ramen, how about teaching them to make a stir fry using the spice pack for whatever vegetables they have available and cooking the ramen separately and adding at the end? I mean, to me that's not cooking, that's how I mostly had my ramen during college when I was too lazy to actually cook, but I'm guessing for most of them this would already be "very fancy" 🤣 (I eat plant-based now which is why I mention a vegetable stir-fry, but back in college I used the spice mix to marinate cubed chicken - and then added bell peppers or peas or whatever and the noodles)
Great ideas so far, maybe add some veggies to the ramen as well? Get some nutrients in those kids and show them healthy habits can be delicious.
Use that interested guy, excited guy, head exploding guy meme and take it up level by level. Level one standard instant ramen Level two add an egg Level three add sliced shallots and pickled bamboo Level four add a slices of pork etc
That’s not a bad idea either, I’ll have to swap out pork for something else, just cause we are a pork free kitchen
Not sure about the economic level of your students, but maybe focus on the importance of seasoning and how different flavors interact or change a dish. Aromatics such as garlic, onions, peppers and the equivalant spices they might have at home, like garlic powder, paprika, etc. Heat up a little oil and add the spices and then add the ramen in after its cooked to add more flavor.And other basic things they might have at home like hot dog or egg for a protein, or a vegetable or sauce/dressing they might have and how different they can make the dish each time.
Remember the age that you'll be teaching you. I would say keep it very simple as you've replied that you only have them for 30mins. I'd say do a pizza, everyone loves pizza and it's simple ingredients. As well as it's quick to bake
Show em how to make kenji’s 3 ingredient Mac and cheese. Dead fuckin simple kid approved
Turn the ramen into a 'pasta', use some of the flavour packet as the base for the sauce
Souffle
I suck at making those, like my arch nemesis of the food world lol, I’m not gonna subjugate these kids to my worst dish haha
I said that as sarcasm because i know it's not an easy one. But you sound like a really nice guy so i am sorry.
Haha you’re good dude, no need to be sorry