Students in Chef Michael Hadobas’s Culinary II class are starting a new unit focusing on various meats and how they should be cut, cooked, and served.
“I have different approaches to what I want my students to learn,” Hadobas said. “At the moment we’re looking at meats, beef, pork, lamb, and any wild game meats. I’m hoping my students are able to learn how these animals are slaughtered and how they’re able to form their primal cuts into retail cuts. ”
Along with assignments that correlate with this unit, Hadobas is assigning students at-home labs where students will demonstrate what they’ve learned from lectures and demos. The unit focuses on different aspects that go into cooking, slaughtering, and serving various meats.
“It’s not realistic to just teach my students in a lecture style, I want my students to get hands-on with these products and I want them to be able to get into their kitchens and cook for themselves and their families,” Hadobas said. “We’re looking into the main course on a meal and it’s a great opportunity for students to cook even during online schooling.”
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Students will have three weeks to complete the two different dishes and send pictures in for a grade. Grades will be based on properly used techniques for preparing their chosen protein and overall progress in their culinary skills.
“A part of me wishes we didn’t have to do the at-home labs, but there’s also a part of me that likes having to do it,” Cruzada said. “While it is fun to talk with people in the kitchen and work together, sometimes it’s better to just focus on yourself for the time being instead of worrying about what other people are doing.”
With this unit, Hadobas hopes for students to improve their culinary skills and expand their general knowledge of different proteins for further careers.
“[By the end of this unit], I would like for my students to be able to walk into the grocery store, go to the meat section and see all the different cuts of meat and reasonably understand what they’re about to purchase,” Hadobas said. “I want my students to identify tender cuts of meat and be able to cook them to be as flavorful and rewarding as some of those more valued cuts of meat.”
