Vegetarian
Fish
Research from a Food Industry Text Book
Research into freezable foods
Choice of foods for Freezing
Most foods are suitable for freezing, but some are more suitable than others.
The length of time food can be stored varies. No food can be stored for ever or indefinitely.
Once a food has passed its storage life, e.g. the length of time it can be kept frozen in perfect condition, chemical changes start to affect the flavour, quality and edibility of a food.
Foods that are available throughout the year are not worth freezing, such as potatoes.
Some foods react poorly to freezing, these are:
Vegetables
Lettuce, cucumber, and radish, become mushy and dis-colour on thawing. This is because there high water levels results in large numbers of icy crystals are formed. These break up the cells even if shortly frozen.
Boiled potatoes change to a ‘leathery’ state when thawed if frozen whole.
Celery has high water content and loses its structure on defrosting, but it can be used as a cooled vegetable in casseroles, soups etc.
Fruit
Strawberries tend to become mushy on defrost or thawing, due to ice crystals breaking up there cells, but they can be used in fruit salads, flans, soufflés, mousse etc, as their flavour is not ruined.
Bananas and avocado peas turn black when frozen, due to the effect of ice crystals on the cells.
Dairy Products
Pasteurised milk separates out when frozen.
Cream with less than 40 % fat separates (e.g. single cream). Whipping or double cream should be whipped lightly before freezing.
Eggs: Whole, fresh eggs crack and become gluey, however, egg whites and yolks can be frozen separately.
Hard boiled eggs become leathery.
Mayonnaise separates when frozen.
Corn flour – in soups and sauces tends to separate when frozen.
Icing except butter cream tends to crumble and become soggy.
Recipes are in the Appendix.
I have researched a series of recipes related to the areas I have cooked with, such as Italian meals and other areas I have shown an interest in. These are all noted in the appendix.
5. Practical Diary
In practical sessions in school I have planned, produced, completed and evaluated five dishes, with the potential to be recipes for ‘meals for one’ which can be frozen.
The five dishes are:
Tomato and Bacon Pasta;
Thai Green Curry;
Chunky Pasta Soup with bread;
Ham, onion and celery risotto;
Tuna Pasta Bake.
Practical 1 - Tomato and Bacon Pasta
Introduction
I decided to make this dish due to the fact that there were a lot of pasta dishes on the ‘meal for one’ market, and I wanted to know what was involved when producing a pasta dish and how well they actually fitted in the aims for my target audience.
Ingredients
I made sure that I used appropriate ingredients for this practical, so that I kept within the areas for my target. My project is aimed at students who will eat meals for one at a low price. I used normal bacon instead of pancetta due to this, as it is a lot cheaper. I also used tinned tomatoes due to the budget I was working with.
The actual recipe is included in the Appendix.
Safety and Equipment
While taking part in this practical I ensured that I worked safely due to the fact that I was working with sharp blades and safety is always a key issue in the kitchen. I always put a lot of emphasis on safety when in the kitchen, especially at school as I am working along side four other students. Safety is paramount. I made sure that the handles of the pans I was using were facing away from the front of the oven as that when people walk past they don’t knock them over thus, preventing accidents and promoting safety.
Target Audience
The target audience for this product and like all others is that of a young student who lives on his own. I adapted this product to fit my target audience by changing ingredients to fit the budget of a student for instance, e.g. I changed my pancetta \to ordinary bacon.
Evaluation of the product
I found that my product, whilst cooking worked very well I did not come across any problems; I feel that the product should be a success once ate.
Lessons Learned
During my practical I found that when I do my next product I will have to extend my skills further. I have now found out why pasta dishes are a popular meal for one product when being made on a large scale as they are both quick and easy to make and yet feel all of the healthy guidelines for there target audience, like myself major companies have a target audience they aim there products at.
Practical 2 - Thai Green Curry
Introduction
I decided to make a Thai Curry as, although I found a wide range of oriental meals for one, I did not find many Thai dishes. I also found a gap in the market for a less traditional curry, therefore bringing in the option of my choice, the Thai green curry.
Ingredients
My down fall with this product was my choice of ingredients. I found that a lot of my ingredients were very expensive, such as coconut milk. I did adapt my recipe slightly but this was the only adaptation that I could think of. The other products were unique so a suitable substitution was very difficult to find. The adaptation that I made was changing my meat, I went from using breast to thy. It was a lot cheaper, so it was a perfect substitute. The next problem that I occurred was the difficulty in finding ingredients; I found that the lemon grass in particular was a great problem. I had to buy an oriental salad pack to get my lemon grass so this was a major problem financially as it took my budget out of my target audiences’ price range.
The actual recipe is included in the Appendix.
Safety and Equipment
This practical sort to be a difficult one when choosing equipment and also when looking at safety. This product was going to give me the opportunity to you as a range of different pieces of equipment from the food processor to the wok. I had to be carefully while taking part in this practical as I was cooking with chilli. If you get chilli anywhere around the face, it causes extreme pain so I had to make sure I washed my hands thoroughly after cutting the chilli. As I was using a food processor, which involves electricity, I made sure that my surface area was dry before setting up the machine. Electricity can be very dangerous so I paid particular attention to the safety elements when assembling the food processor.
Target Audience
This dish did not suit my target audience very well as it was very expensive. To combat this I will have to look more carefully at the prices of products, even though I had the majority of the ingredients at home.
Evaluation of the product
I found that this product extended my skills and challenged me in the kitchen considerably. This proved to be a challenge to say the least, as I found that it took me too long to cook, the actually dish worked really well but the preparation took up too much of my time. If I were to continue this task I would make up the marinade the night before and let the chicken marinade over night. This would then bring out more flavour and give me more time in the kitchen.
Lessons Learned
I learned in the lesson that time and skill management was vital to completing a task, I would need to plan my time work to the timetable a lot more vigorously in the future.
Practical 3 - Chunky Pasta Soup with Bread
Introduction
I choose my chunky soup as it did fit the brief of a ‘meal for one’ dish and it was also a good option for my brief as I did not find an alternative soup meal on the market. My dish was rather unusual as you do not find many ‘chunky’ wholesome soups. As
it is wholesome it allowed me to develop a very healthy dish. Despite these very positive factors I did come across a lot of downfalls during production.
The actual recipe is included in the Appendix.
Ingredients
I did choose my ingredients very well I thought, as my soup was very cheap to make, wholesome and nutritional. But I did come across some problems, as I used as pasta, it absorbed a lot of the liquid, and I was worried about adding more liquid, so I hesitated when doing so, this made my soup a lot thicker with less liquid.
Safety and Equipment
The range of equipment that I used during this practical was not as extensive as I would have liked to have used. The safety factors that I put into practice during this practical was during the preparation of my ingredients. I made sure that I used different work surfaces when preparing of my chicken and the rest of my vegetables. I did not have to use much equipment during this practical, there was no need to use equipment such as the food processor or other electrical equipment as this dish was easy to prepare.
Target Audience
This product fitted my target audience as it was very nutritional, it contained all the elements needed for a balanced diet, and it would appeal to students as it is a nice simple dish.
Evaluation of the product
I think that on the whole, this product was not very good as it was not very challenging and I do not think that many students would choose this dish over any others in this competitive range. It is not very elaborate and with the wide range of foreign foods at cheap prices it would not appeal to those who already have an adventurous eating habit.
Lessons Learned
I learned from this product that although it was cheap wholesome meal for one it did not fit the criteria that I wanted to aim for. I did not think that this product extended my skills very well.
Practical 4 - Ham, Onion, and Celery Risotto
Introduction
I chose to do a risotto, as although there are a wide range of Italian dishes on the ‘meal for one’ market there was not a risotto based product that I came across. I then found out the reasons for this during my practical.
Ingredients
I chose traditional risotto ingredients, this is because they work well with the risotto and they also add flavour and colour to sometimes a very bland dish.
The actual recipe is included in the Appendix.
Safety and Equipment
The equipment that I used was not very adventurous but risotto is a simple dish so I did not have to use equipment that was not needed. I used a food processor to chop up my ham celery, so that they were a similar size to keep my risotto consistent, I then cut my onion in the usual way, the only safety concern that I had was using the food processor. I made sure that it was plugged in away from water, that it was placed at the back of the work surface and then when emptying the contents of the food processor that the blade was taken out first so that I did not cut myself, as food processing blades are very sharp.
Target Audience
This dish fitted my target audience as it is nutritional cheap to make and appealing.
Evaluation of the product
I did not think that this product was very successful as it was simple and easy to make and also risotto has a high liquid content so it did not freeze very well as it lost a lot of moisture and flavour once de-frosted.
Lessons Learned
I learnt from this practical that I need to extend my skills further by making another product along side a dish like risotto and pasta. I could make an additional sauce or bread to challenge my skills further and extend the task.
Practical 5 - Tuna Pasta Bake
Introduction
After looking at the meal for one range I came across a lot of pasta dishes especially the pasta bake so I decided to make the pasta bake dish to see what it involved.
Ingredients
I used traditional tuna pasta bake ingredients and looking back on the practical now, I wish that I would have changed the ingredients to make an already popular dish original.
The actual recipe is included in the Appendix.
Safety and Equipment
I did not use any elaborate pieces of equipment for this product as it was not an elaborate dish. It did not extend my skills very well as it did not allow me to explore new pieces of equipment and different techniques.
Target Audience
It fitted my target group very well as it was a product with a competitive price, and it had good nutritional value. But there already is a place for this product on the market, but I found that this product is a good place to use as a starting point in developing an original pasta dish.
Evaluation of the product
I think that this product was successful it achieved what I wanted it to, but it is not an original product, this then allows me the option to develop the product further if I wish to. It did not extend my skills which is a shame as I feel that this product has the potential to be a good base for a developing ‘meal for one’ product.
Lessons Learned
I learnt from this product that to full fill my potential and products ability to be a good original ‘meal for one’ product I will have to extend my skills and come up with some new original products.
6. Design Specification
I am particularly interested in the range of foods that I initially produced as I enjoy to eat these types of foods; they also fitted the category that I am aiming for.
I chose the products that I did to start off my investigation as initial recipes as they fitted the target range I was aiming for. This being a popular appealing, nutritious dish that could be produced at a competitive price that would appeal to my consumers these being young students who will buy from the frozen meal range of a local retail outlet.
From my research I discovered that there is already wide range of frozen meals for one out on the market and this area is a very competitive section of the food industry. It will also be a very challenging task to come up with a competitive priced meal for one that is original, due to the already wide variety of products available.
I also discovered from my research what foods are suitable to be frozen, eliminating some ideas which I had initially thought of.
I kept my research relevant by concentrating on important aspects of the food industry which I will have to come across when developing a food in this target range. Such as suitable foods for freezing and market research so that I can get feel of the existing products available and see how I can extend them with a new original product.
I conclude that my product will have to be nutritious, cost effective, appealing, and imaginative to compete in this vigorous market.
The area that my product is aimed at is that of a young student who will buy a dish that is cheap due to there low budget and that is easy to cook and store, so a meal in minutes from the freezer to the microwave will appeal to this area of consumer. It will also have to be well balanced and nutritious as the majority of young people will be eating un-balanced diet and a lot of ‘junk food’. I know this as I researched this area by conducting surveys to find out what young people eat.
The needs of my consumer are, a nutritious cheap meal which is easy to cook and store.
The nutritious requirements for my consumer audience are more fibre, less salt, less fat, less sugar.
The ingredients that I use should include a good source of protein, carbohydrates, nutrients and vitamins, with some fat and glucose, but it should consist of the majority of less sugar, less fat, less salt and more fibre.
The portion size for my meal will need to be that of a standard meal for one, so I will have to look at portion sizes of already existing products. But it should be a standard one size portion for one person.
The shape colours and textures should be appealing to my consumer and attract attention to make my product original so that it will stand out from already existing products. Its colour shape and texture should appeal to that of a young student.
The following health and safety considerations are essential in the production of my ‘meal for one’ product:
The warning instructions and labels need to be provided identifying potential hazards for my consumer.
An HACCP table showing potential hazards and how I will combat them etc.
Conforming to the regulations can increase production costs considerably, but this is an area that can not be compromised, I will have to conform to HAACP how ever cost effective it is in industry.
The packaging I use will have to be environmentally friendly so that it can be recycled or broken down, it will also have to be appealing to my consumer so that it attracts any potential purchaser’s eye in this competitive ‘meal for one’ market. It will also have to contain all the necessary consumer information such as weight, shelf life, cooking instructions, and nutritional guidelines.
I got the majority of my ideas from recipes that I have previously made or from my own experience of eating out, and from travelling and experiencing foreign foods on a regular basis.
I chose my design by evaluating all of my initial products and then deciding which one will fit my market best and how I could develop this product to the best of my ability.
From my tests I discovered that my product will have to be changed considerably to fit my consumers’ needs. It is a very good product to develop as I can change my products to fit my competitive price range and I can add additional products to mould my initial design idea into the ‘meal for one’ product that I envisaged at the beginning of my product development.
When cooking my products I paid particular attention to the health and safety aspects when cooking with both raw and cooked materials. I made sure that I used separate cooking utensils whilst preparing meats and vegetables so that I did not contaminate any foods. This is shown in my HACCP table.
I worked to the following tolerances:
Time
Price range of cost effective products
Nutritional concerns
HACCP
7. Final Design Ideas
This section is the short list of products which have successfully been considered in the design specification to be taken forward as the solution.
To be completed
8. Planning
My prototype can be tested by giving it to my taster and then he can do a sensory evaluation sheet for me so that I can find out what my consumer audience may potentially think of my potential product.
I have had to plan my practical sessions to the sequence of actions I must take on producing this product.
I have had to change my plan so that it includes HACCP, throughout the practical.
I used particular kitchen utensils, when participating in particular skills where only certain items could be used for a particular skill.
I have drawn a flow diagram showing the steps that I will have to take when producing my product in industry on a large manufacturing scale.
Insert diagram.
My final product spec will include
Insert diagram (design brief)
Comparison to design brief for my initial design specification.
Insert diagram (initial design brief)
The tasters and testers that I showed my initial designs to who did sensory evaluation and participated in my questionnaire said…………………..
Insert sensory diagram
Insert Questionnaire
Insert Bar chart and pie chart of results
I was able to try my final product out by giving it to my taster/tester to evaluate it.
9. Outcome
10. Evaluation
Additional Information Appendix
Appendix A - Recipes
Thai Green Curry
Serves 2 (adapt half ingredients for ‘meal for one’)
2 chicken breasts (cut into 5 large pieces)
1 x 200ml of coconut milk (adapt for competitive pricing by using normal milk and coconut flavouring)
Handful of chopped pistachio nuts (use normal plain nuts for competitive pricing)
6 spring onions, washed & trimmed
4-6 medium green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
I tablespoon of coriander seeds crushed
½ teaspoon of black pepper
Lime leaves handful torn up
2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed back and finely chopped
2 handfuls of fresh coriander
3 tablespoons of oil
Zest and juice 3 limes
Method
Make up the green curry paste; put all the ingredients in the food processor and whiz to make a smooth green paste.
Marinate the chicken in a little paste for 30mins.
Add a little oil and the chicken pieces to a hot casserole, type pan or wok, fry for 4mins. Add the rest of the marinade stir in the coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer for 8mins until chicken is cooled. Season to taste then serve with rice.
Pasta Soup & Bread
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 onions, sliced into rings
1 teaspoon grand coriander
2 carrots cut into sticks
125 g cooked chicken breasts shredded
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 pints hot chicken stock
75g of dried pasta shells
75g cheddar cheese (cubed)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic and onions for 2mins fry, and stir in coriander, add the carrots, chicken and then fry for 3mins.
Stir in tomato puree and stock, bring to the boil add pasta, and then simmer for 8mins.
Add cheese then serve.
Ham Onion and Celery Risotto
1 table spoon olive oil
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
400g of risotto rice
Chicken stock (2pints)
Butter 70g
Cheese 115g
Method
Heat stock in a separate pan, heat the olive oil then add the onions, garlic and celery fry slowly for 4mins when the vegetables turn soft add the rice and then turn up the heat.
Add the stock ladle by ladle; let the rice absorb each ladle before adding the next. Keep adding stock until rice has absorbed all stock.
Remove from heat add butter and cheese, put the lid on the pan and leave for 30mins.
Tomato & Bacon Pasta
50g of bacon
1 ½ onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small red chilli
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 x 400g of Italian plum tomatoes
A small portion of basil and marjoram (roughly chopped)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin oil
Method
Heat olive oil in a thick bottom pan
Add chilli, oregano, and tomatoes
Cook slowly, and then add bacon
Bring to boil then let simmer for an hour
Stir and chop up the tomatoes
Add basil and season then add extra virgin oil
Tuna Pasta Bake
Insert ……………………….
