Where inductive courses have failed, the reason has
been most often that the preparatory steps have been
omitted by the teacher, and the student has been set to
find out something when she has no knowledge of what
she has set out to find. Chance discoveries, of course,
find their applications later on, but this is not education.
The student needs to have clearly in mind the results
looked for, before she begins an experiment. This by no
means implies that the result itself should be known, for
then interest is dulled. References should be looked up
only after the practical work, or its chief value is lost.
If it is necessary to economize on time, where com-
parative results are to be obtained, as in making tea, the
experiments may be divided among the class so that
one student compares her results with those of her neigh-
bors. This distribution of work, however, is not possible
when preparing dishes which call for skill in handling
or involve some special principles in combining or in
cooking; but there is no reason why one student may
not prepare bean soup while her neighbor makes potato
soup. Such a practice often helps to impress underlying
principles. College classes have been known to finish
their course in cooking with the idea that a special recipe
was necessary for each kind of soup or cake, and without
knowledge of proportions which would tell them when a
recipe was outside the bounds of possibility. This is
the result of cooking entirely from recipes. On the
other hand, an error quite as bad is made when recipes
are never used.
The order of the topics in this book is not that of the
conventional cook book, nor is it based on the chief food
FOREWORD TO THE TEACHER ix
principles, but is a logical working out of the subject and
makes possible certain advantages in presentation, as the
early introduction of such subjects as meals and serving.
This gives opportunity for the economic study needed as
a basis for household management — all too often omitted
from courses in home economics — and also affords an
occasion for necessary repetition of work, if skill as well as
knowledge is to be acquired. Another excellent way to
introduce repetition is by contests, in which, for example,
the students not only try to see who can make the best
bread but also are required to judge the results and
show why one is more desirable than another. In this
way they learn standards of perfection otherwise difficult
to teach. Regulation "score cards" may or may not be
used for such work.
The laboratory notes should show clearly the results
obtained in all experiments and should also answer all
questions asked in the directions. Recipes may be
written here, or better, kept in card catalog form. It is
well to accustom the student to the handling of a cook
book, and familiarity with more than one is surely de-
sirable.
Food study
1917Page 1
Presented as published in 1917. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Where inductive courses have failed, the reason has been most often that the preparatory steps have been omitted by the teacher, and the student has been set to find out something when she has no knowledge of what she has set out to find. Chance discoveries, of course, find their applications later on, but this is not education. The student needs to have clearly in mind the results looked for, before she begins an experiment. This by no means implies that the result itself should be known, for then interest is dulled. References should be looked up only after the practical work, or its chief value is lost.
If it is necessary to economize on time, where comparative results are to be obtained, as in making tea, the experiments may be divided among the class so that one student compares her results with those of her neighbors. This distribution of work, however, is not possible when preparing dishes which call for skill in handling or involve some special principles in combining or in cooking; but there is no reason why one student may not prepare bean soup while her neighbor makes potato soup. Such a practice often helps to impress underlying principles. College classes have been known to finish their course in cooking with the idea that a special recipe was necessary for each kind of soup or cake, and without knowledge of proportions which would tell them when a recipe was outside the bounds of possibility. This is the result of cooking entirely from recipes. On the other hand, an error quite as bad is made when recipes are never used.
The order of the topics in this book is not that of the conventional cook book, nor is it based on the chief food
FOREWORD TO THE TEACHER ix
principles, but is a logical working out of the subject and makes possible certain advantages in presentation, as the early introduction of such subjects as meals and serving. This gives opportunity for the economic study needed as a basis for household management — all too often omitted from courses in home economics — and also affords an occasion for necessary repetition of work, if skill as well as knowledge is to be acquired. Another excellent way to introduce repetition is by contests, in which, for example, the students not only try to see who can make the best bread but also are required to judge the results and show why one is more desirable than another. In this way they learn standards of perfection otherwise difficult to teach. Regulation "score cards" may or may not be used for such work.
The laboratory notes should show clearly the results obtained in all experiments and should also answer all questions asked in the directions. Recipes may be written here, or better, kept in card catalog form. It is well to accustom the student to the handling of a cook book, and familiarity with more than one is surely desirable.