Subjects: Food Technology

The second in this two-part series, this program looks at more advanced techniques used in cake decorating. Again featuring our cake decorating experts at work, we feature some more complex cake decorating skills, such as doing transfers, colored piping and collars, three different techniques for creating frosting roses and we even learn how to create a rag doll figurine!

“Food safety is an issue wherever food is stored, prepared and served. Safety in the home is of particular concern, simply because it can involve such a wide range of people – people of all ages and people of various cultural and educational backgrounds. In this program we take a look at this critical issue, covering topics such as: buying the best and healthiest items in the supermarket, transporting them home in a safe fashion and safe refrigeration and storage methods.
Helen Highwaters, the presenter of this program is ‘on a crusade to save the world from food poisoning.’ We follow her as she does her grocery shopping in a logical and safe order, and shows us how to put everything away correctly on her return home.”

Simple food preparation examples are provided to explain the main properties of food. The program also lists food compounds as well as factors causing changes in food composition. Topics examined are: aeration, coagulation, denaturation, gelatinization, crystallization, testing for pH, emulsification and gelation.

We can drastically improve the preparation, preservation and presentation of the food we eat when we understand the role of enzymes, pectin and pigments. In this follow-up program to Characteristics and Properties of Food we provide concise definitions and explanations as well as a wide range of practical applications and hands-on experiments.

Marni Gilbert has a severe allergy to peanuts and dies after consuming some at a school camp. Unfortunately this fictitious case study parallels many cases of children dying after eating certain foods or coming into contact with allergens. Like Marni’s, their lives could have been saved. Allergens and Food Safety features interviews and footage throughout. The program covers: what allergens are; reactions and responses; rules and regulations; the role of food manufacturers in food safety; and the role of retailers and workers in food safety. This is a comprehensive look at processes, safety issues and control measures of food allergens in the manufacture, regulation and selling of food.

Case studies of Brunetti’s café in Melbourne, Australia and a milk company show us the difference between batch processing and continuous processing.

Nutrients – The Basics looks at the basic nutrients needed by our bodies to stay alive and reproduce. Each nutrient is examined in relation to its role in the body and the amount of each nutrient required for healthy living. As well, the program introduces students to the Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs) designed by national health authorities.

This information-rich program provides an overview of the use of knives in a commercial kitchen.