Grate It
Lesson Overview
Goals
- Describe various tools for grating
- Grate a variety of cheeses and vegetables
Outcomes
Teaching Primer
Grating cheese on a box grater is one of the first tasks that most kids are assigned in the kitchen at home. Though there is an element of danger inherent in using a grater, the damage rarely exceeds skinned knuckles.
But for a set of tools that seem so simple to use, there is most certainly a level of proficiency that comes from experience. And there is also knowledge involved, knowing which utensil to use for which job.
So it’s important to empower Students in the kitchen with tasks that they can accomplish in short order to keep their interest but still offer a sense that mastery is attainable though somewhat elusive. That is certainly the promise that graters – microplanes, hand graters, and box graters – hold for the casual user.
How hard could it be? That’s what we all thought the first time we grabbed the handle of that old box grater in Grandma’s kitchen. A few minutes later we all looked up at her deftly moving from task to task and thought “Grandma’s a kitchen ninja!”
And wasn’t that the truth?
Tools & Materials
- Box grater
- Hand grater
- Microplane
- Ingredients per recipe
Vocabulary
- Shred
- Shave
- Grate
- Utensils
Method
Introduction (10 minutes)
Begin the lesson by asking the Students to describe grating. What does it look like? Explain the various tools and utensils that can be used to grate, shred, and shave cheeses and vegetables. Demonstrate each one to show the Students what the end result looks like.
Activity (20 minutes)
Have the Students use the various tools and utensils themselves. Ask them to taste the cheeses and vegetables from each method.
Discussion (10 minutes)
Did the cheese taste differently based on the way it was grated? How was it different? What about the vegetables? Which grating method did you enjoy using the most? Which was the hardest to do?
Assessment (5 minutes)
Use the following questions to assess the Students before and after the lesson. Tally the responses of the group in the Assessment Tracking Log for comparison:
- By a show of hands, how many of you have ever grated cheese or vegetables in the kitchen at home?
- Now that you’ve used a few different utensils to grate, how many of you think you could teach someone else how to use them?
Related Lessons
Give the Intermediate or Advanced lessons a try now that you’ve completed the Beginner Lesson!
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