Reflection and cooking with a different type of grill when making a barbecue.
I started out setting my goal on making a barbecue, an activity that brings both family members but also friends together and blogging what I learned in undertaking this adventure. I had a total misunderstanding as to the purpose of my blog and through my reflection I have learned that it is not the process of cooking but what I learn during the adventure. It will be difficult to start all over as there is limited time left. In preparing a barbecue one should consider the grill to use, the grills effect on the flavor and taste of the meat, where the grill will be placed etc. The charcoal grill has always been my favorite and is the only one I have used and think it is the fastest and gives the best flavor to the meat. My choice of the charcoal grill comes from my experience and safety concerns. I have heard numerous stories about gas grills exploding and injury people prior to my arrival in the United States. While visiting Home Depot to buy a grill, I saw different grills on display and immediately chose a charcoal grill even though my brother-in-law who is a great chef advised me to buy a gas or electric grill. Reviewing websites such as the www.thespruceeats.com and www.world-food- and-wine.com I have learned about the different types of grill and their performances. I have found out that you don't only have to decide on the type of grill you want but also what you want out of the grill. Some grills prepare meat over a short period of time with little effort, gas grills can heat up over a short period of time with little effort, and are versatile and convenient and give a good flavor to the barbecue. Electric grills on the other hand do not provide a good flavor, and do not heat heat up quickly. Pellet grills on the other hand provide good flavors, are smokers and versatile but are expensive and hard to find. Further more, I have learned that about even and uneven heating surfaces when using charcoal grills and its effect on the flavor of the meat, and how frozen meat from the fridge should be defrosted before putting it on the grill as this can affect its flavor. Seeking and finding information is a great way of learning and has changed my perception that the charcoal grill is the best grill to prepare a barbecue. These cooking websites have given me an idea that there are faster grills that provide good flavors and are cost efficient than the charcoal grill which is sometimes hard to find in stores depending on the size and have to be ordered which can be expensive as was my second grill.
My next adventure will be cooking a barbecue using a gas grill to determine how safe it is and the type of flavor it gives to the meat.
Comments
Again you describe the complexity of the BBQ process (new language, different desired outcomes) as you seek to understand. How will this help you as a teacher?
What is missing here still is what is your learning outcome or goal? If you don't have a goal for learning then you can't measure if you learned. How did you structure your learning process? Pretty much you didn't have a structured process which led to you having to start over each week....how will this help you as a teacher?
For your final project, please focus on what you learned in this process and how it will inform your teaching practice. So far we have the following:
1. Learning something new is hard - new language/process/information overload. How will I as a teacher help my students with this?
2. Learning something new must have learning objectives to measure progress. How did your experience of having no learning objectives influence this learning project and how will you fix this as a teacher for students? Hint: set learning objectives, review them frequently,stage learning by scaffolding to get to learning objectives (first language, then process, then final learning outcome)
3. There are many ways to learn.....how will you guide your students?
Hope this helps