As part of completing my Middle Years Programme I must complete a project known as the Personal Project, where I create a product and write a report of 1500-3500 words. For my Personal Project, I decided to create a cookbook with 12 recipes, from a variety of countries. I chose this project because I had always had an interest in cooking from an early age, and both my grandma and mother used to cook frequently. My project is aimed at creating an affordable cookbook for people who are less fortunate and to also educate people about others culture. Through this project I hope to further develop my understanding of cultures around the world and also learn a bit myself.
Investigation
Define a clear goal and context for the project, …show more content…
Initially, because of my other commitments, I only prepared one recipe per week, but in the school holidays I was able to prepare multiple recipes per week. Also, as I developed confidence in my cooking ability I decided to cook twice per week.
Before commencing my cooking, I created a survey which I sent out to peers, asking them to select their favourite cuisine from 9 different alternatives. With this research I narrowed down 3 recipes from each country, and then chose the recipes based either on meals I myself have enjoyed or because they looked interesting.
My recipe and cuisine research was primarily on the internet with a bit of assistance from my Mum’s cookbooks. I shopped for ingredients locally on the weekends and prepared the recipes at home for my family in our kitchen.
I decided to select 25 recipes from different countries and prepare them for my family to critique. I would then select 12 of these recipes for inclusion in my …show more content…
I learnt I needed to ask good questions, and seek clarification when unsure of the answer.
Also, during this project I learnt a variety of research skills, including conducting a survey, as well as sourcing and selecting the appropriate recipes from books and the internet. In selecting recipes, I learnt to assess against my criteria of affordability as fresh produce was often seasonal. I also needed to look at the complexity and the time required to prepare them, as one of my criteria was simplicity.
I shared my experiences with my class mates, both the frustrations and the successes. Hopefully they learnt as I did that the critical thing was persistence and above all