Carbonara Evaluation

• Sensory properties:Appearance: The overall appearance I was really proud of. The pasta was evenly shaped, and had a gentle yellow color to it. All strands of pasta had the same length and width, and turned out really flat and delicate. The Carbonara sauce made it a more complicated dish, and gave it a homely and complex look. The pasta looked smooth, a bit sticky, fragile and fresh. By deciding to go on the 7th level of the pasta maker, made the pasta much more flat and fragile. Making it more enjoyable to eat and look at. The Carbonara sauce looked yellow, lumpy, red in some areas (bacon) and freshly made.

• Texture: The texture turned out great- just like bought pasta yet fresher. The pasta was soft, smooth, tender, perfectly cooked (a bit mushy but in a good way) and moist. By measuring the ingredients precisely contributed to a nice texture. Too much flour or egg would make lumpy or dry pasta. The Carbonara sauce probably could’ve been smoother, but the bacon bits definitely added a variety of texture. And made it more enjoyable to eat.

• Taste: Perfect. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between bought pasta and my pasta, except for mine was probably better. It had that homely taste of hot, salty, mild pasta. Pasta definitely doesn’t have a strong taste, but the sauce helped create a flavorsome dish. The Carbonara sauce was rich and salty (bacon), strong (garlic) and made a good side to the blandish pasta. By having the sauce with the pasta contributed to a nicer taste in your mouth, it evened out the salty, sweet, and bland elements.

• Aroma: The pasta smelt exactly like an authentic Italian pasta dish. It smelt rich and enticing, and had an even balance of aromas (sweet, sour, bitter, salty). The sauce also contributed to a nice aroma, you can’t really smell pasta by itself, therefore the Carbonara sauce- mainly the bacon and garlic contributed.

Carbonara EvaluationTerminology I have learnt and applied in the

production of the dish-There are really only two main ingredients in pasta-

eggs and flour. Without either of them, there would be no pasta. The eggs act like binding agent to hold the flour and egg together. When cooking the pasta, the eggs almost set the ingredients together to create a

thick mass. In order to do that, the functional property of denaturation takes place. When the structure of the

egg changes and the protein molecules form a tight bundle with the other ingredient, the pasta is formed. If you were to exchange the egg for water, the mixture

would be thick and lumpy and simply wouldn’t hold together. The water doesn’t have the same proteins as

egg does to hold things together.

2 changes or modifications I would make to improve the appearance, texture or taste?

To be honest there’s nothing that stood out as a fault, meaning I wouldn’t really change anything. If I had to

choose, I would be more precise at getting exactly even length pasta. And pay more attention to getting a smoother

and more tasteful sauce.

Name 2 ingredients, name the key food groups and discuss the physical changes. Name the functional properties of the key food in the production.

Key food group: Cereals (wheat flour)Physical changes: The flour starts off as being white and light. After the eggs are added, the flour turns yellow due to the

egg yolk and toughens up. The flour absorbs the moisture from the eggs making it harder and more compact.

There isn’t much air left in the flour now that it is absorbing the eggs.

Key food group: EggsPhysical changes. The egg yolk brakes

from inside the egg whites once stirred through the flour. The proteins unravel and bind together with the flour. That

what causes the egg and flour to turn into a dough (a whole). The egg coagulates

once being cooked, forming steady strands of pasta.

EGGS FLOUR

Carbonara Evaluation

What complex process was used in this production?

Using the pasta maker to form even pieces of

pasta. It was quite complex using the machine without

breaking the pasta. You had to try getting it as flat and skinny as possible, without the dough snapping. This mean, when winding

the dough through the machine, you had to

handle it really cautiously. I managed

to get up to level seven on the pasta maker (the thinnest

setting) and successfully make

thin pasta without it breaking.

Efficiency of the food production:

I thought I worked very efficiently. I ended up

working by myself (which I have never

done before), but that helped me stay on task

(not get distracted) and work

independently. I worked within the time frames and even had spare time left over. My workspace was

kept tidy throughout the production of the dish, which I believe I

am quite good at doing. I like feeling

organized and clean. Once presently my

dish nicely, I was also able to help out other

groups with their pasta making.

Sustainability of the tools, equipment and processes:

To make the pasta I used: a bowl (to combine the flour and egg), cup measurers (to measure the

flour), a wooden spoon (to mix the ingredients together), a pasta machine (to thinly roll out the

dough and cut it into strands), a pot (to cook the pasta in), a

strainer (to get the water out the pasta), a spoon (to serve the

sauce) and a bowl (to present the dish in). For the Carbonara sauce I

used: a chopping board (to cut bacon), a knife (to cut bacon) a

frying pan (to cook bacon), spoon measurers (for oil), paper towel

(to drain bacon), bowl (to put egg mixture in), a whisk (to mix egg

mixture), a wooden spoon (to stir all together), cup measurers (to

measure cream, and for parmesan), scale (to measure parmesan) and a fork to eat.

Carbonara Evaluation

I used this piece of equipment safely and effectively by keeping my hands out the flattening part, and continuously rolling the dough out to make it flatter and flatter. Eventually making it the skinniest pasta possible. I made sure I kept a distance between my hands and the machine, when winding the dough through it. This was to avoid my fingers getting crushed.

I used the pot safely by not touching it without mitts on, and carefully lowering the pasta into the water to avoid boiling water splashing on me. I cooked my pasta very efficiently and quickly, giving other partners the opportunity to use the pot as soon as possible. I did use the correct equipment for the techniques used. And they definitely assisted in creating my desired result. Without the pasta maker I couldn’t of had flat and nice pasta. And I definitely wouldn’t have been able to cut out even strands of fettuccini.

Carbonara Evaluation

PASTA MAKER

POT

Discuss safety and hygiene practices:To avoid getting food poisoning, I made sure the eggs were fresh and not off. I can tell when eggs are off because they have a weird fishy smell. The egg carton should also have a used by date. To avoid spillage, I made sure the draining bowl for the pasta was in close range of the cooking pot. This is so I didn’t have to cart the pasta around, spilling water all over the floor. A danger when cooking pasta might be getting your hands caught in the pasta machine. To avoid doing this, keep hands away when winding pasta through the machine. Another danger might be getting germs in the dish from your hands. Make sure to always wash hands/wear gloves when handling food.

Modifications:I would want to perfect my Carbonara sauce, by getting it smooth. And perfect my pasta making skills.

PLUS MINUS INTERESTING

*successfully making pasta again from scratch*completing in time frame*making Carbonara sauce*exploring Italian foods, and making an authentic Italian dish*making thin and smooth pasta*clean work station

*lumpy Carbonara sauce*burnt bacon*un even pasta lengths*didn’t have pancetta*too much garlic*very rich- portion was also too big*very thick sauce

*making Carbonara for the first time*making our very own pasta and sauce from scratch*investigating Italian foods*using bacon instead of pancetta*using lots of garlic*how rich it turned out (cream)