Skill 5: Use of Equipment (AQA GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition): Revision Note

Skill 5: Use of equipment

• There are many pieces of equipment that can be used to save time when preparing ingredients

Blenders

• Jug or hand-held stick blenders can be used to crush and finely chop food into a liquid

• Different types of blender can be specialised for the preparation of different foods, e.g.

  • liquidisers blend solid foods into a liquid

  • smoothie makers blend fruits and vegetables into a drink

  • hand blenders can be used to blend food within a jug or pan

  • soup makers can produce home-made soups from scratch

• Foods that can be prepared using a blender include:

  • baby food

  • soup

  • smoothie

  • puree

  • fruit shake

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Food processors

• Food processors may have multiple attachments that allow chopping, slicing, mixing, grating and grinding of food, e.g.

  • shredding cabbage

  • making nut butter

  • mixing pastry dough

  • breaking bread into breadcrumbs

Huyzee Vu, via Flickr

Mixers

• Hand-held or worktop mixers can combine or whisk ingredients

  • Hand-held mixers deal with smaller volumes of food than worktop mixers, and tend to be less powerful

• Mixers can be used when making:

  • cake batter

  • dough

  • whisked cream

  • whisked egg whites

• Some mixers may have specialised attachments that allow them to carry out tasks such as:

  • peeling potatoes

  • mincing meat

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Safety when using blenders, food processors and mixers

• It is important that food processors and mixers are used safely; safety measures include:

  • ensuring that devices are placed on a flat, stable surface

  • keeping devices away from water sources

  • following instructions for use

  • taking care when handling internal blade and grater attachments

  • switching off electricity when equipment is not in use

Pasta machines

• Pasta dough passes through rollers to flatten into sheets of pasta dough, which can then be cut into shapes, e.g.

  • cannelloni

  • tagliatelle

  • ravioli

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Microwave ovens

• Microwave radiation is used to heat food so it is cooked, defrosted, warmed or melted quickly, e.g. for:

  • reheating preprepared meals

  • melting butter

  • steaming vegetables

• Advantages of using microwave ovens include:

  • reheats or defrosts food quickly

  • energy efficient

  • convenient for heating ready meals or reheating preprepared meals

  • easy to clean

  • combination ovens can also be used to crisp food

• Disadvantages of using microwave ovens include:

  • food can easily be overcooked if timings are not followed exactly

  • cold spots can occur without regular stirring of food

  • non-combination ovens cannot be used to cook/heat foods that require crisping, e.g. pastry

  • metal and some plastics cannot be put in the microwave

  • foods with high fat or sugar content can burn easily

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