Thursday, 28 June 2007

School student regional hamburger cook-off gets heated at MIT

Manukau Institute of Technology’s Catering, Hospitality and Tourism Schools (CHATS) laid the table for the third regional Secondary Schools Hamburger competition on Wednesday, 26 June.

Food technology students from more than 20 schools located between Bombay and Kaitaia were challenged to create a healthy and nutritionally balanced hamburger using lamb or beef. The competitors were split up into junior and senior categories and given one hour to complete the task while being watched over and judged by two chefs and one nutritionist. Each student had to then present two portions with one for display and the other being taste tested.

“Hamburgers are now standard items on most hotel menus,” says CHATS lecturer Hans Persterer. “They have to be equal to the best things on a menu. The challenge for the students was to create a substantial meal that was also within the standard portion range of about 180 grams of meat and not being too greasy or created with too much starch.

“The judges were also looking to see that the choice of bread and garnish was complementary. There were some really interesting flavours from North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim as they used anything from bagels to focaccia bread with relish, pickles or chutneys.”

Also under scrutiny were the students’ safety and hygiene practices and the look of the hamburger on the plate.

“A lot of food technology students have already visited CHATS to do their assessments as part of our curriculum alignment agreement with high
schools,” says Hans. “This competition gives them even more exposure to us and our facilities, and we get the chance to see potential candidates for our certificate courses in action. It’s a win-win situation.”

The winner of the junior section was Amelia Molloy from Papakura High School with her creation, The Ultimate Gourmet Rib Burger (above), while Moniel Kalyan from Lynfield College won the senior section. They will go forward to the national finals later this year.

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