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Cooking Merit Badge
The Cooking merit badge introduces principles of cooking that can be used both at home or in the outdoors. Scouts who earn this badge will learn about food safety, nutritional guidelines, meal planning, and methods of food preparation, and will review the variety of culinary (or cooking) careers available.
Requirements
- Do the following:
- Review with your counselor the injuries that might arise from cooking, including burns and scalds, and the proper treatment.
- Describe how meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products, and fresh vegetables should be stored, transported, and properly prepared for cooking.
- Describe the following food-related illnesses and tell what you can do to help prevent each from happening:
- Salmonella enteritis
- Staphylococcal enteritis
- E. coli (Escherichia coli) enteritis
- Botulism
- Trichinosis
- Hepatitis
- Do the following:
- Illustrate for your counselor the food pyramid that fits you. Label the following food groups in the pyramid and how much of each you should eat each day:
- Grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Milk, yogurt, cheese
- Meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts
- Oils (fats) and sugars
- Explain why you should limit your intake of oils and sugars.
- Explain the number of servings recommended per day from each group.
- Give your counselor examples from each food group.
- Describe for your counselor the measurements of servings for each food group.
- Describe to your counselor food preparation techniques that result in more healthful and nutritious meals.
- Plan a menu for two straight days (six meals) of camping. Include the following:
- A camp dinner with soup; meat, fish, poultry, or an appropriate substitute; two fresh vegetables; drink; and dessert. All are to be properly prepared. When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid.
- A one-pot dinner. Use foods other than canned.
- Using the menu planned for requirement 3, make a food list showing cost and amount needed to feed three or more boys.
- List the utensils needed to cook and serve these meals.
- Using the menu planned for requirement 3, do the following and discuss the process with your merit badge counselor:
- Prepare and serve for yourself and two others, the two dinners, one lunch, and one breakfast. Time your cooking so that each course will be ready to serve at the proper time.*
- For meals prepared in requirement 4a for which a fire is needed, use a lightweight stove or build a low-impact fire. Include support for your cooking utensils from rocks, logs, or like material. The same fireplace may be used for more than one meal. Use a backpacking stove to cook at least one meal. (Where local regulations do not allow you to do this, the counselor may change the requirement to meet the law.)
- For each meal prepared in requirement 4a, use safe food-handling practices. Dispose of garbage, cans, foil, paper, and other rubbish by packing them out and depositing them in a proper container. After each meal, clean up the site thoroughly.
- Plan a menu for one day (three meals) or for four meals over a two-day period of trail hiking or backpacking. Include the following:
- A breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a trail or backpacking trip where light weight is important. You should be able to store all foods used for several days without refrigeration. When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid.*
- Using the menu planned for requirement 5, make a food list showing cost and amount needed to feed three or more boys.
- List the utensils needed to cook and serve these meals.
- Figure the weight of the foods in requirement 5a.
- Using the menu planned for requirement 5, do the following:
- Prepare and serve for yourself and two others the trail breakfast and dinner. Time your cooking so that each course will be ready to serve at the proper time.*
- Use an approved trail stove (with proper supervision) or charcoal to prepare your meals.
- For each meal prepared in requirement 6a, use safe food-handling practices. Dispose of garbage, cans, foil, paper, and other rubbish by packing them out and depositing them in a proper container. After each meal, clean up the site thoroughly.
- Plan a menu for three full days of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to be cooked at home.
- When preparing your menu, follow the nutritional guidelines set by the food pyramid. All meals are to be cooked or properly prepared.
- Using the menu planned for requirement 7, make a food list showing cost and amount needed to feed yourself and at least one adult (parent, family member, guardian, or other responsible adult).
- Tell what utensils were needed to cook and serve these meals.
- Prepare and serve a breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the menu you planned for requirement 7. Time your cooking to have each course ready to serve at the proper time. Have an adult verify the preparation of the meal to your counselor.
- Find out about three career opportunities in cooking. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.
* The meals in requirements 4a and 5a may be prepared for different trips. They need not be prepared consecutively. Scouts working on this badge in summer camp should plan around food they can get at the camp commissary.
Resources
Scouting Literature
Boy Scout Handbook; Fieldbook; Backpacking, Camping, and Public Health merit badge pamphlets
Books
- Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press, 1999.
- Eddy, Jackie, and Eleanor Clark. The Absolute Beginner's Cookbook: Or How Long Do I Cook a Three-Minute Egg? Prima Communications, 1998.
- Fleming, June. The Well-Fed Backpacker, 3rd ed. Vintage Books, 1985.
- Hodgman, Ann. One Bite Won't Kill You. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999.
- Labensky, Steven, Gaye G. Ingram, and Sarah R. Labensky. Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 2000.
- Madison, Deborah. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1997.
- McMorris, Bill, and Jo McMorris. Camp Cooking: A Backpacker's Pocket Guide. Lyons Press, 1989.
- Miller, Dorcus S. Backcountry Cooking: From Pack to Plate in 10 Minutes. Mountaineers Books, 1998.
- Miller, Jan, ed. New Junior Cookbook. Better Homes and Gardens, 2004.
- Newman, Paul, and A. E. Hotchner. The Hole-In-The-Wall Gang Cookbook. Simon & Schuster, 1998.
- Siegel, Helene, and Karen Gillingham. Totally Camping Cookbook. Ten Speed Press, 1996.
- 365 Favorite Brand-Name Casseroles & One-Dish Meals. Publications International, 1996.
- Winston, Mary. American Heart Association's Kids Cookbook. Clarkson Potter, 1993.
Periodicals
There are many magazines on the market. Before you subscribe, check out a copy at your local library or a nearby bookstore (visit shops that sell used books and magazines, too). Here are a few that may interest you: Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Cook's Illustrated, Eating Well, Everyday Food, Gourmet, Southern Living, Sunset, Taste of Home, Vegetarian Times, and Veggie Life.
Organizations and Web Sites
American Diabetes Association
Toll-free telephone: 800-342-2383
Web site: http://www.diabetes.org
American Heart Association
Web site: http://www.deliciousdecisions.org
Cooking Schools
(Cooking schools in the United States)
Web site: http://www.cooking-schools.us
The Cook's Thesaurus
Web site: http://www.foodsubs.com
Culinary Institute of America
Toll-free telephone: 800-CULINARY
Web site: http://www.ciachef.edu
Epicurious
Web site: http://www.epicurious.com
Exploratorium
Web site: http://www.exploratorium .edu/cooking
Food Network
Web site: http://www.foodtv.com
The Healthy Fridge
Telephone: 404-252-3663
Web site: http://www.healthyfridge.org
International Food Safety Council
Toll-free telephone: 800-765-2122
Web site: http://www.foodsafetycouncil.org
Meals.com
Web site: http://www.meals.com
National Restaurant Association
Toll-free telephone: 800-424-5156
Web site: http://www.restaurant.org
The Recipe Link
Web site: http://www.recipelink.com
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Web site: http://www.foodsafety.gov
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