How to Give a 4-H Food Demonstration
While food demonstrations have additional rules listed below that must be followed,
remember to read “How to Give a 4-H Presentation” and follow the basic rules of introduction,
body and summary. Review the judges score sheet so you know what the judges will be
watching.
Remember to speak loudly enough to be heard in the back of the room, make eye contact and
dress appropriately.
You may wish to make a title and summary poster or additional posters to emphasize important
points.
To make a demonstration effective, first make some decisions:
What is the main idea I want to get across? How to cook or follow a recipe? Nutrition?
Food Safety? Consumerism? Experiencing my culture or discovering other cultures?
What recipe(s) can best be used? Will this appeal to the audience?
How long will it take to get my point across? Keep in mind a 4-H presentation is a
maximum of 15 minutes.
Once you’ve answered these questions organize your demonstration in 5 easy steps.
1. Pick a recipe! Does it taste good? Are the ingredients easy to purchase? Will the
finished product travel well? Can samples be passed out without too much difficulty?
Practice making this.
2. Write out the information!
You must talk during your entire food presentation (except when you might use an electric
mixer or blender).
While you are demonstrating how to make a particular recipe, you might also talk about:
the nutritional value of the dish and compare it to a food that is less nutritious.
how you might change the recipe to be more nutritious or to meet a special needs diet.
how to safely store the dish for later eating.
comparing the cost of the “homemade” dish with a purchased dish.
the reasons you like this dish, what inspired you to make it; what is the “story behind
this dish”.
how or when you might serve this dish.
a story about a time you had this dish.
the tools. For instance; what is the difference in knives or measuring cups or oven
temperatures. How does a microwave work? Why use a blender instead of a food
processor?
the techniques. For instance how to chop vegetables safely or how to remove a
casserole safely from the oven or how to make all the cookies come out the same size.
Once you’ve captured an audience’s attention you can incorporate any information you want to
share.
3. Make note cards! The information on a note card should only be an outline of the basic
information you want to present. Number them, coordinating with cooking steps. Put
them on a ring. Make posters if desired and practice turning them.
4. Practice! Time yourself; see how much you can accomplish in your time frame. You
may find you can’t measure the ingredients, mix them and cook within the amount of
time allowed. To shorten the demonstration you can premeasure ingredients, or just
combine ingredients then show how the finished product will look after cooking, or
show just the most important steps of preparation and leave out the less important
aspects.
5. Make a list! Read the list of rules below and write down a list of all the equipment and
all the ingredients you will need. A good list will save you extra trips to the grocery
store and can help keep you organized. Check your list before you leave to give your
presentation. Pack your things in the order you will need them in your presentation.
Use these rules as you organize your demonstration:
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Wash your hands. Bring a towel to dry them.
Cold foods need to be kept in a cooler with ice or ice blocks.*
Hot foods need to be kept warm.*
Do not touch your face or hair during food preparation.
Tie back your hair.
Keep a damp cloth or paper towel handy for spills or to wipe your hands.
Tape a small trash bag to the table at your left, for egg shells, wrappers, or other trash.
Always talk toward the audience (not the poster or bowl) and smile.
Let your audience see everything you do. Use clear bowls and liquid measuring cups if
possible, so your audience can easily see what you are doing. If you have no seethrough bowls, be sure to tilt the bowl so the audience can see how the contents look.
Set up trays to hold ingredients and small utensils for each section of your
demonstration. Place this tray on your left.
Work from left to right. (or right to left, whichever is more comfortable for you) Place
ingredients and equipment on your left, hold it up for the audience to see, use it and
then place it on your right.
As each ingredient is used, place the empty container back on the tray on your right.
As you finish each step, clear away all unnecessary equipment before bringing up
another tray so the clutter will not build up. If you don’t, the audience will not be able
to see through the clutter, and you will have little space to work.
When measuring ingredients, use standard utensils and standard techniques. **
Don’t measure ingredients over the mixing bowl or other ingredients. Measure over a
separate container.
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It is OK to premeasure food ingredients ahead of time unless you plan to explain
measuring techniques.
Use a knife or spatula to crack each egg, and then open into a cup to check for quality
before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Place a damp cloth or towel under cutting boards, bread boards or bowls to keep
them from slipping
If using an electric mixer or blender, place several thicknesses of towel beneath the
appliance to deaden noise.
Wooden spoons are not as noisy as metal spoons, so they are a good choice for mixing
and stirring.
Use a rubber spatula to remove all of the food from a container.
Try not to use your fingers for handling food. Use a spoon or tongs to transfer food
from one container to another.
Show the audience the product after completion. Plan to pass out samples and
handouts of the recipe.
Describe every move you make. Tell why it is being done.
If something goes wrong explain what happened—don’t try to cover up your mistake.
Plan to take a few extra ingredients and equipment in case you break an egg or misplace
a spoon.
*Taken from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Fact Sheet
"Danger Zone" (40 °F - 140 °F)
Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as
Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and
Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness. Bacteria grow most
rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in
as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone."
Keep Food Out of the "Danger Zone"
Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F,
food should not be left out more than 1 hour.
Keep hot food hot — at or above 140 °F. Place cooked food in chafing dishes,
preheated steam tables, warming trays, and/or slow cookers.
Keep cold food cold — at or below 40 °F. Place food in containers on ice.
Cooking
Raw meat and poultry should always be cooked to a safe minimum internal
temperature (see graphic). When roasting meat and poultry, use an oven temperature
no lower than 325 °F.
If you aren't going to serve hot food right away, it's important to keep it at 140 °F or
above.
Storing Leftovers
One of the most common causes of foodborne illness is improper cooling of cooked
foods. Bacteria can be reintroduced to food after it is safely cooked. For this reason
leftovers must be put in shallow containers for quick cooling and refrigerated at 40 °F
or below within two hours.
Reheating
Foods should be reheated thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165 °F or until hot
and steaming. In the microwave oven, cover food and rotate so it heats evenly.
**Taken from busycooks.about.com/od/howtocook/a/howtomeasure.htm
Measuring accurately is probably the most important cooking skill in the kitchen.
To begin, make sure that you have actual commercial measuring utensils. Nested (graduated)
measuring cups are used for dry ingredients. Measuring spoons are needed For liquid
ingredients, you need a clear glass or plastic cup with a pouring spout.
Graduated measuring cups are made in 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 cup sizes. Liquid
measuring cups are usually either 2 cup or 4 cup. Measuring spoons usually range from 1/8
teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. Here's a basic guide to
measuring common ingredients.
Flour
Stir flour in the storage container or bag. Using a large spoon, lightly spoon flour from the
container into the measuring cup. Do not shake the cup and do not pack the flour. Using the
back of a knife or flat blade spatula, level off the flour even with the top edge of the
measuring cup. Don't use the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container. You can
end up with 150% of the correct measurement if you do this! One cup of correctly measured
flour should weigh about 120 to 125 grams.
Baking powder and Baking Soda
Stir in the container. Using the measuring spoon, lightly scoop out of the container. Use that
knife to level off even with the top edge of the measuring spoon.
Sugar
Sugar is measured by scooping the cup or measuring spoon into the container or bag until it
is overflowing, then leveling off with the back of a knife.
Brown Sugar
This needs to be packed into the measuring cup. The sugar should retain the shape of the
cup when it is dropped into the other ingredients.
Powdered Sugar
Powdered sugar usually needs to be sifted to remove small lumps. It is measured by
spooning the sugar into the measuring cup from the container, then leveling off with the
back of a knife.
Liquid Ingredients
Liquids need to be measured at eye level. Using the liquid measuring cup, pour the liquid
into the cup. Then bend over so you are on the same level with the measuring marks. The
liquid should be right at the mark, not above or below.
Semi-Liquid Ingredients
Ingredients like sour cream, peanut butter, and yogurt are measured using dry measuring
cups because they are too thick to be accurately measured in the liquid cups. Level off sour
cream and peanut butter with the back of a knife.
Shortening and Solid Fats
Butter and margarine have measuring amounts marked on the sides of the paper wrapping.
One quarter pound stick of butter or margarine equals 1/2 cup. Solid shortening is measured
by packing it into a cup so there are no air spaces, then leveling off with the knife. To easily
remove fats from baking cups, spray them with a nonstick cooking spray before measuring.
You can also use the liquid displacement method for measuring solid fats. For instance, if you
want 1/2 cup of shortening, fill a liquid measuring cup with 1/2 cup of cold water. Then add
shortening until the water level reaches 1 cup when you look at it at eye level. Pour out the
water and use the shortening. Oil is measured as a liquid.
Liquid Ingredients in Spoons
Make sure that you don't measure small amounts of liquid ingredients over the mixing bowl.
It's just too easy to spill, and you don't want 2 teaspoons of almond extract when the recipe
only calls for 1 teaspoon!
Dry Ingredients in Spoons
Ingredients measured in these small amounts still have to be measured carefully. Overfill the
measuring spoons and level off using the back of a knife for the most accurate amounts.
Accurate amounts of ingredients like baking soda and powder are critical to the success of
any baked product.
Chopped Ingredients
Pay close attention to whether or not an ingredient is to be chopped, diced or minced, and
whether they are measured before chopping or after. Then the foods are placed in the
measuring cup so the top is level with the surface.
When you bake cookies, cakes, breads, pie crusts, and candies, measuring accurately is really
critical to the success of the recipe. When you are cooking casseroles, soups, stir fries, and
meats, you can vary amounts to your taste.
4-H Foods Demonstrations
Revised BAN 2013