Having a cooking merit badge is extremely important, especially if you aspire to achieve the Eagle Scout rank. While camping, ramens and soups would become monotonous and tasteless after some time. The cooking merit badge will teach you how to keep your tastebuds alive and make the camping not only adventurous but also nutritious and healthy.
There are few cooking merit badge requirements you must know before opting for Scouts. In this blog, you will come across 10 such requirements and cooking merit badge worksheet answers which after fulfilling, will make you not only a successful scout but also an amazing chef.
Here are the following cooking merit badge requirements:
1. Clarify the probable hazards
You are expected to clarify the probable hazards that can occur during an ongoing cooking activity along with your counselor. Along with that, you ask him about the prevention measures and mitigation to avoid any harm. Some of the most likely problematic situations that you may face during your participation in cooking is health problems such as diarrhea, allergic reaction, indigestion and vomiting. Some measures for avoiding these situations are- eradicating foods that your instinct says will be threatening to health, wash food properly before cooking, etc.
2. Showcase your knowledge about first aid
Only filling the cooking merit badge worksheet would not be enough. You have to show that you have the required knowledge of first aid in case something dangerous occurs. Burns are very common while cooking, applying lukewarm water on the burned spot and staying away from cold water or ice will be an effective measure. Wrapping the spot with a plastic after letting it cool for 10 minutes will help the condition be better. In case of cuts, apply turmeric and sugar on the spot and press it. You can also wash the spot and bandage it for the blood to stop clotting.
3. Discuss about nutrition
Fulfilling the required nobody nutrition of one of the most important factors considered is the cooking merit badge program. Discuss with your counselor the categories of food and the calorie, fat and other nutritional benefits that every edible daily serving has. One thing that can earn you an extra point is talking about cross-contamination. Cross contamination is what happens when you lack food hygiene and use one single cooking utensil for various vegetables or meat without properly washing. As a measure, one should always maintain hygiene, use a different container for separate containers for storing items.
4. Some basic exchange of ideas
Some of the basic things are what people generally tend to forget following or rather avoid abiding. For example, reading the food labels is one factor that needs to be practiced religiously while buying materials and maintaining its rules till the product gets over. But very few people abide by this rule. To get the cooking merit badge, you have to write the solution of this problem in the cooking merit badge workbook. To avoid any allergic reactions due to the intake of expired food or mixing the wrong food article with another food ingredient, reading food labels is extremely important.
5. Basics of Cooking
There is a reason behind the discovery of a bowl and a cauldron. If all things could be done on a cauldron, the bowl would not come into existence and vice versa. Discuss with your counselor the basics of cooking. The importance of the cooking processes such as simmering, microwaving, steaming, grilling, uses of different utensils, etc. holds special mention in the discussion of basics of cooking. Also, mention how long each utensil would take to cooks food completely and what are the benefits of using those separately in daily life.
6. Foods to be used in limited quantity
There are certain food items that provide only a small amount of nutrition to our body but sheds more harmful side effects like weight related problems and other issues. Sugar and oil fall under that category and if not taken in a limited quantity, can give rise to various health hazards. Some disorders can be life threatening and incurable too. A cure for these is having food that has healthy fat and in a limited quantity instead of having access to carbohydrates, sugar and fat mixed together.
7. Cook at Home
Now that your counselor and you have finished discussing about the cooking methods, nutritional factors and equipment to use them to be cooked, it’s time for you to justify the need of cooking at home. In this section, define why home cooking is suitable for healthy living than eating out. You can also make a diet plan for the week or the forthcoming month keeping in mind of all the necessary factors.
8. Cooking at Camp
In case of cooking at camp, you generally do not get all the ingredients required that you get at home. To get a cooking merit badge you have to mention the weekly meal planning for your patrols made with the limited ingredients you get for cooking. According to the cooking merit badge requirements rules, you will have to cook two of the four meals you have planned for the patrols abiding by all the hygiene measures and using the resources you will have in a camp.
9. Time for packing the bags
All you needed to know is complete now and you are expected to back the bags or shop the meals now. Create a list of materials you need to shop for four meals a day. Discuss the to-shop list with your counselor including the expenses and assess the accuracy.
10. Food-related Careers
You have covered all the aspects of the cooking merit badge pamphlet and now it’s time to choose a food-related career for your future. Start a conversation with your counselor about the same. Some of the best options are becoming a chef, a food scientist, food educationist, restaurant manager, food blogger, dietician, etc.
We hope we have been able to give you the cooking merit badge answers with full satisfaction. All of these 10 cooking merit badge requirements are the most important ones for you to have full knowledge of and then only can we obtain a cooking merit badge and make a career out of it. Best of luck!
Also check the: 10 Tips To Lose Weight At Home