Question 1

 

OBSERVATION
In question 1, candidates were required to state the rules that guides the preparation of rechauffé dishes, advantages of convenience foods and the difference between rechauffé and convenience foods.
For part (a), few candidates were able to state the rules that guide the preparation of rechauffé dishes while majority of them just wrote sentences that barely made sense.

From their responses, they seem to misinterpret rechauffé for leftover foods.
For example, candidates’ responsesshould include points such as additional foods should be cooked before adding to leftover foods due to differences in cooking time of items; leftover foods should not be reheated more than once; sauce, gravy and stock should be added to replace lost moisture; rechauffé foods should be served immediately. However, candidates’ responses included points that leftover foods should be recooked without mentioning the addition of fresh ingredients and the need to use such foods just once.

In 1 (b), majority of candidates across the marking venues were able to answer the advantages of convenience foods correctly. They appeared to have gained mastery of this topic because they provided the number of points required of them and expressed themselves appropriately while at it. A possible explanation for this trend is the fact that convenience foods has gained more popularity in recent times and it has become relatively cheaper with different outlets opened to cater for people of diverse economic and social status.

The last part, 1 (c), was one of the weaknesses of the candidates as majority of them were unable to explain the difference between rechauffé and convenience foods.

In candidates’s responses, they stated rechauffé dishes as leftover foods that should be heated daily before use instead of stating that rechauffé dish is an entirely new dish created/prepared from leftover foods to which new ingredients have been added while convenience foods are foods that have been partly /partially or fully prepared/ processed and may or may not require further cooking before eating.