College Prep Activity--Making Ramen Noodles

I think most teens in our area have made Ramen noodles at some point in their high school career.  Not so sure about these teens, though.

Our speech-language pathologist surveyed the students earlier in the week and found that they sorta like noodles, but no veggies in those noodles, please.  Too bad--we're at least going to learn how to cook the veggies even if we don't have to eat them.

These are high schoolers in a class for students with emotional disabilities.  They can read the label directions and physically manage the knobs on the water faucets, range top, range timer and microwave buttons.  However, several of them mentioned that their parents do not let them cook on the stove top.  One student seemed fearful of being close to the boiling water in the saucepan when he added the noodles to the pan.

Our recipe called for just using the cooked noodles and not the broth.  For safety reasons we used a pasta spoon/fork to remove the noodles from the pot, rather than pouring the excess liquid directly from the pot into the sink.  We waited until the water cooled before emptying the pot and washing it.

Here are our steps:

 Students took turns reading the 3-step directions.

 Of course, we washed our hands.

 One student waited and waited until the water temperature was just right for washing his hands.

 We decided that 2 cups of water was approximately halfway up the side of the saucepan.

Good thing we had an electric range and not a gas one--wouldn't want these long sleeves anywhere near the burners.

 Opening the bags of Ramen noodles wasn't easy.

 The teacher suggested breaking up the block of noodles prior to adding them to the boiling water.  We practiced using our free hand to hold the pot steady as we stirred the noodles.

 After three minutes you add the flavoring packet to the cooked noodles.

 These pasta servers make it easy to safely remove the noodles from the simmering water.

 We decided to use the microwave to heat the vegetables.

 These are microwavable containers.  Students asked if the tops should be firmly closed or left slightly open for any steam to escape.

A unique microwave--no dial, just buttons to press.

I left for my next school prior to the end of the activity--the students tasted their creation with different toppings (cheese, soy sauce, corn/peas added) and cleaned up the school kitchen.

What should we make next time?