Print one per station on card stock and one per student on paper. Post the station copy at eye level where the whole team can read it.
Station: ______ Date: ______ Students at this station: ______
The clock
PREP 0 to 10 | COOK 10 to 28 | PLATE AND EAT 28 to 35 | CLEAN 35 to 40
THE CRITICAL PATH: the water. It takes about 8 minutes to boil and the pasta takes 8 to 10 minutes more. Nothing else can finish until the pasta is drained. The pot is on the burner on HIGH by minute 3 or this period does not work.
Minute: 0 5 10 15 20 25 28 35 40
Water: |====BOIL====|
Pasta: |======COOK======|DRAIN|
Sauce: |=========warm on LOW=========|
Cheese: |portion| |on the plates|
Plates: |set up | |serve |eat |
Clean: |as you go, all period |ZONES|Before any heat: the six-step routine
- Hair back
- Sleeves up
- Wash hands (soap, warm water, 20 seconds)
- Sanitize surfaces
- Clean as you go
- Station check before dismissal
What is on your station
| Food | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pasta, spaghetti or elbows | 1 lb box |
| Marinara sauce | 1 jar, 24 oz |
| Shredded mozzarella | 1 1/2 cups (measured and leveled) |
| Salt for the water | 1 Tablespoon |
| Tools | Count |
|---|---|
| Large pot | 1 |
| Small saucepan | 1 |
| Colander (already in the sink) | 1 |
| Large serving bowl | 1 |
| Wooden spoon | 1 |
| Serving spoon or tongs | 1 |
| Measuring spoons, dry measuring cup | 1 set |
| Plates, forks, napkins | 7 each |
| Oven mitts | 2 |
| Trivet | 1 |
| Sanitizing spray and cloths | 1 and 2 |
The steps
PREP, minutes 0 to 10
- Everybody: the six-step routine. Hair, sleeves, hands, surfaces.
- Head Cook and Helper Cook: fill the large pot about three quarters full of cold water. Two people carry it. Set it on the burner with the handle turned in. Turn the burner to HIGH. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt. This happens by minute 3.
- Second Cook: open the marinara jar. Pour it all into the small saucepan. Do not turn the heat on yet. At minute 8, set that burner to LOW.
- Prep Cook: measure 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella into the small bowl. Level it with a straight edge. Do not pour from the bag.
- Toppings Chief: divide the cheese into 7 small portions, one per plate, so nobody takes all of it.
- Station Manager: check the drawer map. Set 7 plates, 7 forks, napkins. Clear the box and the jar the moment they are empty.
- Plate Builder: set the large serving bowl and the tongs on the counter. Confirm the colander is in the sink.
- Everybody: mise en place done before any pasta goes in the water.
COOK, minutes 10 to 28
- Head Cook: watch for a rolling boil. That means big bubbles breaking the surface, not small bubbles on the bottom. Small bubbles are not a boil.
- Head Cook: at the rolling boil, add all the pasta at once. Stir immediately so it does not clump, then stir again every 2 to 3 minutes.
- Time Keeper or Station Manager: set the timer for the box time minus 1 minute. Call the time out loud every 5 minutes.
- Second Cook: stir the sauce every 2 minutes. Keep it on LOW. Warm, not bubbling.
- Helper Cook: at the timer, take one piece out with a clean fork, blow on it, and taste. Call "soft with a little bite" or "not yet."
- Head Cook: when the call is "soft with a little bite," turn the burner OFF and step back. The teacher drains the pasta. No student carries the pot.
- Head Cook: put the drained pasta in the serving bowl. Second Cook: pour the warm sauce over it. Toss gently with the tongs.
- Station Manager: wash the measuring tools, the spoon, and the empty jar as they free up, so the sink is clear before clean time.
PLATE AND EAT, minutes 28 to 35
- Plate Builder: serve 7 portions with the tongs, even amounts.
- Toppings Chief: sprinkle the cheese on each plate while the pasta is still hot, so it melts.
- Station Manager: count the plates. Everyone has one before anyone sits.
- Eat.
CLEAN, minutes 35 to 40
- Work your clean-up zone. Zones are on the chart at your station.
- Station Manager: walk the station check below and report "done" to the teacher.
- * *
What does DONE look like?
| Step | Done looks like |
|---|---|
| The water | Big bubbles breaking the whole surface, steam rising, the pot loud |
| The pasta | A piece you bite is soft all the way through with the smallest firmness in the middle. Not crunchy. Not mush |
| The sauce | Steam coming off it, warm all through, no bubbles popping. Not scorched on the bottom |
| The plate | Even portion, sauce on top, cheese melting into it, served hot |
| The station | Every line on the station check below is true |
What could go wrong
| Problem | Why it happened | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The pasta is stuck in a clump | It was not stirred right after it went in | Stir the second it hits the water, then every 2 to 3 minutes. Next time, stir sooner |
| The pasta is mushy | It cooked too long | Set the timer for 1 minute less than the box and taste. You can always cook it longer; you cannot uncook mush |
| The sauce tastes burnt | The burner was above LOW and the bottom scorched | LOW only, and stir every 2 minutes. Once the bottom scorches, the whole pan tastes like it |
| The cheese will not melt | The pasta cooled before the cheese went on | Cheese goes on the plate while the pasta is steaming, not after |
| The water is not boiling at minute 12 | The pot was too full, or it was not on HIGH, or it went on late | Three quarters full, HIGH, on the burner by minute 3 |
| Somebody reached for the pot | Forgot the rule | The teacher drains. Every time. Step back and say "ready" |
Station check
| Line | Done? |
|---|---|
| Both burners OFF | |
| Pot, saucepan, and colander washed, dried, and in the drawer per the map | |
| Stovetop wiped | |
| All counters wiped and sanitized | |
| Plates, forks, spoons, bowl washed and put away | |
| Sink empty and rinsed | |
| Leftover cheese covered and in the fridge, or in the trash | |
| Floor swept | |
| Trash out, liner replaced | |
| Fridge door closed |
Teacher signature: ______________________
Words we say out loud at this station
| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behind you | |||
| Hot | |||
| Boiling | |||
| Done | |||
| Help |
Allergy note for this lab
This recipe contains wheat (pasta), dairy (cheese), and some marinara jars carry a soy or shared-equipment statement. If you have an allergy on the nurse's list, I have already set your role and your portion. Come see me before the timer starts.
Cost of this station
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pasta, 1 lb store brand | $1.29 |
| Marinara, 24 oz store brand | $2.49 |
| Shredded mozzarella, 2 bags at 8 oz | $5.98 |
| Salt | pantry |
| Total | about $9.76 |
| Per person at 7 | about $1.39 |
No-kitchen version: Cold Noodle Bowl
Same clock, same roles, same station check. Nothing is heated.
| Food | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pasta, cooked and chilled the day before, or shelf stable noodles | 1 lb |
| Shredded or cubed cheese | 1 cup |
| Canned corn, drained | 1 can |
| Canned black beans, drained and rinsed | 1 can |
| Italian dressing or pesto | 1 bottle or jar |
| Bowls and forks | 7 each |
PREP 0 to 10: same routine. Prep Cook opens and drains the cans in the colander and rinses the beans. Toppings Chief measures the cheese. Station Manager sets bowls and forks. Plate Builder sets the large bowl.
"COOK" 10 to 28: Head Cook combines the noodles, corn, and beans in the large bowl. Second Cook measures 1/2 cup of dressing and adds it in two halves, tossing between. Helper Cook tastes and calls "more dressing" or "enough." Prep Cook and Toppings Chief portion into 7 bowls. Station Manager washes as they go.
PLATE AND EAT 28 to 35 and CLEAN 35 to 40: the same as above, minus the burners.
Cost: about $11 per station. Pasta $1.29, cheese $2.99, corn $0.99, beans $0.99, dressing $2.49, bowls and forks about $2.