Culinary I Class Hosts Muffin Wars

Students in the semester-long course Culinary I took part in a muffin wars activity where students created their own muffin recipe, competing against other kitchen groups in the classroom for the best muffin.

“When I first started at Wilson [West Middle School] we did Cupcake Wars, which the kids loved, but it didn’t go with anything that we were learning. So, I created Muffin Wars as a way to incorporate a food group and have that competitiveness that students love,” Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Jennifer Starkey said.

For the activity, students were divided into kitchen groups and tasked with developing muffins that met specific nutritional guidelines while still appealing to taste and presentation. Each group selected ingredients, adjusted measurements, and tested their recipes during class time, applying skills they had learned throughout the semester.

Once the muffins were completed, the final products were judged by other groups on flavor, texture, creativity, and overall appearance. Students sampled one another’s creations and rated them, giving the group with the highest overall score the winning title.

The winning group from Mrs. Starkey’s third period class created chocolate chip muffins.

“It was [a good experience] because we all worked together and everybody contributed,” freshman Isaak Almante.

Almante also said he would create the same muffins again in his own free time.

Overall, the Muffin Wars activity gave students the opportunity to use the skills they’ve been learning throughout the semester in a fun and competitive way. Starkey explained that the activity also ties into nutrition lessons taught in other classes, such as her healthy eating class.

“There are so many things that you could do with grains. I think that I would definitely focus on muffins as a breakfast option, so that might be something I do in my healthy eating class because you can make it sweet or savory and it’s portable,” Starkey said. 

Although not every group was a winner, students learned how to work together in a kitchen setting while still being creative and gained hands-on experience using culinary skills from class.