As the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) pushes for more scratch-cooking in schools, K-12 operators are looking to increase the amount of speed-scratch and scratch-made offerings on their menus.

Many school districts are dealing with labor challenges, rising costs and more, however, which can make transitioning to scratch-made meals even more difficult.

At School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) Annual National Conference (ANC) this week in Charlotte, Assistant Director of School Foodservice Programming at The Culinary Institute of America Sharon Schaefer and Project Manager of School Foodservice Programming at the Culinary Institute of America Corrie Clark led a culinary demo where they shared some tips and tricks to help K-12 professionals incorporate more scratch-made meals into their menu.

1. Choose scoops over measuring cups

Schaefer likes to use scoops in place of measuring cups for certain ingredients that may stick to the measuring cup. For example, during the demo, she used a number 8 scoop to a half a cup of mayonnaise with minimal mess.

2. Lean into the versatility of plain yogurt

When choosing between purchasing a flavored yogurt or plain yogurt, Schaefer recommends going with plain since it’s so versatile and ingredients can be added to change its flavor and sweetness.

“You can turn it into so many things,” she said. During the chef demo, for example, she demonstrated how it can be used in a smoothie as well as ranch.

3. Utilize watermelon rinds

A great way to reduce waste and work a scratch-made dish into the menu is by utilizing watermelon rinds, said Cork.

The rinds can be roasted with salt, pepper, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese or they can also be quick pickled to add acid to a dish.

4. Defrost and mash fruit right in the bag it came in

When defrosting fruit that will be mashed to be used in things like smoothies, Schaefer recommends just defrosting and mashing it in directly in the bag that it came in.

“Normally our frozen fruit comes in bags, so you can go ahead and defrost and mash your fruit right in the bag that it came in. If you have a lot of it and doing it manually isn’t going to work for you, a rolling pin will also work,” she shared.

5. Remember the rule of threes

As school nutrition professionals continue to limit the amount of sugar and sodium in their meals due to regulation, Schaefer said they should remember to make sure that their dishes have three different types of flavor to maximize taste.

“We’re controlling our sodium. We’re reducing our sugars. And when we take things out of our meals, we have to make sure to add something back,” she said. “And what you can add back is flavor. And one of the ways that that works well is to make sure that your dishes have three flavors.”