Students produce ultimate burger

Shyla (right) and Diamond created the best burger in CHB after five weeks of experimenting with flavour and conducting market research.

Every two years the CHB Technology Centre runs a unit in which their students experiment with flavour and conduct market research to develop the ultimate burger - the best tasting meat patty in CHB.

More than 120 students from 16 different primary schools in CHB were part of this year's programme.

Split into seven classes, the students used the six fully-stocked kitchens at the technology centre to create the best burger they could - all in all nearly 400 different flavour combinations were taste-tested and assessed using market research to choose the best in each class.

The students then made the best burger in their class, catering for the end of unit pool party involving all 369 technology students (two other groups, one making and decorating cushions, the other making wooden barbecue utensils, both relating to the pool party theme).

The best burger from each of the seven classes was then taste tested by a collection of culinary enthusiasts (Mark Drake from Waipawa Fish Supply; Paul Jamieson, Waipawa School principal; Arie Groenveld, CHB Technology Centre head of technology, and Rachel Smith, specialist food technology teacher at the CHB Technology Centre) to decide which class had come up with "The Ultimate Burger".

The winners this year were Shyla and Diamond from The Terrace Primary School.
Rachel said of the winning patty, "It was really tasty, had great texture and the onion was cut into small pieces so it held together well."

Just pipped at the post were Azrae and Zoey from Otane School with a burger the judges described as having "great flavour and a nice texture", and Riley and JT from Sherwood and Ongaonga schools respectively which the judges described as having "soft texture, fine onions, moist and slightly spicy".