i thought this pretty much sums up HSC food technology:
Food Technology, application of physical, chemical, and biological sciences to food processing and preservation, and to the development of new and improved food products.
The food technologist is concerned with the composition, properties, and behaviour of food from the point of production through to its eating quality at the point of consumption. Food is a complex biological and chemical material. Food technology is a multidisciplinary science subject, involving chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, physics, process engineering, and industrial management. Food scientists and technologists are responsible for ensuring that food items produced are safe, nutritious, and of the quality and substance demanded by the consumer
And that is pretty much the premise the syllabus is based on. At my school we do cook about once a fortnight, mainly coz our teacher is old school (literally) - it is mainly to observe how the different food substances behave in certain cooking situations. Year 9 and 10 food is just a fun elective designed to teach people basic skills in food prep and nutrition. HSC food tech is a lot harder than people think and is very science based, and also a little bit business studies wit legislations and stuff. I love it! -> hospitality on the other hand builds cooking skills in the food service and catering arena