Culinary Techniques & Food Preparation Flashcards
7 cards from real CMC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Culinary Techniques & Food Preparation flashcards as text
Which emulsification technique is used when making a classical hollandaise sauce?
Answer: Hot emulsion using clarified butter whisked into egg yolks over a bain-marie
Hollandaise is a hot emulsion made by whisking clarified butter into egg yolk reduction over indirect heat, using the yolk proteins and lecithin as emulsifiers.
When fabricating a saddle of lamb, what is the correct term for removing the silver skin and excess fat while leaving the eye muscle intact?
Answer: Denuding
Denuding refers to completely removing the silver skin, fell, and excess fat from a primal or sub-primal cut while preserving the primary muscle.
In the preparation of a classic consommé, what is the primary role of the 'clearmeat' (ground meat, mirepoix, acid, and egg whites)?
Answer: To clarify the stock by attracting and trapping impurities as the raft forms
The clearmeat forms a raft as proteins coagulate, acting as a filter that attracts and traps fat and suspended particles to produce a crystal-clear consommé.
A chef is fabricating fish using the 'en portefeuille' technique. What does this involve?
Answer: Butterflying a fillet and folding it around a stuffing like a wallet
En portefeuille (French for 'wallet') involves butterflying a fish fillet so it opens like a wallet, then enclosing a stuffing within the folded fillet.
Which stage of sugar cooking produces a product that, when a small amount is dropped into cold water, forms a firm ball that holds its shape but is still pliable?
Answer: Firm-ball stage (245–250°F)
The firm-ball stage (245–250°F) produces sugar that forms a firm yet pliable ball in cold water, used for caramels and nougat.
What distinguishes a 'liaison' from a roux as a thickening agent in classical French cuisine?
Answer: A liaison is a mixture of egg yolks and cream added off heat to finish a sauce without boiling
A liaison is a mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream tempered and stirred in off-heat; it enriches and thickens without boiling since that would cause the yolks to curdle.
When preparing a classic brioche dough, at what point in the mixing process should the butter be incorporated?
Answer: After full gluten development has been achieved so the fat coats existing gluten strands
Butter is added after full gluten development so the fat coats already-formed gluten strands rather than shortening them before they form, yielding a tender yet structured crumb.