Cooking Lessons Cooking Lessons Knife Skills and Cuts Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'chiffonade' refer to in knife technique?
- Cutting into thick wedges
- Slicing herbs or leafy greens into thin ribbons (Correct answer)
- Dicing vegetables into 1/4-inch cubes
- Peeling vegetables in a spiral motion
Correct answer: Slicing herbs or leafy greens into thin ribbons
Chiffonade is a technique where herbs or leafy greens are stacked, rolled, and sliced crosswise into thin ribbons.
Question 2: Which part of the chef's knife blade is best for delicate slicing tasks like cutting fish?
- The heel
- The bolster
- The tip (Correct answer)
- The spine
Correct answer: The tip
The tip of the chef's knife provides the most control and is ideal for delicate slicing tasks such as cutting fish or trimming.
Question 3: What is the correct wrist motion when using a bench scraper to transfer chopped ingredients?
- Twist the wrist inward while scooping (Correct answer)
- Keep the wrist locked and push straight
- Flick the wrist outward to toss ingredients
- Angle the blade at 90° and drag forward
Correct answer: Twist the wrist inward while scooping
Twisting the wrist inward while scooping with the bench scraper allows ingredients to roll cleanly onto the blade for safe transfer.
Question 4: A 'paysanne' cut produces pieces in what shape and approximate size?
- Thin matchstick strips 2 inches long
- Flat, square or round pieces about 1/2 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick (Correct answer)
- Tiny cubes measuring 1/8 inch on each side
- Cylindrical slices 1/4 inch thick
Correct answer: Flat, square or round pieces about 1/2 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick
Paysanne cuts are flat, roughly square or round slices about 1/2 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick, often used in rustic soups and stews.
Question 5: When honing a chef's knife with a honing steel, at what angle should the blade be held?
- 10–12 degrees
- 15–20 degrees (Correct answer)
- 25–30 degrees
- 35–45 degrees
Correct answer: 15–20 degrees
Holding the blade at 15–20 degrees to the honing steel realigns the edge without removing significant metal, maintaining sharpness.
Question 6: Which cutting technique is used to create a 'brunoise'?
- Stack, roll, and slice
- Score and snap
- Julienne first, then cut crosswise into tiny cubes (Correct answer)
- Bias-cut on a 45-degree angle
Correct answer: Julienne first, then cut crosswise into tiny cubes
Brunoise is achieved by first cutting vegetables into julienne strips, then turning and cutting crosswise to produce 1/8-inch cubes.
Cooking Lessons Cooking Lessons Knife Skills and Cuts Questions and Answers 2
What does 'chiffonade' refer to in knife technique?