Cooking Lessons Cooking Vocabulary 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does it mean to "deglaze" a pan?
- Add liquid to dissolve browned bits stuck to the pan (Correct answer)
- Remove excess fat from the surface of a sauce
- Coat a pan with a thin layer of oil
- Scrub a pan with salt to remove residue
Correct answer: Add liquid to dissolve browned bits stuck to the pan
Deglazing uses liquid like wine or stock to lift the flavorful browned bits (fond) from the pan bottom.
Question 2: A recipe tells you to "blanch" green beans. What should you do?
- Roast them at high heat until browned
- Soak them in salted water overnight
- Briefly boil them, then plunge them into ice water (Correct answer)
- Fry them until crisp
Correct answer: Briefly boil them, then plunge them into ice water
Blanching means briefly cooking food in boiling water then shocking it in ice water to stop cooking.
Question 3: What is a "roux"?
- A cold sauce made from egg yolks and oil
- A cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces (Correct answer)
- A type of French bread dough
- A blend of dried herbs used in stews
Correct answer: A cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces
A roux is equal parts flour and fat cooked together, forming the base of many sauces and gravies.
Question 4: To "fold" ingredients into a batter means to:
- Beat them vigorously until smooth
- Layer them without mixing at all
- Press them flat with a spatula
- Gently combine them with a light lifting motion to keep air in (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Gently combine them with a light lifting motion to keep air in
Folding is a gentle over-and-under motion that combines ingredients without deflating whipped air.
Question 5: What does "al dente" describe?
- Vegetables cooked until completely soft
- Meat cooked well done
- Pasta cooked so it is still firm to the bite (Correct answer)
- Rice that has absorbed all its liquid
Correct answer: Pasta cooked so it is still firm to the bite
Al dente is Italian for "to the tooth," meaning pasta that retains a slight firmness when bitten.
Question 6: Which term means to cut food into very small, even cubes about 1/8 inch across?
- Brunoise (Correct answer)
- Chiffonade
- Julienne
- Batonnet
Correct answer: Brunoise
Brunoise is the classic knife cut producing tiny uniform cubes, typically about 1/8 inch.
Question 7: What does it mean to "proof" yeast dough?
- Bake it at a low temperature to test doneness
- Knead it until smooth and elastic
- Chill it to slow fermentation
- Let it rise so the yeast produces gas (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Let it rise so the yeast produces gas
Proofing is the final rise, when yeast ferments and produces carbon dioxide that makes dough expand.
Cooking Lessons Cooking Vocabulary 2
What does it mean to "deglaze" a pan?