Cooking Lessons Cooking Vocabulary 2

Question 1

What does it mean to "deglaze" a pan?

Accepted Answer

Add liquid to dissolve browned bits stuck to the pan

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Briefly boil them, then plunge them into ice water

Answer

Blanching means briefly cooking food in boiling water then shocking it in ice water to stop cooking.

Question 3

What is a "roux"?

Accepted Answer

A cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Gently combine them with a light lifting motion to keep air in

Answer

Folding is a gentle over-and-under motion that combines ingredients without deflating whipped air.

Question 5

What does "al dente" describe?

Accepted Answer

Pasta cooked so it is still firm to the bite

Answer

Al dente is Italian for "to the tooth," meaning pasta that retains a slight firmness when bitten.

Cooking Lessons Practice Test