
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 27, 1991                   TAG: 9103270125
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT KIND OF COOK ARE YOU?

Are you a gourmet guru in the kitchen, always whipping up new and exciting dishes from scratch? Or is the term for your cooking style more like, say, Simple Simon?

Lack of time is one factor that keeps many people out of the kitchen. Lack of cooking knowledge is another.

Take the following cooking quiz developed by The Potato Board to determine your culinary personality.

\ 1. How many teaspoons in a tablespoon?

a. 2

b. 3

c. 4

\ 2. How do you clarify butter?

a. beat until fluffy and light

b. melt butter and discard milk solids

c. chill butter to harden

\ 3. Which is not the name of a potato dish?

a. O'Brien

b. O'Reilly

c. Anna

\ 4. To whip, you:

a. lift up using quick strokes

b. beat rapidly to incorporate air

c. score meats and other foods with a knife

\ 5. Who is considered the "mother" of California cuisine?

a. Betty Crocker

b. Alice Waters

c. Julia Child

\ 6. Julienned vegetables are:

a. organically grown

b. cut to matchstick size

c. cooked, steamed and mashed

\ 7. Creme fraiche is:

a. a cooked, creamy dessert custard

b. a cultured heavy cream with slightly sour taste

c. the French term for sour cream

\ 8. Who is Fannie Farmer?

a. famous farmer of baby vegetables?

b. famous cookbook author of the late 1800s-early 1900s

c. famous Boston restaurateur

\ 9. Which is not a salad green?

a. arugula

b. penne

c. radicchio

\ 10. What's your weekday cooking style?

a. out of the package and into the microwave

b. combination convenience and homemade quick cook

c. make from scratch

\ 11. You will be host of a birthday party; for dessert you:

a. buy a cake from your favorite bakery

b. bake a cake from a packaged mix

c. bake a cake from scratch

\ 12. Where do you get your recipe ideas? (select one)

a. back of box or can

b. cookbooks

c. newspapers or magazines

For questions 1-9, if you answered b (the correct answer), give yourself 10 points for each correct answer. Answers c and a receive 0 points.

For questions 10-11, give yourself 1 point for each a; 5 points for each b and 10 points for each c answer.

For question 12, you get 1 point for a, 10 points for b or c.

Your culinary personality

3-70 points: "Simple Simon" - Fast, faster, fastest. You rely on convenience items and take out foods for weekday meals. Instead of cooking from scratch, it's easier to assemble meals using ready-to-eat items.

71-106 points: "Weekday Wonder" - Balance is your byword. A hectic schedule and multitude of responsibilities has taught you the art of combining convenience items with fresh ingredients for delicious meals in minutes.

107-120 points: "Gourmet Guru" - Your thorough knowledge of food ingredients puts you at the head of the class. You enjoy cooking from scratch using fresh, quality ingredients.

by CNB