Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 26, 1994 TAG: 9401260391
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Chicago Tribune
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Simple subjects - how to make soup, how to roast meats, how to roll out pastry, to name a few - are more popular than those in gourmet cooking, they say.
With that in mind, here's a quiz to test your basic knowledge of cooking. Find out whether you too need a refresher course. For those of you who have moved beyond the basics, we've also included several extra-credit questions worth two points each.
After answering the questions, check the answers and score box. Good luck!
1. Which of the following are members of the garlic family?
1. Shallots
2. Leeks
3. Elephant garlic
4. Chives
5. All of the above
2. and 3. Match the first column with the second column below:
\ 1. Crazy oats .........A. Something to sow
2. Wild oats ..........B. Caviar
3. Howtowdie ..........C. Hand grenade
4. Albany beef ........D. Wild rice
5. Chicago pineapple...E. A Scottish stuffed chicken dish
\ 4. True or false? You can substitute baking soda for baking powder in recipes.
\ 5. Bombay duck is a:
1. Sparkling wine.
2. Poultry dish served at Trader Vic's
3. Euphemism for seagull
4. Condiment made of dried fish
\ 6. Which is hotter, a simmer or a boil?
\ 7. What is the proper utensil to use when eating Thai cuisine?
\ 8. Name the sections of the Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid. For extra credit, include the recommended number of daily servings from each.
\ 9. Extra credit: Where do dried beans fit in the Food Guide Pyramid?
\ 10. Name the characters' favorite restaurants in the following television shows:
1. "Love and War"
2. "Seinfeld"
3. "Northern Exposure"
4. "Fresh Prince of Belair"
\ 11. True or False? A tablespoon of olive oil has less fat than a tablespoon of pure lard.
\ 12. True or False? The smaller the chili pepper, the hotter it is.
\ 13. True or False? Sugar is not recommended for babies under 6 months, so when a sweetener is called for, natural honey should be used.
\ 14. True or False? Egg whites beat best when they are chilled.
\ 15. True or False? When wine or liquor is added to cooking food, most or all of the alcohol boils away before the dish is finished.
\ 16. Who was/is a real person and who was/is fictional?
A. Duncan Hines
B. Chef Boyardee
C. Aunt Jemima
D. Betty Crocker
E. Fannie Farmer
F. Uncle Ben
G. Col. Sanders
H. Jeff Smith
\ 17. The cooking term "saute" means:
A. To fry foods in a deep container of fat over high heat.
B. To cook foods in a shallow saucepan of water at a simmer.
C. To cook foods quickly in a small amount of fat in a shallow, straight-sided pan.
D. To use pan drippings to make a sauce after food is fried.
\ 18. Caramel usually contains what ingredients?
\ 19. True or False? Flour can vary more than 20 percent in its ability to absorb moisture.
O\ 20. For best results, frozen foods should be kept at what temperature?
A. 32 degrees Fahrenheit
B. 0 degrees Centigrade
C. 0 degrees Fahrenheit
D. 14 degrees Fahrenheit
\ 21. What is a calorie?
\ 22. In general, how long can you store commercially canned foods such as fruits, meats and vegetables?
\ 23. What does "deglaze" mean?
A. To thin frosting with milk
B. To add liquid to hot pan drippings
C. To caramelize sugar
D. To remove the topping from ham
\ 24. What is the primary reason that nitrates are added to meats such as ham and bacon?
\ 25. Extra credit: What are trans-fatty acids?
A. Substances also called the "good cholesterol"
B. Acids formed when olive oil and vinegar are combined, such as in salad dressings and marinades
C. Substances formed by hydrogenating mono- and polyunsaturated fats for margarine and shortening
D. The stuff that brings tears to your eyes when you slice into an onion
E. All of the above
\ 26. To "cream" means:
A. To slowly add whipping cream to a sugar mixture.
B. To mix cream with butter until smooth.
C. To beat a solid fat, usually butter, and sugar until smooth.
\ 27. Which of the following mollusks are farmed for export from New Zealand?
A. Abalone
B. Zebra mussels
C. Greenlip mussels
D. Bluepoint oysters
\ 28. How many teaspoons in a tablespoon?
\ 29. Why should pasta be cooked in a large amount of boiling water?
\ 30. Which is not zest?
A. A soap
B. A fervor for life
C. The spongy white portion of citrus skin
D. The colored portion of citrus skin
\ 31. What are the main advantage and the main disadvantage of using brown rice?
\ 32. Which has more fat? A 1-quart order of kung pao chicken from a typical Chinese restaurant or two McDonald's Big Macs with a large order of fries?
\ 33. True or false? For the most accurate cup measurement of flour, sift the flour three times, then lightly scoop it into a measuring cup.
\ 34. True or false? Green spots on potatoes show signs of uneven ripening and mean that the potato is young.
\ 35. True or false? Bittersweet chocolate contains no sugar.
\ 36. True or false? Zinfandel is a red grape.
\ 37. What is the difference between a skillet and a saute pan? A baking sheet and a jelly-roll pan?
\ 38. What are the three ingredients in a classic French bouquet garni?
\ 39. Italian purists refuse to use which of the following in preparing pasta with seafood:
A. Grated Parmesan cheese
B. Hot pepper flakes
C. Red wine
D. Oregano
\ 40. True or false? After cooking scrambled eggs, the best way to loosen egg stuck to the bottom of the pan is to soak the pan in hot water.
\ 41. Chefs "blanch" vegetables by:
A. Soaking them in a mixture of water and vinegar.
B. Leaving them in a turned-off oven overnight.
C. Briefly immersing them in boiling water then cooling them in cold water.
D. Scoring them with a small knife.
\ 42. Allspice is:
A. A blend of 7 herbs and spices.
B. An all-purpose seasoning mix.
C. A popular aftershave.
D. A small berry from the pimento tree.
E. A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
\ 43. You want to make pancakes and the recipe calls for 1 cup of sour milk. You:
A. Use milk that has turned bad.
B. Leave 1 cup of milk on the counter overnight.
C. Use buttermilk.
D. Add lemon juice to milk.
\ 44. True or false? The seeds are the hottest part of any chili pepper.
\ 45. What is couscous?
A. A Mediterranean flat fish
B. A Scandinavian liqueur flavored with herbs
C. A granular pasta made from semolina
D. A famous Middle Eastern dish containing vegetables, meat, garbanzo beans and raisins
Here's how to score.
Award yourself two points for every correct answer. Add an additional two points for the extra credit questions (6, 9, 25 and 47) you answer correctly. No partial credit!
The highest possible score is 102 points.
If your score was between 90 and 102, you'd probably be welcome in any home kitchen. But take a night off and treat yourself to a dinner at a four-star restaurant. (Maybe give the chef a little advice.)
Did you get between 80 and 88 points? You can be proud of what you know, and you don't have to feel guilty about asking for a new food processor or any piece of kitchen equipment. You deserve it.
So you only rated 70 to 78? Not to worry. Sign up for a cooking class in your area and spend a few more minutes perusing the food section.
Your score was what? 60 to 68? You need a copy of "The New Basics" cookbook. Better get "The Joy of Cooking" too. If you already have them, try reading them once in a while, and don't be afraid to try cooking. You may find you like it.
If you scored 58 or less, please let someone else do the cooking. (You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself.)
ANSWERS
Be fair. Don't read these answers until you've tried all the questions. Then check your score.
1. 5.
2 and 3. 1 with D; 2 with A; 3 with E; 4 with B; 5 with C
4. False. But you can substitute a mixture of teaspoon baking soda and teaspoon cream of tartar for each teaspoon of baking powder called for in recipes.
5. 4.
6. A boil, which is reached at 212 degrees. The water temperature of a simmer is between 135 and 165 degrees. A rolling boil is useful in reducing liquids or cooking pasta. A simmer is used to poach delicate foods and tenderize tough ones. Do not allow a simmer to become a boil.
7. Thai people use a fork and spoon to eat, although most Thai restaurants also provide chopsticks. Before the reign of King Rama I in the 1780s when Thailand was opened to the West, Thai people used only long-handled flat spoons to eat. As royalty and nobles adopted the fork, the people followed suit. Chopsticks were never native to the country but many resident Chinese use them.
8. A. Fats and sweets, eat sparingly; B. Dairy, 2 to 3 servings; C. Meats, 2 to 3; D. Fruits, 2 to 4; E. Vegetables, 3 to 5; F. Grains, 6 to 11.
9. Dried beans are in C., with meat. Even though they are a vegetable, rich in carbohydrates and fiber, they also have a large amount of protein, like the other foods in the meat category, and often can be substituted for those foods.
10.
1. The Blue Shamrock
2. Monk's Cafe
3. The Brick
4. Peacock Stop
11. False. Both have about 13 grams of fat. However, the olive oil has much less saturated fat, about 2 grams versus 5 grams for lard.
12. False. Usually "the smaller the hotter" is true, but there are exceptions. To add to the confusion, peppers such as the jalapeno have recently been bred to be larger and milder. For consistency of heat, try the serrano chili pepper.
13. False. Honey should not be fed to infants under the age of 1. Honey contains small amounts of botulism spores that can make babies ill. Older children and adults can tolerate these small amounts.
14. False. For the greatest volume, beat egg whites when they are at room temperature. Be sure no traces of yolk remain and always use a metal or glass bowl rinsed clean of all fat and grease.
15. False. Recent studies have shown that the cooking method and temperature influence the percentage of alcohol that cooks away. More than half the alcohol can remain in dishes such as chicken with wine or pears poached in wine. However, if the recipe is boiled or flamed, much of the alcohol cooks away.
16. C. and D. are fictional.
Aunt Jemima, a smiling symbol of Southern hospitality, was a purely imagined trademark of the late 1800s, dreamed up after a flour mill owner watched a minstrel show. She was first "brought to life" during the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, her part played by the maid of a local judge.
Although she has sold more than 55 million cookbooks in her 70 years, Betty Crocker is a made-up name and character. Her genesis came about after Gold Medal flour had a mail-in contest promotion. So many cooks sent in questions with their entries that Betty Crocker was "hired" to answer them.
As for the others:
It's said that Duncan Hines never baked a cake in his life, at least professionally. Rather, he was a restaurant reviewer who came to prominence in the 1930s.
Hector Boiardi, a native northern Italian, owned a restaurant in Cleveland in the 1930s where customers came and went through the kitchen. It became customary for Boiardi to send them home with extra sauce as they left and, at some point, he abandoned the restaurant and the traditional spelling of his name in favor of a commercial company.
Fannie Farmer was the proprietor of the Boston Cooking School in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Uncle Ben was a Texas rice farmer with a reputation for the quality of his product. When a British scientist was looking for a way to market converted rice in the States, Uncle Ben's name came up. Uncle Ben died by the time the rice was ready to be packaged, but the name was used anyway. A Chicago restaurant maitre d' named Frank Brown posed for the still-familiar picture.
Col. Harland Sanders, owner of a service station in Kentucky, started serving homemade food to hungry customers, including a very popular fried chicken that he spent nine years perfecting. A new interstate highway caused the demise of the station, so he franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 1976, he was named the second-most recognizable celebrity in the world.
Jeff Smith is television's Frugal Gourmet and a cookbook author.
17. C.
18. Sugar and water.
19. True. Flour can vary depending on the variety of wheat, the time of year it is harvested and the atmospheric conditions in which it is stored and used. This explains why pie crusts and cookies sometimes bake differently.
20. C.
21. A calorie is a unit of energy-producing value in foods, according to "The International Dictionary of Food & Nutrition." The calorie commonly referred to in food literature is technically a kilocalorie (1,000 calories). The caloric value of a food does not refer to its nutrient content but to the heat released in the metabolism of the food in the body.
22. Although canned goods can be kept for many years in a cool dark place with no safety problems, they should be consumed within 1 year for best taste and texture, say most manufacturers.
23. B.
24. Nitrates are used to retard the growth of bacteria and microorganisms, though they also help preserve color.
25. C. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are more solid, more stable and less likely to go rancid, but like saturated fats, they also can raise your cholesterol levels.
26. C.
27. C. Abalone comes mostly from the West Coast, zebra mussels are freshwater pests too tiny to eat and bluepoints are harvested from the Chesapeake Bay.
28. Three.
29. Pasta expands while it cooks as it absorbs the cooking water and lowers the temperature of the water. Also, starch from the pasta seeps into the cooking water. If there is not plenty of room and water in the pot, the pasta will stick. As a rule, 4 quarts of water should be used for each pound of pasta.
30. C.
31. One cup of cooked brown rice has 3.3 grams of fiber while the same amount of cooked white rice has only 0.2 grams. However, the brown rice takes about 2 1/2 times as long to cook.
32. Each has about the same. An analysis of Chinese dishes from around the country by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that kung pao chicken averaged 76 grams of fat for a large order. According to McDonald's nutrition figures, Big Macs each have 26 grams of fat and the large fries 22 grams for a total of 74 grams.
33. False. As flour is packaged today, no sifting is necessary before measuring. If sifted flour is used in a recipe that calls for unsifted flour, the difference can be significant. A cup of unsifted all-purpose flour weighs approximately 5 ounces. Sifted flour weighs 4 ounces per cup.
To measure, lightly stir the flour, scoop a measuring cup through the flour and level it off across the top with the straight edge of a knife. (Be sure you are using a "dry" measuring cup, not a clear glass one designed for liquids.
34. False. Green spots indicate high concentrations of solanine, a toxic substance. Potatoes that have green spots are safe to eat once the green areas are cut away.
35. False. Bittersweet chocolate does contain sugar and is similar to semisweet chocolate. (The two are usually interchangeable in a recipe.) Bitter chocolate, usually called unsweetened chocolate or baking chocolate, has no sugar.
36. True. Even white zinfandel wine is made from the red grapes.
37. Though the terms often are used interchangeably, a saute pan classically has straight sides while a skillet has sides that flare out slightly. Also, a saute pan often has a higher handle that angles up; on a skillet, the handle is level.
A jelly-roll pan has four sides, usually about 1-inch high, while baking sheets are completely flat or have one or two short, slightly flared sides for easier handling.
38. Parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Used in soups and stews, they usually are tied together in cheesecloth, so they can be removed before the dish is served.
39. A. Traditionally, cheese never is served with seafood because its flavor can dominate a seafood dish, according to Italian cooking experts.
40. False. Use cold water. It softens the cooked-on eggs, making them easier to remove. Hot water simply toughens them further.
41. C.
42. D.
43. C or D. In the past, sour milk was made by leaving the milk on the counter overnight, but today's pasteurized milk will simply spoil, not sour. Buttermilk is an excellent substitute or you can "sour" your own milk by putting 1 tablespoon lemon juice or distilled white vinegar into a measuring cup and adding enough fresh milk to make 1 cup.
44. False. The greatest concentration of capsaicin (the heat source of chilies) is in the white veins and the fleshy seed pod at the top of the pepper; the seeds themselves do not contain capsaicin but because of their proximity to the veins and the pod they do absorb some of it.
45. C and D
by CNB