With a Pinch of Salt Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sippet

The word 'sippet' is closely related to the word 'sop' and its first known use was in around 1530. Sippets can be used a garnish, or as a vehicle to carry food to your mouth, such as dipping a toast 'soldier' (in this instance, the toast is a sippet) into a soft-boiled egg. A sippet is also related to a trencher, which was a piece of dried bread used a plate during the Middle Ages.

Answer: Bain-marie

Bains-marie can be used when serving to keep food at a consistent temperature and can be heated using gas, electricity, fuel gel or candles.

In cooking, a hot water bath can be used to provide indirect heat when cooking things such as Hollandaise sauce, creme brulee or flan, or even melting chocolate for ganache. Bains-marie are used to create consistent, gentle heat around food, resulting in uniform cooking. Depending on how the water bath is used, it can create steam that circulates around the dishes, meaning delicate dishes like flan are less likely to crack on top, and scrambled eggs can be kept moist.

Answer: Au Lait

Au lait literally means prepared or served with milk. Common use dictates it's a beverage served with milk; most commonly, it's coffee that's prepared au lait, although tea is occasionally served this way. Less commonly, other dishes can be served au lait, such as rice pudding or bread pudding. My grandfather used to put an oatmeal biscuit (cookie) into his dessert every night and pour milk all over it; I guess that was a kind of au lait too!

Coffee has been enjoyed in France since the 16th century, becoming a morning ritual within a short time of its introduction. 'Cafe au lait' means coffee with milk, and in France, there's a tradition of how it should be prepared. It should be made with strong, brewed coffee and steamed milk. To really enjoy it the French way, dip your morning croissant into it.

Answer: Knead

When making bread and other baked goods, kneading develops the glutens in the flour, which is what gives them their structure and texture. The kneading action evenly distributes the ingredients and incorporates air, allowing the bread to rise successfully.

It's hard to under-knead, because the dough will look limp and not hold a shape well. Over-kneading is easier to do, especially if you are using a blender to do the work for you.

Answer: Forcemeat

Forcemeat is what it sounds like - a meat-based filling that is forced into a casing. Mixed thoroughly together using a mincer or blender, meat, fat, seasonings and other ingredients are used to create charcuterie products such as sausages, pate, terrines and galantines.

The word was used as early as the 1680s, defined as "mincemeat, meat chopped fine and seasoned," coming from "force": "to stuff" as a variant of farce & meat.

Answer: Sliver

The word, 'sliver' first used in the 1600s, is most often applied to almonds, when they are cut into small sticks. It can be used to apply to other ingredients, however, such as meat which is best cut into slivers for stir-frying. This enables it to cook quickly and retain its juices.

While a julienne is a long, thin, slice of food, slivers are really finer and often less uniform than julienne.

Answer: Rechauffe

Now, doesn't that sound better than leftovers? I came across a book as a teenager that concentrated on rechauffe cookery, and it inspired me to try different ways to use things up. Bubble and squeak is a great example of rechauffe cookery; using up leftover sausages in a curry is another good one. I often use any leftover veges in a soup - I make a kind of minestrone by adding tomato paste, noodles and beans to it as well. Oh! and leftover veggies can be used in a pasta bake, too. Cover the top with cheese and cook it in the oven. Yum! It's the best kind of recycling!

Answer: Steep

Steeping ginger, peppermint leaves or other herbs and spices can create delicious and healthful teas. When making herbal teas, it is usually recommended that the water should be heated to just below boiling, before pouring it over the leaves when using heat to draw out the flavour.

However, steeping can be done using cold liquid too; to 'cook' food ceviche-style, fish or other ingredients are steeped in an acidic liquid, often lime, lemon or even pineapple. Steep rolled oats overnight to ensure quicker, more even cooking.

Answer: Cruet

The earliest known use of the noun cruet is from the years 1150-1500, the Middle English period. The word comes from an Old French word 'crue' meaning 'an earthen pot', and is probably related to an old German word meaning 'crock', even though now it is more common to have a cruet set made from glass or crystal.

While its origins are most likely ecclesiastical (possibly the vessel holding sacramental wine was called a cruet), the use of the term in relation to cooking was in vogue in the late 1600s.

Answer: Score

Scoring food, usually meat, provides both tenderisation and the better absorption of flavour. When scoring a fatty surface, such as pork or ham, scoring the skin and rubbing it with salt will allow the development of yummy crunchy edges while it cooks. When preparing food for frying, it can be helpful to score the skin or fat of the food in order to stop it curling. Scoring food before marinading can also enhance the uptake of flavour.