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Cooking Terms, Part III Trivia Quiz

The words used in kitchens can be puzzling to neophytes but are both precise and economical in the mouths of accomplished cooks. How many of these cooking terms do you know well?

A multiple-choice quiz by FatherSteve. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
FatherSteve

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
310,320

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
5210

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Dorsetmaid (10/10), Guest 99 (9/10), Genia1963 (1/10).

Question 1 of 10

1. Joe, a character in the musical "Show Boat," sings "You an' me, we sweat and strain." Sounds culinary! If chef asks you to strain something, what does she want you to do? Hint

To filter out the particles in it

To season it with Australian herbs and spices

To stretch, rather than punch or knead, dough

To cut small shallow parallel grooves in it

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Emperor Nero was reputed to have a terrible temper. Steel is tempered to make it stronger. John Milton extolled justice tempered with mercy. How does one temper chocolate? Hint

Warm it to 120� F, cool it to 80� F and warm it again to 90� F.

Melt it, then quickly cool it in a refrigerator.

Add milk or cream to it while it is at 90� F.

Add a bit of carob extract to it.

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Question 3 of 10

3. Chef says tonight's pasta special will be served Florentine. What does he mean by "Florentine"? Hint

It is the vegetarian option on the menu.

With edible flower petals scattered on it

With chopped spinach added

In a special sauce named in honour of Florence Henderson

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Question 4 of 10

4. A visiting chef from Saskatchewan insists on using Canola oil in many of her dishes. What does Canola oil come from? Hint

Hemp seeds

Cantaloupe seeds

Rape seeds

Canola seeds

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Question 5 of 10

5. A nationality may become a verb in the kitchen, e.g. to swiss a steak or to scotch an egg. What does it mean to french a lamb chop? Hint

To scrape the meat away from the end of the bone

To deep-fry it

To cook it slowly in red wine

To slice it into long slivers

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Question 6 of 10

6. The American poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote: "Like fishes dreaming of the sea and waking in the spider." What did he mean by the term "spider"? Hint

A many-fingered wire grapple with which a whole fish may be submerged in a deep fryer

A large fish-eating arachnid

A cast iron cooking vessel (typically a frying pan or Dutch oven) with legs which allow it to sit above a bed of coals

A long-handled cooking implement with eight claws at the end, much like a modern spaghetti rake

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Question 7 of 10

7. Chef asks you to fetch her chinoise or China cap. What does she want? Hint

A mushroom (Lentinula edodes) common in East Asia

A conical sieve or strainer

A chef's hat worn in the Far East, equivalent to the Western toque blanche

A lid for her wok

8. Softball is a game of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller diamond than is used in hardball. If your recipe calls for a mixture of sugar and water to be cooked to the softball stage, what does that mean? Hint

The syrup is boiled to a temperature between 235� F and 240� F (112� and 115.5� C)

The syrup is boiled to a temperature between 250� F and 266� F (121� C and 130� C)

The syrup is boiled until a cup of it, dropped in cold water, forms a mass like a softball

The syrup is boiled to a temperature of 338� F (170� C)

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Question 9 of 10

9. A chef visiting from Japan unpacks her luggage and brings out several woven bamboo baskets which can be stacked atop each other and placed over a pot of boiling water to steam foods placed in them. What are these devices called? Hint

Deba bocho

Makisu

Tetsunabe

Mushiki

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Question 10 of 10

10. Chef asks you to scald two liters of whole milk. What does he want you to do with it? Hint

To heat it to just below the boiling point (e.g. 200� F), such that a removable scum forms on the surface

To pour it into stout beakers in preparation for a Nordic toast

To speak very sternly to it and point out its many faults

To poach very thin slices of pounded meat in it

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Joe, a character in the musical "Show Boat," sings "You an' me, we sweat and strain." Sounds culinary! If chef asks you to strain something, what does she want you to do?

Answer: To filter out the particles in it

A liquid is passed through a chinois, a colander, a sieve, a China cap, cheesecloth or even a coffee filter to remove small solids and leave a smooth-textured liquid, as in a soup or sauce.

2. The Emperor Nero was reputed to have a terrible temper. Steel is tempered to make it stronger. John Milton extolled justice tempered with mercy. How does one temper chocolate?

Answer: Warm it to 120� F, cool it to 80� F and warm it again to 90� F.

Chocolate contains crystals which, if untempered, can produce a white film on the outside of a piece, and give it a dry, powdery (rather than creamy) texture.

3. Chef says tonight's pasta special will be served Florentine. What does he mean by "Florentine"?

Answer: With chopped spinach added

Egg, meat and cheese dishes served in a cream sauce to which spinach is added are said to be in the culinary style of Florence, Italy.

4. A visiting chef from Saskatchewan insists on using Canola oil in many of her dishes. What does Canola oil come from?

Answer: Rape seeds

The name "Canola" was fabricated in 1978 from the words "Canadian oil, low acid" because of the unfortunate connotations of the word "rape."

5. A nationality may become a verb in the kitchen, e.g. to swiss a steak or to scotch an egg. What does it mean to french a lamb chop?

Answer: To scrape the meat away from the end of the bone

Some chefs make the chop fancy by adding paper cutlet frills (like little crowns) to cover the end of the bones before service.

6. The American poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote: "Like fishes dreaming of the sea and waking in the spider." What did he mean by the term "spider"?

Answer: A cast iron cooking vessel (typically a frying pan or Dutch oven) with legs which allow it to sit above a bed of coals

The manufacture of spiders declined as Americans obtained flat-topped stoves on which to cook, as opposed to open fireplaces and their coals. They remain popular with campers.

7. Chef asks you to fetch her chinoise or China cap. What does she want?

Answer: A conical sieve or strainer

The chinoise is made of wire mesh; the China cap of perforated metal.

Answer: The syrup is boiled to a temperature between 235� F and 240� F (112� and 115.5� C)

At the proper temperature, a bit of the syrup dropped from a spoon into very cold water will form a soft flexible ball which will flatten when fetched out of the water. Fondant, pralines, fudge and buttercreams are all cooked to the softball stage.

Answer: Mushiki

Deba bocho is a kitchen carving knife. Tetsunabe is a cast-iron pot, most often used to make sukiyaki. Makisu is a bamboo mat woven with string used to prepare rolled sushi called makizushi. Mushiki was invented in China but has been used in Japanese cooking for many centuries.

10. Chef asks you to scald two liters of whole milk. What does he want you to do with it?

Answer: To heat it to just below the boiling point (e.g. 200� F), such that a removable scum forms on the surface

The term "scald" is sometimes also used to describe pouring boiling water over fruits or vegetables, or blanching them in boiling water.

Source: Author FatherSteve

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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This quiz is part of series Cooking Terms:

The language of the kitchen can be specialized and opaque; these quizzes test one's knowledge of that culinary dialect.

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