zz_ Lesson 1 Quiz

After reviewing the principles and techniques sections of Lesson 1, test your knowledge by taking the quiz. Don't worry, you won't be graded.

Fish Review

1. What should you avoid in your search for high quality fish? (Choose all that apply)

  A. Fish that smells fishy

  B. Whole fish with shiny skin

  C. A fish purveyor that stacks fillets high on top of each other

  D. Frozen fish

You should avoid A and C.

  • Fishy smelling fish mean bacteria are alive.
  • Top of stacked high fillets more easily spoil.

If fish is "flash frozen" in a commercial operation, they may be better than fresh fish long out of water, or improperly stored.

2. Fish flesh is about 25% water, by weight. (T or F)

  True

  False

False.

Flesh, like that of meat, is about 75% water. But many species of fish are very lean -- have little fat -- and if over cooked, the loss of moisture will make the fish disagreeably dry.

3. Which of the following fats are well suited to sautéing? (Choose all that apply)

  A. Whole butter

  B. Clarified butter

  C. Regular olive oil

  D. Extra-virgin olive oil

B and C are well-suited because their smoke points are high enough to withstand the heat of sautéing.

The milk solids in whole butter will burn at high temperatures. Extra-virgin olive oil is definitely not a good choice because it is expensive for sautéing, loses its delicate flavor under high heat, and has a lower smoke point than regular olive oil.

4. The fish can be dredged in flour up to a half hour before it is sautéed. (T or F)

  True

  False

False.

It should be dredged just before it is cooked.

If a flour coating is left to sit, the flour will absorb water and get mushy, and this will cause sticking and make for a sorry looking fish.

5. When sautéing, the pan should be heated before the fat/oil is added. (T or F)

  True

  False

True.

Heat up the sauté pan before adding oil.

6. What happens to proteins as they cook?

  A. They firm

  B. They soften

  C. They brown

  D. They expand

A. They become firm -- they coagulate.

One way to tell that the fish is cooking is to literally press its flesh and feel it firming.

Biscuit Review

1. For which of the following does one cup weigh 8 ounces? (choose all that apply)

  A. Water

  B. Flour

  C. Eggs

  D. Milk

 

A, C, D.

A cup of water, milk, or eggs weighs 8 ounces. A cup of flour weighs about 4 ounces. But as you most certainly know by now, it's far more accurate to weigh flour than to measure it in a cup -- even in a measuring cup!

2. How many tablespoons of water in an ounce?

Two

Put another way, one tablespoon of water is equal to half an ounce.

3. Which flour type has the lowest protein level?

  A. Pastry

  B. Cake

  C. Bread

  D. All-Purpose

B.

Working our way up the protein level ladder, the order is: cake, pastry, all purpose, and bread.

4. What creates tenderness and flakiness in biscuits?

  A. Gluten

  B. Fat

  C. Baking powder

  D. Mixing

 

B. Fat.

It shortens the gluten strands and creates the flakes or layers in the dough. This same principle applies to creating flaky pie crusts. If gluten is over-developed through over-mixing, tenderness decreases.

5. Gluten is developed by mixing after liquid has been added. (T or F)

  True

  False

True.

Once liquid has been added to create a dough, any mixing at all will develop the strands of gluten in the dough. Were you making bread, you would knead considerably more in order to develop the gluten strands.

6. Recipes set the baking temperatures so that the product is cooked through at the same time the outside is correctly browned. (T or F)

  True

  False

True.

Indeed, under ideal conditions. But some ovens are temperamental creatures and don't heat exactly to the displayed temperature. You must always take into account that the oven's top rack will be hotter than its bottom one. And be careful of changing the thickness of your product from that of the recipe -- and then relying on color to tell you when its done. You could end up with a gloppy interior.

Salads Review

1. Why do greens wilt? (Choose the best answer)

  A. Too much moisture

  B. Too little moisture

  C. Too warm

  D. Too cold

B.

Greens are 95% water, and as that water evaporates, they wilt.

2. What is the standard proportion of oil to vinegar in a vinaigrette?

  A. 3:1

  B. 2:1

  C. 1:3

  D. 1:2

A. 3:1

Three parts oil to one part vinegar. But I always use the word "standard" loosely. In this case, the standard can vary based on how acidic the acid is, what taste the oil has, and personal preference.

3. Which is better: washing greens under the tap, or soaking them in a sink?

Greens prefer a good soaking.

It better removes dirt and washes off any residual pesticides or herbicides. But they must be agitated before they are left to soak. Most importantly, excess water must be removed or the salad will taste watery. The easiest, most effective way to remove excess water is with a salad spinner.

4. Oil and vinegar become a stable emulsion when whisked together. (T or F)

  True

  False

False.

They will separate because there is no emulsifying agent to keep the microscopic oil droplets from joining together again.

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