Cooking Terms, Part XI Trivia Quiz

Answer: to gently move foods in a circular motion using a spatula or spoon.

Stirring differs from beating or whipping in intensity. A recipe direction to "stir" suggests gently combining ingredients just until mixed. The aim of stirring is never to incorporate air into a mixture nor to break down the mixture's elements. Stirring is often prescribed in cooking to promote quicker heating or cooling of dense mixtures.

Answer: All of these

Leaven is any substance that causes baked goods to rise. Both yeast and chemical leaveners accomplish this by releasing carbon dioxide gas during baking. Religiously observant Jews, who do not eat leaven during Passover, tend to consider yeast breads to be prohibited but not those produced by chemical leaveners such as baking powder.

Answer: Unfertilized lobster roe

A lobster's roe turns red or reddish orange when cooked. It may be used as a garnish or in a classic sauce such as "Sauce Americaine" which is commonly made of lobster broth, lobster coral, butter, cream, white wine and chopped parsley or tarragon.

Answer: all of these

The term "demitasse" [DEHM-ee-tahss] originated in French where it means "half cup." If a standard coffee cup holds 8 ounces (235 ml), then a demitasse should logically hold 4 ounces (115 ml). In practice, however, a modern demitasse cup holds slightly less than that. As it sometimes happens, the name of the cup became the name of the drink it contains.

Answer: a thickener made of flour cooked in fat

Roux is the basis for three of the classic French "mother sauces": béchamel, sauce velouté and espagnole. In Cajun cuisine, it is also the basis for numerous sauces and soups.

Answer: little worms

Vermicelli (vur-mih-CHEL-ee) is a type of round stranded pasta. It is thinner than spaghettini which is, in turn, thinner than spaghetti. Capellini (called "angel hair pasta" in the USA) is thinner than vermicelli. Vermicelli is the pasta found in short broken lengths in Rice-a-RoniŽ.

Answer: Long sticks, 1/4 to 1/2 inch square in cross section, about 2-1/2 inches long

A batonette is a classic knife cut used for firm fruits and vegetables. There is little agreement as to its precise dimensions: 1/4 to 1/2 inch in cross section is the range. A smaller version of the same cut is the alumette and a smaller version of that is the julienne. Batonnet (pronounced bah-tow-NAY) means "little stick" in French. Perfect replication of this cut for ingredients to be cooked results in even cooking and uniform doneness.

Answer: by soaking in water, then a lye solution, and then a salty brine

Uncured olives tend to be hard, bitter, sour and foul-tasting, due largely their oleuropein content. Curing olives removes the oleuropein by leaching. There are a variety of methods, e.g. the water-lye-brine method, the dry salt method, the oil method, and a brine-only method. None of the common methods use strong acid, soap or alcohol.

Answer: a cake of fermented whole soybeans

Unlike tofu, tempeh originated in Indonesia and is made with whole soybeans. It is popular in vegetarian cooking where it may be fried or shredded and is often used as a tasty substitute for meat.

Answer: the seed pod of a vanilla orchid

The vanilla orchid attaches itself to trees but is not a parasite in that it produces its own food through photosynthesis. It grows commercially in the tropics and subtropics, the major producers being Mexico and Central America, Madagascar, Réunion and Indonesia. Artificial vanilla can be produced but it should only be used to scent candles.