Q 01/05

What technique cooks food quickly in a little fat over high heat while stirring?

A) Sautéing

B) Braising

C) Poaching

D) Searing

Answer · why

A) Sautéing

Sautéing comes from the French sauter, 'to jump', because the cook tosses the food to keep it moving in the pan.

Q 02/05

Which French mother sauce is built on brown stock thickened with a brown roux?

A) Espagnole

B) Velouté

C) Béchamel

D) Hollandaise

Answer · why

A) Espagnole

Espagnole is the brown mother sauce: brown veal stock bound with a brown roux plus aromatics and tomato. Reduced with more stock it becomes demi-glace...

Q 03/05

What does it mean to julienne a vegetable?

A) Cut it into thin matchstick strips

B) Dice it into small even cubes

C) Slice it into thin round coins

D) Mince it as finely as possible

Answer · why

A) Cut it into thin matchstick strips

To julienne is to cut it into thin matchstick strips; the thin, uniform cut means every piece cooks quickly and at the same rate.

Q 04/05

Which chef wrote 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'?

A) Jacques Pépin

B) James Beard

C) Julia Child

D) Alice Waters

Answer · why

C) Julia Child

Julia Child and her two French co-authors saw the manuscript turned down by their first publisher before Knopf brought it out in 1961, and it became a...

Q 05/05

What is the main base ingredient of a béchamel sauce?

A) Milk

B) Tomato purée

C) Chicken stock

D) White wine

Answer · why

A) Milk

Béchamel is a roux thinned with milk and usually scented with nutmeg; stir in cheese and it becomes Mornay, the sauce American cooks make with cheddar...