Kitchen Equipment
Identify the tool used to drain pasta.
What is a colander?
Name the position normally second in command in a classical kitchen.
What is the sous chef?
Which heat-transfer method occurs through direct contact between a pan and food?
What is conduction?
What is the flavorful liquid base used in many soups and sauces?
What is stock?
Which tool rolls dough into an even sheet?
What is a rolling pin?
Which utensil has a swiveling blade used to pare fruits and vegetables?
What is a vegetable peeler?
Which station chef prepares pastries and desserts?
What is the pâtissier?
Which method cooks food with heat coming from above?
What is broiling?
What is the term for sauce consistency that coats the back of a spoon?
What is nappe?
What mixing method gently combines ingredients while preserving trapped air?
What is folding?
Which tool both protects the counter during cutting and supports safe knife work?
What is a cutting board?
Which station handles cold foods such as salads, dressings, pâté, and buffet items?
What is the garde manger?
Explain the difference between braising and stewing in cut size and liquid amount.
Braising uses a larger cut and a small amount of liquid; stewing uses smaller cuts and more liquid.
Name the two main ingredients in a classic béchamel sauce.
What are milk and white roux?
What is the purpose of tempering eggs before adding hot liquid?
Tempering slowly warms eggs by whisking in hot liquid before combining; this helps prevent curdling.
A cook needs to level dry ingredients while measuring. Which listed kitchen tool is intended for this job?
What is a metal spatula?
Explain the expediter’s or aboyeur’s role in the kitchen.
Coordinates the orders.
A cook wants a browned exterior and tender finish for a tougher, larger cut. Which cooking category and sequence would fit?
What is combination cooking—first use dry heat to brown, then moist heat to finish cooking and tenderize
Compare a roux and a slurry by their ingredients and how each is added to a sauce.
Roux is fat and flour cooked together; slurry is starch mixed with cold liquid, then added to hot liquid while whisking.
Why can overmixing cake batter produce a tougher texture?
Overmixing can increase gluten development, creating a tougher texture.
Select the best tool to lift and flip food, then distinguish it from a rubber or silicone spatula’s main use.
What is a flipper, lifter, or turner for lifting and flipping food, while a rubber or silicone spatula scrapes bowls and pans?
Explain how the executive chef and sous chef differ in a large establishment.
The executive chef is in charge of the kitchen; the sous chef is normally second in command and oversees production and staff supervision.
A pan is crowded with vegetables, which steam instead of browning. Explain why this happens and name one corrective action
Crowding traps moisture, encouraging steaming rather than browning. Spread the vegetables out across the pan to improve spacing and browning.
Hollandaise separates during preparation. Identify two possible causes and one technique that can help prevent separation
Possible causes include adding butter too quickly, excessive heat, or improper holding temperature. Use gentle heat, add butter gradually, and whisk constantly.
A custard pie has a soggy bottom crust. Identify two steps that could help prevent this problem.
Dock the shell, bake it blind, and cool the shell before adding the wet filling.