CONCEPT 1: GENTLE HEAT PREVENTS OVERCOOKING

Question 1

Do smaller molecules move faster than larger ones?

Answer 1

Yes

Question 2

Which molecules are the smallest: water, fat or protein?

Answer 2

Water

Question 3

Common forms of radiation in cooking.

Answer 3

Grilling, broiling, microwave.

Question 4

Why is grilling considered radiation?

Answer 4

It uses thermal radiation (electromagnetic radiation generated by the thermal motion of charged particles in matter) to cook food.

Question 5

Does the outside of food always cook faster than the inside?

Answer 5

Yes

Question 6

Conduction

Answer 6

The transfer of heat between two parts of a stationary system, caused by a temperature difference between the parts.

Question 7

Convection

Answer 7

The transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas; boiling water or frying oil, air in the oven.

Question 8

Radiant heating

Answer 8

The transfer of heat by high-energy waves emitted from a remote object; sun on the surface of the earth.

Question 9

What happens if cooking temp is too high?

Answer 9

Outer layers may become overcooked by the time conduction moves the heat toward the center of food; external moisture will evaporate.

Question 10

How do you help food retain more moisture regarding heat?

Answer 10

A smaller temperature difference within the food will help the exterior retain more moisture.

Question 11

TEST KITCHEN: Slow roasted beef experiment (3 different temp probes).

Answer 11

Two roasts, one at 250º (tender and more juicy - lost only 9.4% original weight) and the other 450º (chalky and dry with nicer crust - lost 24.2%).

Question 12

Why did the roasts (250º and 450º) lose different amounts of moisture?

Answer 12

Higher temperatures meant faster moving water molecules and greater evaporation.

Question 13

On a whole rib roasts (aka prime rib), which ribs does it consist of?

Answer 13

Ribs 6 through 12

Question 14

What do butchers tend to do with rib roasts?

Answer 14

Cut them in half (the cut further back is less fatty).

Question 15

What is the cut further back (less fatty) on a rib roast called?

Answer 15

First cut, loin end, or sometimes the small end because the meat and ribs get larger as they move toward the shoulder.

Question 16

Is a supermarket ham fully cooked?

Answer 16

Yes

Question 17

Difference between bone-in and boneless supermarket hams.

Answer 17

Bone-in hams with natural juices are the least processed of all options at the supermarket. Boneless hams contain several muscles that have been pressed together to look like ham.

Question 18

Whats bad about boneless ham?

Answer 18

All the manipulation compromises the muscle structure, making them less able to hold on to natural juices. And while “water-added” ham might sound juicier, they taste awful and shed all that extra water in the oven.

Question 19

How should ham be prepared for roasting?

Answer 19

Give it a warm bath. Soaking the wrapped ham in warm water for 90 minutes raises the internal temperature to about 60ºF and cuts total roasting time by about an hour. Less time in the oven mean less moisture loss.

Question 20

What temperature ham should be served?

Answer 20

110 to 120 degrees

Question 21

Trick to roasting ham after warming.

Answer 21

Bake in an oven bag and let rest.

Question 22

At what temp do egg white start to coagulate?

Answer 22

140 to 150 degrees

Question 23

At what temp do egg yolks turn from liquid to solid?

Answer 23

150 to 160 degrees

Question 24

When talking about heat, how should shrimp and eggs be cooked? Why?

Answer 24

Low and slow because the window between perfection and overdone is too small. Outer layers of the shrimp and eggs are cooking much faster than the inner layers.

Question 25

How many hard boiled eggs should you make at a time?

Answer 25

Enough to cover a single layer of your pan.

Question 26

Are fresh eggs better for hard boiled? Why?

Answer 26

YES. As an egg ages, the cord-like strands that center the yolk weaken. If this happens, the yolk can end up close to the outer wall of the hard-cooked egg, making the white likely to tear when removing the yolk.

Question 27

Cooking technique for hard-boiled eggs.

Answer 27

Add a single layer of eggs to your pan; cover with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high heat; remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes; pour off water and move pan to gently crack egg shells; transfer eggs to ice-water for 5 minutes.

Question 28

How do you perfectly center a hard boiled egg?

Answer 28

Place egg carton on its side the day before cooking.

Question 29

How do you create a smoother texture with egg yolks?

Answer 29

Rice them with a fine sieve.

Question 30

Classic method of hard-boiling eggs.

Answer 30

Cooking eggs in a pot of boiling water for a precise period of time.

Question 31

Why is the classic method of hard-boiling eggs a crapshoot?

Answer 31

You can’t poke the egg with an instant-read thermometer or account for variations in heat output of stoves or conductivity of pans or the different sizes of eggs.

Question 32

How can you tell a hard-boiled egg was overcooked?

Answer 32

A green tinge on the yolk.

Question 33

How can you tell a hard-boiled egg was undercooked?

Answer 33

Dark orange yolk that’s soft in spots.

Question 34

How to you stop a hard-boiled egg white from adhering to the shell? Why does this process work?

Answer 34

Shocking egg in ice water quickly halts the albumin bonding process and causes the protein to shrink and pull away from the shell.

Question 35

Why do hard-boiled egg white adhere to egg shells?

Answer 35

As an egg cooks, the layers of albumin that’s closest to the outer shell will slowly bond.

Question 36

Regarding albumin, why is leaving hard-cooked eggs to cool at room temp or under running water a bad idea?

Answer 36

A hard-cooked egg left at room temp or even under cold running water will cool relatively slow, allowing albumin plenty of time to form a strong bond.

Question 37

What is the green ring in overcooked eggs caused by?

Answer 37

Excessive or prolonged heat; the iron in the yolk is reacting with the sulfur compounds in the white.

Question 38

Why is adding shrimp at the outset of a cooking liquid better than after it’s heated?

Answer 38

One, once proteins have shrunk there’s less room for flavor molecules to be absorbed - the shrimp won’t pick up much flavor; two, a more consistent thermal trip - protein will lose less moisture when they aren’t shocked from drastic change in temp.

Question 39

Temperature at which proteins in shrimp start to shrink and toughen.

Answer 39

120 degrees

Question 40

Temperature at which shrimp becomes pleasantly chewy but not tough.

Answer 40

140 degrees

Question 41

What happens when you boil shrimp?

Answer 41

You guarantee the internal temp will exceed 140ºF and become rubbery.

Question 42

Technique for cooking shrimp in liquid.

Answer 42

Add shrimp in cold water w/other flavors; bring stove to medium heat; stir until pink, firm to the touch and centers are no longer translucent; 8-10 minutes or longer if larger (water should be 165º); remove from heat and let sit 2 minutes; immediately transfer shrimp to ice bath about 3 minutes; pat dry.

Question 43

Should you boil shrimp?

Answer 43

No

Question 44

Shrimp: frozen or thawed? Why?

Answer 44

Because nearly all shrimp are frozen at sea, you don’t know when the “fresh” shrimp were thawed (be friendly w/the fishmonger). The flavor and texture of thawed shrimp deteriorate after a few days, so you’re better off buying frozen.

Question 45

What happens to all shrimp after they’re caught?

Answer 45

They’re almost all frozen on the boat.

Question 46

Shrimp: peeled or unpeeled? Why?

Answer 46

Unpeeled. Someone had to thaw the shrimp for peeling; refreezing bangs up the shrimp.

Question 47

Three characteristics of shrimp you should buy.

Answer 47

Frozen, unpeeled and untreated

Question 48

What is STPP?

Answer 48

Sodium tripolyphosphate

Question 49

Why check ingredients of frozen shrimp?

Answer 49

Frozen shrimp are often treated or enhanced with additives to prevent darkening or to counter “drip loss.” And shrimp that have been treated have a strange translucency and unpleasant texture.

Question 50

Common additives used on shrimp to prevent darkening.

Answer 50

STPP, sodium metabisulfate or salt.

Question 51

What happens to color of aging shrimp?

Answer 51

They become darker.

Question 52

What is “drip loss?”

Answer 52

The amount of moisture a shrimp loses as it’s thawed.

Question 53

Only ingredient in bag of shrimp should be…

Answer 53

Shrimp