food tech key words

Question 1

What does the word
‘Al Dente’
mean?

Answer 1

to the bite

usually used to describe vegetables or pasta that is not really soft

Question 2

what is a mixture of butter/margarine and flour (that is used as a base for a sauce) called?

Answer 2

a roux

(for example it can be used to make a bechamel sauce, cheese sauce or parsley sauce)

Question 3

what is a fruity smooth sauce made from fruit called?

Answer 3

a coulis 
( for example raspberries that has been either pureed  and passed through a sieve to make a sauce for ice-cream  or to decorate a sweet dish)

Question 4

what does the term ‘brulee’ mean?

Answer 4

it means burnt and most commonly describes burnt sugar which turns into a crunchy topping for a desert

Question 5

what is the name we use for food that is flamed or lit?

Answer 5

Flambe - where alcohol is added to a dish and flames are added to burn off the alcohol
ie crepes suzettes

Question 6

what does the term ‘Au Gratin’ mean?

Answer 6

means to top with a crust using cheese and or breadcrumbs

( for example a pasta bake or lasagne)

Question 7

‘En croute’ means

Answer 7

to wrap something in pastry

for example Beef Wellington or Salmon en-croute

Question 8

what are croutons and what dishes might you use them in?

Answer 8

A crouton is a piece of sautéed or rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned, that is used to add texture and flavor to salads or as an accompaniment to soups.

Question 9

what is the term we use to describe the highly flavoured liquid used to tenderise meat before cooking?

Answer 9

the term is a marinade - often used in french, Chinese and Indian dishes ( think also about Nando’s MARINATED chicken)

Question 10

What do we call the time used to prepare ingredients and collect equipment before coking starts?

Answer 10

we call it mise-en-place

Question 11

what is an ‘entrée’?

Answer 11

entrée is used to describe the main dish of a meal.

Question 12

what is the name given to the type of cut where vegetables and cut into matchsticks?

Answer 12

we cut vegetables into julienne strips.

Question 13

what is a ‘bouquet garni’?

Answer 13

a bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs used to flavour soup, stock, and various stews

Question 14

When sitting down to a meal what are the ‘accompaniments’ ?

Answer 14

the accompaniments are the things that go with the main meal
(for example chips and coleslaw with a burger or vegetables with a roast chicken)

Question 15

A ‘puree’ is ….?

Answer 15

A purée is cooked food, usually vegetables or fruit that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste

Question 16

what is a ‘bain-marie’ and what is it used for?

Answer 16

A bain-marie means a water bath used on the hob and in the oven.
( for example we use a bain-marie to melt chocolate, make egg based sauces like Hollandaise, baked cheesecake and Italian meringue)

Question 17

what do we mean by the term ‘reduce’ and what do we use it for?

Answer 17

We use the term reduce to describe the process of boiling down stock to make a more concentrated and thicker base for a sauce

Question 18

what term do we use to describe the decoration of savoury foods?

Answer 18

the term is to GARNISH.

for example to put sour cream and chopped herbs on top of chilli-con-carne or to add croutons to a salad