What Can Go Wrong During Cooking Flashcards
What is an emulsion?
An emulsion is the combination of two ingredients that don’t easily blend together, like oil and vinegar or water.
Why do emulsions break?
Temperature is too high
Oil is added too quickly
Left to stand too long before use
Insufficient mixing time
Incorrect proportions of ingredients
How can you tell if an emulsion has separated?
The mixture looks grainy or curdled when adding fat, indicating it is about to break or separate.
What causes choux pastry to sink?
Undercooked
Not enough liquid
Oven door opened
Oven temperature too low
Not enough beating to add air
What can cause bread not to rise?
Old dead yeast
Yeast being too hot
Room temperature being too cold
Not enough time to rise
Using the wrong size pan
Over or under proving (yeast development)
Not enough or too much kneading
What is the roux method?
Melt fat in pan
Add flour and stir continuously
Remove from the heat
Gradually add milk
Return to the heat and bring to the boil
When the sauce has thickened turn down the heat until it has turned glossy
What are the stages of whipped egg whites?
Foamy
Soft Peaks
Firm Peaks
Over Beaten Egg Whites
What happens if egg whites are over beaten?
They become grainy, watery, and flat, and cannot be salvaged.
What should be done to stabilize egg whites before whipping?
Add a pinch of salt or cream of tartar to help stabilize the protein matrix and increase volume.
What can cause a pastry crust to shrink?
Over mixing
Excessive rolling
Ingredients being too warm
Why might a pie crust be soggy?
Incorrect dish material
A leak from the filling
Low oven temperature
Too much fat when shortening
Ingredients too warm
Overworking the crust
What is the correct way to add sugar to egg whites when making meringue?
Sugar must be added gradually, starting with a small amount once the egg whites are foamy.
What are the reasons a cake might sink?
Undercooking
Incorrect oven temperature
Wrong ratio of ingredients
What is the effect of using fresh eggs for meringue?
Fresh eggs help achieve fuller volume because they are slightly acidic, stabilizing the proteins.
What is a common mistake when making a roux sauce?
Adding milk too quickly while whisking can cause lumps.
What are the two methodes of making sauce?
Roux sauce
All in one sauce
What may cause whipped cream to look like cottage cheese?
Over whipping the cream can cause it to separate into butter and buttermilk.
What happens if you don’t continuously whisk a sauce?
The starch molecules will sink to the bottom and create lumps in the sauce as they gelatinise
True or False: Chilling pastry before baking can help prevent shrinking.
True.
What is a colloid in relation to cream?
A colloid is a mixture where tiny particles of one substance are dispersed evenly throughout another.
What is the all in one method?
Place fat flour and milk in pan
Whisk continuously until thickened
Turn down and simmer until it becomes glossy
What causes a crust to lose shape?
The crust wasn’t cold enough going into the oven
The oven wasn’t hot enough
What are some other potential problems with flaky and shortcrust pastry and how to fix them?
The pastry is crumbly and had to roll which means the ingredient ratio is wrong add more water
Pie crust can burn around the edge to prevent this you can place some foil over the pie
Tough pastry can be prevented by using less flour when rolling the pastry and making sure pastry is well mixed/shortened
