Each week ushers in something new about what we should eat to stay healthy and strong while most us just want a good meal surrounded by people we love. Then again, some of us simply have food on the brain. Is all this information helping? Pull up a chair at the kitchen table and test your savvy in all things edible--nutrition, health, history, terms, techniques and more.
Terms & techniques
1. Gelato is:
A. A dairy-free frozen dessert made with syrup
B. A frozen custard made from eggs, milk and sugar
C. Similar to ice cream except it has more egg yolks, less air and is more dense
2. You can preserve parsley by:
A. Drenching it in water, then flash- freezing it
B. Washing it, blotting it on a paper towel and storing it in the fridge in plastic bag
C. Cutting it up and storing it in a cool dark corner
3. Dim sum is Chinese for:
A. Heart's delight
B. You'll never get full
C. Good eating
4. The photo below is a:
B. Bottle gourd
5. At right is a:
A. Kiwano
6. Which is true about kitchen emergencies?
A. Pour water on any fire
B. Baking soda will put out most electrical fires
C. Do nothing; leave and call the fire department
7. Which is the best way to microwave eggs?
A. Cook unbeaten eggs at 100 percent power
B. Cook beaten eggs on low power
C. Cover eggs with something (plastic wrap) to help them cook evenly.
8. Which is the best way to mail cookies?
A. Separate layers with plastic wrap or wax paper
B. Layer them without paper
C. Make bar cookies or soft cookies because they won't dry out or crumble during mailing; layer with paper
9. Which statement is true of cheese storage?
A. If the wrapping isn't airtight, rubbing vegetable oil over cheese and refrigerating it keeps it from drying out
B. Store it between damp paper towels dipped in baking soda
C. Thaw frozen cheese in the sink
10. Poaching works best when you:
A. Put a whole fish directly into hot water.
B. Use a high-fat fish to get the best flavor.
C. Start cooking with cold liquid so the outside does not get done first.
11. Which tea tip is true?
A. Storing a teapot with a sugar cube in it keeps it fresh and absorbs odors
B. Store tea in a sunny spot for up to a year
C. Leave the tea in the teapot after brewing to marinate the flavors
12. What's the key to cooking odorless cabbage?
A. Coat the pan with Febreze
B. Cook it less than five minutes
C. Stick half a lemon on the pot top
13. I'm a hot-hot chile and to quench me, you've got to:
A. Down an ice-cold beer
B. Swallow two gulps of lukewarm water
C. Eat a chunk of bread or drink milk
14. What's the best way to preserve fresh tomatoes?
A. Dice and freeze them
B. Freeze them whole
C. Preserve them in air-tight jars
Health & Nutrition
15. Vitamin D:
A. Aids calcium absorption
B. Is made in the body after exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays
C. Both of the above
16. ''Joe Frogger,'' ''jumble'' and ''snickerdoodle'' are all names for American:
A. Candy
B. Egg dishes
C. Cookies
17. The chief executive recognized by many as the ''gourmet'' president who contributed the most to American cuisine:
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. William Howard Taft
18. When it comes to teens trusting food health claims, they:
A. Make choices of what's healthy based on nutrition labels
B. Tend to believe front-of-the-label claims
C. Don't make healthy choices at all
19. Garlic does what?
A. Lowers cholesterol
B. Prevents certain cancers
C. Neither
20. Some Americans who have become fed up with conflicting diet messages:
A. Try harder to eat healthfully, particularly consuming copious amounts of cancer-fighting foods such as broccoli, cabbage and tomatoes
B. Tune out, then eat fat-laden diets, giving produce the short shrift
C. Focus on exercising more
21. People most likely to exhibit backlash against healthy eating messages are:
A. Young men, the elderly and poor
B. College students
C. Professionals, managers and school-age kids
22. Since the U.S. Food Pyramid was introduced, Americans:
A. Don't even think about following the pyramid's advice
B. Eat more calories from the base of the pyramid (breads, grains, etc.)
C. Consume more calories from the lower-nutrient tip of the pyramid (oils, fats and sugars)
23. Who's at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency?
A. Black women
B. White women
C. Hispanic women
24. Calcium is best absorbed through:
A. Eating a cup of spinach daily
B. Drinking cow's milk
C. Drinking soy milk
25. Which is a good way to eat less?
A. Chew up your food to release the flavor, then spit it out in a napkin
B. Put a scale on the table and weigh every bite
C. Eat with your alternate hand
Food Savvy
26. What's the world most popular wine grape variety?
A. Port
B. Chardonnay
C. Malbec
27. Which of the following are wine bottle sizes?
A. Methuselah, Balthazar, Magnum
B. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
C. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
28. A wine label must include the:
A. Name of farmer who grew the grapes
B. Name of liquor store that sold it
C. Country of origin
29. Chocotini is:
A. A delightful after-dinner drink
B. Victoria's Secret's latest negligee style
C. Tiny chocolate-covered candies
30. A pullet is:
A. An instrument for making taffy
B. A "teenage" chicken
C. Another word for pulled barbecue
Who Said It?
31. "Conversation is the enemy of good wine and food."
A. Duncan Hines
B. Star Jones
C. Alfred Hitchcock
32. "No mean woman can cook well, for it calls for a light head, a generous spirit and a large heart."
A. Sarah Jessica Parker
B. Paul Gauguin
C. Eminem
33. "I have trouble with toast. Toast is very difficult. You have to watch it all the time or it burns up."
A. Julia Child
B. George "Dubya" Bush
C. Jennifer Lopez
34."The highlight of my childhood was making my brother laugh so hard that food came out of his nose." Who said it?
A. Dr. Phil
B. Austin Powers
C. Garrison Keillor
Who Am I?
35. I'm cute, I'm blond, and I speak with an accented lisp . Oh yeah, and I can cook, too--just pop it the oven and go: Who am I?
A. Jamie Oliver
B. Martha Stewart
C. Ming Tsai
36. I'm a TV chef original who's been known to get a little horsey: Who am I?
A. Graham Kerr
B. Austin Powers
C. Jacques Pepin
37. I tend to be quite loud in my TV kitchen, where I specialize in New Orleans-style cooking. Some say I resemble my mom, Hilda. Who am I?
A. Rick Bayless
B. Nigella Lawson
C. Emeril Lagasse
38. Look in your fridge--got any of me?
A. Beer
B. Milk
C. Eggs
39. Grill me, barbecue me, marinate me--vegetarians call me the "wheat meat."
A. Seitan
B. Tofu
C. Garbanzo beans
40. At age 21, I was the youngest person ever to pass the advanced exam of the Master Sommelier course. Who am I?
A. Burt Wolf
B. Alpana Singh
C. Katie Brown
The answers? Available in a few days...
