Kitchen Science Showdown

General Knowledge · 10 questions

Kitchen Science Showdown — Challenge your friends to a kitchen-side face-off: who can crack the little science secrets behind cooking.

Answer each question first, then check with “Show the answer”. You can also play the same quiz in the Quizera app by searching for it in Explore, as a live game, a test or flashcards.

1. Why is it harder for meat to brown while its surface is wet?

   1. Fat emulsification
   2. Sugar crystallization
   3. Surface salt crystallization
   4. Evaporative cooling of the surface
   Show the answer

   D) Evaporative cooling of the surface

2. Which egg-yolk component helps stabilize the mixture of oil and water in mayonnaise?

   1. Oleic acid in olive oil
   2. Citric acid in lemon juice
   3. Lecithin in egg yolk
   4. Albumin in egg white
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   C) Lecithin in egg yolk

3. What is the name for sugar browning and developing new flavors with heat, without amino acids?

   1. Starch gelatinization
   2. Protein coagulation
   3. Maillard reaction
   4. Caramelization
   Show the answer

   D) Caramelization

4. As egg white cooks, it loses its translucence and turns white. What primarily causes this change?

   1. Merging of fat droplets
   2. Formation of sugar crystals
   3. Protein structural change and network formation
   4. Starch water absorption and swelling
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   C) Protein structural change and network formation

5. When starch mixed into liquid is heated, what observable change causes the sauce to thicken?

   1. Dissolution and dispersal of proteins
   2. Water absorption and swelling of starch granules
   3. Gelatin formation from collagen
   4. Growth of sugar crystals
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   B) Water absorption and swelling of starch granules

6. Which collagen-derived component helps chilled meat stock set into a gel?

   1. Gelatin
   2. Lecithin
   3. Casein
   4. Pectin
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   A) Gelatin

7. What starts the formation of the volatile compound that irritates your eyes when an onion is cut?

   1. Crystallization of fat in cells
   2. Water absorption and swelling of starch
   3. Caramelization of sugars in the pan
   4. Mixing of components from damaged cells
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   D) Mixing of components from damaged cells

8. What physical change lets water boil at a higher temperature in a pressure cooker?

   1. Reduced heat capacity of water
   2. Increased liquid surface area
   3. Increased pressure
   4. Lower steam condensation temperature
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   C) Increased pressure

9. What does tempering usually give finished chocolate in appearance and how it breaks?

   1. A glossy surface and a distinct snap
   2. A foamy surface and porous texture
   3. A matte surface and soft texture
   4. An icy surface and crumbly texture
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   A) A glossy surface and a distinct snap

10. Why does fish in ceviche turn opaque and firm when it comes into contact with acid?

    1. Protein freezing
    2. Changes in protein structure
    3. Fat crystallization
    4. Salt precipitation
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    B) Changes in protein structure