The Chemistry of Cooking

Lifestyle · 20 questions

Everything happening in your kitchen is a laboratory experiment.

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1. What is the browning and flavouring of seared meat called?

   1. Caramelisation
   2. Fermentation
   3. Emulsification
   4. The Maillard reaction
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   D) The Maillard reaction

2. Why do onions make your eyes water?

   1. The acid in the onion splashes up
   2. The smell is simply too sharp
   3. A sulphur compound is released as a gas
   4. Its water evaporates rapidly
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   C) A sulphur compound is released as a gas

3. Which gas makes bread rise?

   1. Oxygen
   2. Carbon dioxide
   3. Nitrogen
   4. Hydrogen
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   B) Carbon dioxide

4. What does yeast actually do during fermentation?

   1. Turns sugar into gas and alcohol
   2. Breaks the flour into finer grains
   3. Absorbs the excess water
   4. Stiffens the gluten strands
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   A) Turns sugar into gas and alcohol

5. Which protein gives dough its stretchiness?

   1. Gluten
   2. Casein
   3. Collagen
   4. Albumin
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   A) Gluten

6. Why does an egg set when cooked?

   1. All of its water evaporates away
   2. The fat inside cools and solidifies
   3. Trapped air escapes the shell
   4. Its proteins unfold and bond together
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   D) Its proteins unfold and bond together

7. What keeps mayonnaise from separating?

   1. The acidity of the vinegar
   2. The density of the oil
   3. The emulsifying action of egg yolk
   4. Keeping it cold in the fridge
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   C) The emulsifying action of egg yolk

8. What does salt do to the boiling point of pasta water?

   1. Lowers it noticeably
   2. Raises it very slightly
   3. Raises it noticeably
   4. Has no effect at all
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   B) Raises it very slightly

9. Which compound makes chilli peppers burn?

   1. Capsaicin
   2. Caffeine
   3. Tannin
   4. Solanine
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   A) Capsaicin

10. Why does milk soothe a burning mouth?

    1. It is served straight from the fridge
    2. It is slightly acidic in itself
    3. It contains natural sugars
    4. Its fat dissolves the burning compound
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    D) Its fat dissolves the burning compound

11. Why does a cut apple turn brown?

    1. Its water evaporates away
    2. Its sugar decomposes
    3. Enzymes react with the air
    4. Bacteria multiply on it
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    C) Enzymes react with the air

12. Why does lemon juice slow that browning?

    1. It draws the surface water off
    2. Acid suppresses the enzyme
    3. Its scent seals out the air
    4. It cools the fruit down
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    B) Acid suppresses the enzyme

13. Why does resting cooked meat make it juicier?

    1. The meat cools all the way down
    2. The juices redistribute through the fibres
    3. The fat solidifies again
    4. More salt is absorbed
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    B) The juices redistribute through the fibres

14. What process turns milk into yoghurt?

    1. Prolonged boiling of the milk
    2. Separating the fat from the milk
    3. Bacteria convert lactose into acid
    4. Rapidly freezing the milk
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    C) Bacteria convert lactose into acid

15. Adding oil to pasta water reliably stops the pasta from sticking.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

16. The shiny and dull sides of aluminium foil make a real difference in cooking.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

17. Honey can keep for a very long time without spoiling.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

18. A microwave oven cooks food from the inside outwards.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

19. Extra virgin olive oil generally has a lower smoke point than sunflower oil.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

20. The gas produced when vinegar meets baking soda is carbon dioxide.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True