Transcript Hadley Chefs - Glen Ellyn School District 41

Hadley Chefs
Study Guide
For
Basic Cooking Skills Test
Cooking Abbreviations
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Tablespoon – T. or Tbsp.
teaspoon – t. or tsp.
cup – C.
pint – pt.
quart – qt.
gallon – gal.
ounce – oz.
pound – lbs.
dozen – doz.
Equivalent Measurements
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1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons
1 cup = 16 tablespoons or 8 ounces
1 pint = 2 cups
1 quart = 2 pints
1 gallon = 4 quarts
1 pound = 16 ounces
Amounts that can be measured by
standard utensils
Dry Measuring Cups – 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup
Liquid Measuring Cups – 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup
Measuring Spoons – 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon
Measuring dry ingredients in the
following amounts.
• 1/8 t. = one half of 1/4 t.
• 3/4 C. = 1/2 C. + 1/4 C. or 1/4 C. x 3
• 2/3 C. = 1/3 C. x 2
Purpose of Ingredients
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Flour - Forms the structure of the baked product.
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Sugar - Adds a sweet flavor and helps with browning.
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Leavening Agent - Makes the baked product rise due to the formation of carbon
dioxide. Baking soda and baking powder are examples.
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Salt - An optional ingredient. It enhances flavor.
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Liquid - Adds moisture, distributes flavorings, and tenderizes the baked product.
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Fat - Tenderizes the baked product. Examples are butter, shortening, and oil.
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Eggs - Binds ingredients together and helps to make the baked product rise.
How to Use a Recipe
• A recipe is your guide to help you prepare a
certain food. It should tell you …
• Kinds of ingredients
• Exact amounts of ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions for preparing the recipe
• Type and size of the pan
• Temperatures needed to prepare the food or
other instructions like “simmer” or “boil”
• Length of time to cook the food
• Number of servings or yield
Doubling a Recipe
• Go carefully with seasonings. Twice as much may be too
much. Begin by adding half as much, then taste and make
adjustments.
• Before doubling, check to see if another recipe may serve
larger numbers.
• Cooking time may be increased. Test to see.
• You will need to know equivalent measurements and
depend on math skills.
• Always take each ingredient and multiply by 2.
Example
3/4 cup x 2 = 3/4 x 2/1 = 6/4 = 1 2/4 or 1 1/2 cups
Dividing a Recipe in Half
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Before you decide to divide a recipe, consider the possibility of making the full
amount and storing half in the freezer for another meal.
Choose a recipe that will divide easily.
Cooking time may be reduced, though seldom as much as half.
You may need to choose a smaller pan.
If the recipe calls for half an egg, the egg can be beaten lightly, measured, and half
the amount used. The average sized egg usually contains about four tablespoons.
Another possibility is to use either the egg yolk or the egg white instead of the
whole egg.
Sometimes when dividing odd measurements, the divided amount might be
different than the sizes of standard measuring utensils. You might have to convert
measurements from cups to tablespoons and from tablespoons to teaspoons to
get the correct amounts. It is important to know equivalent measurements like
three teaspoons equal one tablespoon so you can make those adjustments.
Divide 1/2 cup in half
Example
1/2 ÷ 2 = 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4 cup
Cooking Terms
Al dente
Bake
An Italian term which means “firm to the tooth” – a desirable degree of doneness so that the pasta is neither crunchy
(underdone) or mushy (overdone).
To cook food with dry heat usually in an oven, like when you make muffins.
Beat
To combine ingredients using a fast motion which adds air and makes the mixture smooth like when you make pancakes.
Blend
Another term for mixing, like when you stir muffin batter.
Boil
To cook food in a liquid at a high temperature so bubbles break at the surface, like when you make pasta.
Brush
To cover food lightly with another food like milk, melted butter, or blended egg.
Chill
To put food into refrigerator until cold.
Coat
To apply a thin layer of one food onto another food for flavor and texture.
Combine
To blend ingredients together.
Core
To remove the center of a fruit which contains the seeds or has a woody texture.
Cream
To combine butter with sugar by beating it until it is light and fluffy, like when you make the chocolate chip cookies.
Crumble
The process of breaking food into smaller pieces using your fingers.
Cut in
To combine shortening or butter with dry ingredients using a pastry blender or fork, like when you make pie pastry.
Dice
To cut food into squares smaller than 1/2 inch, using a knife.
Dip
To immerse food for a short time in a liquid or dry mixture to coat, cool, or moisten it.
Cooking Terms (continued)
Fold in
To gently combine ingredients by bringing a rubber scraper down through the center of the mixture, turning the rubber scraper at the bottom and
bringing the underneath mixture up.
Grease
To spread a thin layer of oil (cooking spray) over the inside of a baking dish to prevent from sticking to the pan.
Knead
The manipulation of dough with a fold-push-turn action to develop the structure of bread dough.
Melt
To turn from a solid to a liquid by through heat.
Mix
A general term for combining ingredients.
Pare or Peel
To cut away a thin layer of skin from fruits and vegetables.
Pinch
To use a very small amount of an ingredient.
Preheat
To heat an oven to a certain temperature prior to cooking.
Season
To add salt, herbs, and other seasonings to food to add flavor, like when you make marinara sauce.
Separate
To divide an egg into its distinct parts – the yolk and the white.
Shred
To cut food into narrow strips. A grater or food processor may be used to shred.
Slice
The process of cutting flat, thin pieces of food from a larger piece.
Spoon
Transfer batter from a bowl to a baking pan using teaspoons.
Spread
To cover evenly with a layer of one food on top of another.
Stir
To combine ingredients using a circular motion.
Simmer
To cook in a liquid that is just below the boiling point.
Toss
To mix lightly with a fork.
Whip
A very fast form of beating which adds air to a mixture
Station One
Meal Planning – Cooking Tips
French Toast
• French toast is cooked on a griddle on the stovetop. A griddle is a
square or round flat pan with very narrow sides. Foods that do not
rise very much are cooked on a griddle. A griddle should not be
used for any foods that could overflow the sides. To use a griddle:
• Grease it lightly and evenly. This prevents the food from sticking as
it cooks. Use butter when making French toast.
• Place the griddle on the stovetop at a medium heat setting. Heat
for about one minute.
• Test the heat by flicking a little water on the griddle. If it sizzles, the
griddle is hot enough to begin cooking.
• Cook several pieces of French toast at the same time.
Station One
Meal Planning – Cooking Tips
Mac and Cheese
• For Mac and Cheese, make a white sauce. A white sauce is milk or
cream that is thickened with a butter-and-flour roux. A roux is a
thickening agent which is a mixture of equal amounts of flour and
fat. For Mac and Cheese, chunks of cheese will be added to the
white sauce, melted, and blended to make a cheese sauce.
• To make a white sauce:
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First, make a roux by melting fat (butter) in a saucepan over
medium heat. Stir in an equal amount of flour. A smooth paste
will form. Cook and stir the roux only until it bubbles.
Gradually stir in the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly
with a wire whisk until thickened.
Season as desired or add cheese to make a cheese sauce.
Station Two
International Cuisine – Cooking Tips
Calzones
In making yeast dough:
• Yeast is a leavening agent which feeds off of sugar and then produces
carbon dioxide to make dough rise.
• When using granular yeast, dissolve it in warm water to activate it. Water
that is too hot or too cool won’t activate it.
• When all ingredients have been added, knead the dough on a floured
surface. Flour prevents the dough from sticking to the table. Yet, be
careful not to use too much flour because it will be added to the dough
and dry it out. Also, you can never over-knead dough.
• When rolling dough, use a lightly floured rolling pin to prevent the dough
from sticking. Roll the dough from the center out in all four directions for
an even thickness. Remember: North-South-East-West.
Station Two
International Cuisine – Cooking Tips
Chocolate Mousse
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The Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is chocolate without milk solids added. Dark chocolate has a stronger chocolate flavor than milk
chocolate. Since it doesn’t have milk additives, it can be dry, have crumbly consistency and a bitter aftertaste.
Semi-sweet dark chocolate does have some sugar added to make it sweet.
The Egg Yolks
Egg yolks are used as a thickening agent in chocolate mousse.
You can't just add them to a hot mixture because they will coagulate (turn to a solid) on contact like scrambled
eggs.
To add egg yolks to a hot mixture, you need to slowly warm them up by adding some of the hot liquid to the egg
yolks, whisking the mixture
together and then adding it to the sauce.
The Whipped Cream
Use cream that has either a 36 to 40 percent milk-fat content (heavy cream) or 30 to 36 percent (light whipping
cream).
Begin with thoroughly chilled cream. Chill the bowl and beaters too.
Start by beating with electric mixer on medium speed, then increase speed.
Soft peak stage - Beating on medium speed until the volume increases and the mixture thickens. Peaks will curl
down when the beaters are lifted up.
Continue beating on high speed and volume will increase and the mixture thickens even more. Lift up the
beaters—the peaks should point straight up. If you tilt the bowl, the mixture should not slide around.
Don’t over-whip the cream. It will turn to butter.
Station Three
Party Planning – Cooking Tips
Carrot Cake
In making a cake:
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Always measure ingredients accurately.
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Prepare pans for a layer cake by greasing and flouring the sides of the pan and lining the bottom with a circle of waxed
paper.
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Fill a cake pan only 2/3 full with batter to allow for the cake to rise. More than that amount could cause the batter to
overflow the cake pan.
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When baking the cake, to test for doneness:
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The top should be lightly browned.
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Insert a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean with no batter on it, the cake is done.
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The cake will shrink away from the sides of the pan.
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If you lightly touch the top, the cake should feel solid. If you press down lightly, the cake should spring back up.
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Cool the cake layers completely on a cooling rack before you attempt to remove them from the pans.
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To remove the cake from the pans, loosen the layers by running a knife or narrow spatula around the edges. Put a dinner
plate upside-down on top of the layer and turn cake and plate right-side up. The cake should slide out of the pan onto the
plate.
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Frost by applying a center layer of frosting, then a crumb coat or seal layer, and lastly the finishing layer.
Station Three
Party Planning – Cooking Tips
Frosted Mini Cakes
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When making cupcakes, using paper liners in the muffin tin makes for easy clean-up.
Use confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) for making frosting.
Make frosting the proper consistency for the type of decorations you will be making on the cake.
Make frosting roses on a small piece of waxed paper and freeze them for 10 minutes. The flower will harden and can easily
be transferred to the cake.
If frosting is made too thin, thicken it by gradually adding small amounts of powdered sugar until the desired consistency is
reached.
If frosting is made too thick, it can be thinned by gradually adding small amounts of milk until the desire consistency is
reached.
Frosting can be made ahead of time. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
Frosting that has been chilled must be softened before being used. To soften frosting, let it warm up to room temperature or
warm it in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds and stir.
Station Four
Cooks and Chefs – Cooking Tips
Chocolate Butterscotch Cookie Bars
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Bar cookies are cookies that are baked in a shallow pan and then cut into bars or square.
In making bar cookies;
Cookie dough is made for bar cookies in the same way that it is made for drop cookies.
Dark brown sugar is used in this recipe to give the cookies a stronger flavor because dark
brown sugar has more molasses in it than light brown sugar.
Soften the butter by putting it in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 10 – 15
seconds.
Grease the pan lightly so the bar cookies won’t stick. Too much grease could cause the
bottom of the cookie bars to burn.
When adding the chocolate chips, stir them in the dough using a wooden spoon. Using a
hand mixer can break apart the chips. The mixer could break if the chips get stuck between
the mixing blades.
Station Four
Cooks and Chefs – Cooking Tips
Bacon and Cheese Poppers
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For making Poppers, the recipe uses a baking mix for the dough.
A baking mix is a pre-mixed baking product which contains flour, shortening, salt, and baking
powder. An example of a baking mix is Bisquick. A baking mix is a convenience food because
part of the preparation has been done for you.
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Make sure when making the dough that it is the right consistency. A sticky dough results from
the addition of too much water. It will be hard to roll out because it will stick to your hands
and not maintain a round shape. A dry dough will crumble as you try to roll it. For dry dough,
add an extra tablespoon or two of water.
When rolling the dough, lightly flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to them.
Roll all the poppers approximately the same size so they bake evenly.
When putting the rolled poppers on the baking sheet, flatten them slightly so they will bake
in less time than if you left them in a rounded shape.
When making the poppers, you may leave out the bacon. It can be substituted with extra
cheese.
Station Five
American Cooking – Cooking Tips
Corn Muffins
Muffins are made by using the muffin method. In the muffin method, liquid ingredients are lightly mixed into dry ingredients
resulting in a baked product which has a slightly coarse texture, but is still tender.
In making muffins;
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Prepare pan by using paper liners. They make for easy clean-up.
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Spray liners lightly with cooking spray to prevent muffins from sticking. Too much spray will cause the bottoms to get
overdone.
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After dry ingredients are measured, mix with a wire whisk to blend and equally distribute all dry ingredients.
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When liquid ingredients are added to dry ingredients, mix only until dry ingredients are moistened and the batter looks
lumpy. Over mixing will produce large air pockets and a tough texture in the final baked product.
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To fill muffin tin, use the “two spoon method” to transfer the batter … take a spoonful of batter with one spoon, push the
batter off into the tin by using the back of the second spoon.
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Fill each muffin section ¾ full with batter. Overfill and the batter might overflow the muffin tin.
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Be sure to put the same amount of batter in each muffin section so all muffins bake evenly for uniformity.
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When filling the muffin tin, if you have empty sections, fill them half way with water. The water makes them moist as they
bake.
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Don’t over bake the corn muffins, the muffins will get dried out.
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To remove hot muffins from the muffin tin, slide a table knife in between the paper liner and the muffin tin. Go around the
entire edge and the hot muffin will easily come out of the pan.
Station Five
American Cooking – Cooking Tips
Apple Crisp
An American dish that has been around since colonial times is a dessert called Apple Brown Betty, which is a
pudding dish made with apples and bread crumbs. Other apple desserts are apple pie, apple cobbler, and apple
crisp. All these desserts taste wonderful with baked apples, cinnamon, sugar, and some kind of a crust.
For apple desserts, it is important that the right kind of apple be used. At the grocery store, you will find many
varieties of apples, but some are for eating and some are for cooking. Cooking apples are tart, crisp apples that
hold their shape. Granny Smith, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Winesop, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious,
Gala, McIntosh, and the rest are good for eating. Braeburn can be used for both eating and cooking.
When the peel is removed from an apple, the inside can turn brown when exposed to the air. This happens
because an enzyme in the apple reacts with the oxygen in the air. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) can stop this from
happening because it destroys the enzyme so it can’t react with the oxygen.
Lemon juice, orange juice, and grapefruit juice all contain Vitamin C. If you make a solution with one of these
juices and water and then dip the apple slices, browning can be prevented. Sometimes pouring full-strength
juice on the apples can alter the flavor of whatever you are making.
Another possibility is to buy ascorbic acid powder (Fruit Fresh) at the grocery store. A solution can be made for
dipping the apple slices .
Station Six
Easy Eats – Cooking Tips
Chocolate Éclair Refrigerator Dessert
What are some time-savers in the kitchen?
1. Use a “no bake” recipe - “No bake” recipes do not require any baking in the oven. Usually the recipe involves the mixing of ingredients
like cereals, peanut butter, marshmallow cream, chocolate chips, etc. in a bowl and then putting the mixture in a pan or on a tray with
waxed paper to harden. No bake recipes are quick and take a minimal amount of work.
2. Use convenience foods – These are foods are that have part of the preparation already done for you. They are quick and easy because
there are fewer preparation steps compared to using a traditional recipe. Examples of convenience foods are cake mixes, puddings, and
canned soups.
3. 5 x 5 – These are recipes that contain no more than five ingredients. The use of only a few ingredients also means that fewer utensils will
be used so you can save time on cleanup. One-bowl recipes also fall into this category.
4. Use time-saving equipment and appliances – Equipment that assists in food preparation by shortening cooking times with the use of
different types of energy and/or by performing tasks that used to be done by hand in the kitchen. For example, a blender chops, blends,
and liquefies foods by using various speeds for different preparation tasks. A food processor, on the other hand, performs jobs similar to a
blender, but is more powerful and versatile. Along with advances in technology, there have also been advances in the development of
cooking equipment. Microwave ovens, convection ovens, bread machines, crockpots, etc. have all been designed to save time in the
kitchen.
In using the microwave oven:
•A microwave oven cooks food by using microwaves not heat.
•Never put anything metal in the microwave oven. Metal reflects microwaves and can cause sparking. It can break the oven.
•Use paper, plastic, or glass dishes in the microwave oven.
•When heating food in a container, cover it lightly with plastic wrap or a paper towel. That prevents the splattering of food.
•Never seal a lid on a container. A sealed lid causes the pressure to build on the inside and will push the lid off. Food will splatter.
•After food is heated, allow for “standing time”. This is when you let the food stand for about 30 seconds to a minute after the maximum
time has been reached before removing it. This allows cooking to finish.
•When removing food, always protect your hands with oven mitts. Containers will be hot from a transfer of heat from the food.
Station Six
Easy Eats – Cooking Tips
Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
A food processor will chop foods; make cracker crumbs; grate foods; julienne cut vegetables and fruits; make doughs and batters; and shred
foods. Larger food processors will also mix and knead yeast dough.
Always follow the manufacturer directions when using a food processor.
1.Do not process food that is so hard that it cannot be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife because it can cause damage to the blade or
motor.
2.Do not overfill the work bowl.
3.Position slicing disc so that the cutting surf ace is just to the right of the feed tube to allow the blade a full rotation before it cuts the food.
4.Drop ingredients to be chopped through the feed tube.
5.Different types of food require varying amounts of pressure for best shredding and slicing results
6.When shredding cheese, make sure the cheese is well-chilled.
7.When preparing cake or cookie batter, use the multipurpose blade to cream the fat and sugar first. Add dry ingredients last.
8.Pieces of food may remain on top of the disc after slicing or shredding.
9.To clean ingredients from the multipurpose blade quickly and easily, unplug the food processor, empty the work bowl, replace the lid, plug
the food processor back in, and pulse for 1 to 2 seconds to spin the blade clean.
10.Do not use the food processor to grind coffee beans; liquefy raw fruits or vegetables; or slice hard-cooked eggs or unchilled meats
When using a food processor, always remember … Safety First!
•Do not immerse the food processor base in water. Wipe with a damp cloth after use.
•Unplug the food processor when not in use.
•When handling blades for installation or cleaning, be careful. They are very sharp. Also, unplug the food processor when inserting or
removing blades.
•Be certain the cover is securely locked in place before operating the food processor.
•Always use the food pusher to put food into the work bowl.
•When making the salsa, use the pulse setting on the food processor for total control in chopping the fruit. Don’t overdo it and puree the
fruit.
•When making the chips, use a pizza cutter to evenly cut the tortillas into wedges. The rotating blade makes it easier.
•When placing the wedges, don’t get sugar and /or oil on the baking sheet because they will cause burning and smoking. Sugar and oil will do
that in the oven.