Red Seal Cook flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Danger zone

The temperature range between 4°C and 60°C (40°F and 140°F) in which bacteria multiply rapidly; keep potentially hazardous food out of it.

Honing versus sharpening

Honing straightens a knife edge with a steel; sharpening removes metal to create a new edge with abrasives.

Fire extinguisher PASS

Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side; use the class matching the fire type.

Cleaning versus sanitizing

Cleaning removes visible soil and grease with detergent; sanitizing reduces microorganisms on a clean surface to a safe level using heat or chemicals.

Two-hour rule

Potentially hazardous food held in the danger zone for more than two hours cumulative should be discarded because bacterial growth may be unsafe.

Cooling time limits

Cooked food must cool from 60°C to 20°C within two hours, then from 20°C to 4°C within four more hours.

HACCP seven principles

Conduct hazard analysis, determine critical control points, set critical limits, monitor them, define corrective actions, verify the system, and keep records.

FATTOM conditions

Food, acidity, time, temperature, oxygen, and moisture are the conditions bacteria need to grow; controlling them limits growth.

Mother sauces

Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato are the five foundation sauces from which many derivative sauces are made.

Roux

A cooked mixture of equal weights butter and flour used to thicken sauces; white, blond, and brown roux differ by cooking time and color.

Consommé raft

A mixture of egg white, ground meat, mirepoix, and acid forms a raft that clarifies simmering stock by trapping impurities.

Demi-glace

A rich sauce made by combining espagnole and brown stock and reducing the mixture by half; it is used as a base or finished sauce.

Collagen conversion

Moist, slow cooking converts tough collagen in meat into gelatin, tenderizing cuts such as shanks, shoulders, and cheeks.

Resting meat

Allowing cooked meat to stand before slicing lets juices redistribute and carryover cooking finish the interior, improving tenderness.

Fish freshness signs

Fresh fish has clear bulging eyes, bright red gills, firm springy flesh, mild odor, and scales that adhere tightly.

Poultry safe temperature

Poultry, including stuffing and ground poultry, must reach 74°C (165°F) for at least 15 seconds to kill pathogens.

Blanching and shocking

Briefly boiling vegetables then plunging them into ice water stops cooking, sets color, and preserves texture for later service.

Waxy versus starchy potatoes

Waxy potatoes hold shape when boiled and suit salads; high-starch russets become fluffy and suit mashing, baking, and frying.

Starch gelatinization

When starch granules are heated in liquid they absorb water, swell, and burst, thickening the mixture; cooling can cause retrogradation or staling.

Egg coagulation

Egg proteins set when heated, beginning around 63°C; overcooking squeezes out water and makes eggs rubbery or curdled.

Hollandaise holding

Hold hollandaise warm at about 50°C to 60°C; too hot curdles the egg yolk emulsion and too cold makes it solidify.

Cream whipping

Cold cream with 30% to 35% fat whips best; fat globules trap air, and overwhipping breaks the emulsion into butter and buttermilk.

Baker's percentage

Flour is always 100%; other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of flour weight, making formulas easy to scale.

Baking soda versus powder

Baking soda needs acid to release carbon dioxide; baking powder contains its own acid and releases gas once or twice during mixing and baking.

Laminated dough

Folded layers of dough and cold butter create steam and flaky pastry; keeping butter cold prevents it from blending into the dough.

Vinaigrette ratio

A basic vinaigrette uses about three parts oil to one part vinegar or acid, often with mustard to help stabilize the emulsion.

Curing salt

Pink curing salt contains sodium nitrite, which inhibits botulism and fixes meat color; it must be weighed precisely and never used as table salt.

Forcemeat

A ground or chopped mixture of meat, fat, and binder kept very cold; examples include sausage, pâté, terrine, and galantine.

Food cost percentage

Food cost divided by selling price, multiplied by 100, expresses the portion of sales used to pay for food.

Edible portion yield

Edible portion weight divided by as-purchased weight, multiplied by 100, gives yield percentage used to calculate true portion cost.

Maillard reaction

Browning of proteins and sugars at roughly 140°C and above creates savory color and flavor; it requires a dry, hot surface.

Braise versus stew

Braising cooks large pieces in a small amount of liquid; stewing cooks smaller pieces covered in liquid, both using moist, slow heat.