Kitchen Science Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
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- What is the difference between caramelisation and the Maillard reaction?
- A. Caramelisation involves only sugars, without proteins
- B. Caramelisation happens without heat
- C. Caramelisation only happens in water
- D. There is none: they are two names for the same thing
- In cooking, mayonnaise is an example of…
- A. An emulsion: oil droplets dispersed in water thanks to egg yolk
- B. A solution: the oil dissolves in the yolk
- C. A foam: air trapped in oil
- D. A gel: the oil solidifies on contact with the egg
- Why does a trace of yolk stop egg whites whisking up into peaks?
- A. The yolk is too heavy
- B. The yolk cools the whites
- C. The yolk contains too much water
- D. Fat from the yolk interferes with the proteins that hold the air
- Why did pastry chefs of old whisk egg whites in a copper bowl?
- A. Copper keeps the whites cold
- B. Copper ions make the foam more stable
- C. Copper gives them a golden colour
- D. Copper stopped the eggs going off
- Does salting pasta water make it boil faster?
- A. No, the usual amount of salt barely changes the boiling point
- B. Yes, much faster
- C. Yes, it then boils at 50 °C
- D. No, salt stops it boiling altogether
- Why does pasta stick together if you don't stir it at the start of cooking?
- A. It absorbs the salt
- B. The water gets too hot
- C. It builds up static electricity
- D. It releases starch that acts like glue
- In bread dough, which network traps the gas produced by the yeast and makes the dough rise?
- A. Melted sugar
- B. Salt bubbles
- C. Gluten, formed by the flour's proteins
- D. Olive oil
- After a mouthful that is far too spicy, which drink best soothes the burn?
- A. A big glass of iced water
- B. A fizzy drink
- C. A glass of milk
- D. A beer
- Why does a soufflé sink soon after coming out of the oven?
- A. The sugar melts
- B. The eggs go off
- C. The air and steam inside cool down and contract
- D. It is too salty
- It is often said that you must sear meat over high heat to "seal in the juices". What is the truth?
- A. It's true, the crust is completely watertight
- B. It's a myth: the crust doesn't hold in juices, but it adds flavour
- C. It's true, but only for chicken
- D. The opposite: searing makes meat juicier by adding water
- What do scientific studies say about "Chinese restaurant syndrome", blamed on glutamate (MSG)?
- A. They haven't confirmed a clear link at normal intake levels
- B. They proved glutamate is highly toxic
- C. They showed it causes blindness
- D. They concluded it helps weight loss
- Why does honey keep almost indefinitely if tightly sealed?
- A. Bees add a chemical preservative
- B. It is sterilised by the sun
- C. It contains alcohol
- D. It contains very little available water and is acidic, which blocks microbes
- Your jar of honey has gone solid and pale. What has happened?
- A. It has gone off and must be thrown away
- B. It has crystallised, which is natural and reversible in a gentle water bath
- C. Someone added flour to it
- D. It has gone mouldy
- Why does putting an apple next to green bananas make them ripen faster?
- A. The apple passes on its sugar
- B. The apple keeps them warm
- C. The apple absorbs their moisture
- D. The apple gives off ethylene, a gas that speeds up ripening
- Which French chemist is regarded as one of the fathers of "molecular gastronomy", together with physicist Nicholas Kurti?
- A. Paul Bocuse
- B. Louis Pasteur
- C. Hervé This
- D. Joël Robuchon
- Why are aubergine or cucumber slices salted some time before cooking ("degorging")?
- A. Through osmosis, salt draws water out of the cells
- B. To make them more colourful
- C. To kill the seeds
- D. So they absorb more oil
- In ceviche, raw fish seems cooked without going near a flame. Why?
- A. Salt cooks it by friction
- B. The fridge's cold cooks it
- C. Chilli actually heats the flesh
- D. Lime acid alters the proteins, just as heat would
- For a really light tempura or fritter batter, why is ice-cold sparkling water often used?
- A. The bubbles lighten the batter and the cold limits gluten formation
- B. The gas stops the oil heating
- C. Sparkling water is saltier
- D. Cold makes the oil less greasy
- Why does milk boil over the pan when it boils, but water doesn't?
- A. Milk is lighter than water
- B. Milk boils at 50 °C
- C. Milk contains carbon dioxide
- D. A skin of proteins and fat forms on top and traps the steam
- What should you do with the green parts of a potato?
- A. Cut them off, as they can contain toxic solanine
- B. Keep them, they are richest in vitamins
- C. Eat them raw
- D. Boil them longer to soften them
Answer key — Kitchen Science Quiz
- A. Caramelisation involves only sugars, without proteinsCaramel forms when sugar alone is strongly heated, around 160 °C for table sugar.
- A. An emulsion: oil droplets dispersed in water thanks to egg yolkNormally, oil and water do not mix. Lecithin in the egg yolk coats the oil droplets and stops them clumping together.
- D. Fat from the yolk interferes with the proteins that hold the airWhen whisked, the proteins in the white unfold and form a network around air bubbles.
- B. Copper ions make the foam more stableA tiny amount of copper binds to a protein in the white and strengthens the foam, which collapses more slowly.
- A. No, the usual amount of salt barely changes the boiling pointSalt slightly raises the boiling point, but with a spoonful per litre the effect is a fraction of a degree.
- D. It releases starch that acts like glueIn the first few minutes, the surface of the pasta releases starch that turns sticky.
- C. Gluten, formed by the flour's proteinsWhen kneading, two wheat proteins join up into an elastic network: gluten.
- C. A glass of milkCapsaicin, the molecule behind the heat, does not dissolve in water, which only spreads it around.
- C. The air and steam inside cool down and contractIn the oven, the air and steam trapped in the whisked whites expand and make the soufflé rise.
- B. It's a myth: the crust doesn't hold in juices, but it adds flavourExperiments have shown that seared meat loses as much juice as unseared meat, or even slightly more.
- A. They haven't confirmed a clear link at normal intake levelsSparked by a letter to a medical journal in 1968, the fear of glutamate spread widely.
- D. It contains very little available water and is acidic, which blocks microbesToo sugary and too low in free water, honey "dries out" bacteria; its acidity and a little hydrogen peroxide produced by an enzyme finish the job.
- B. It has crystallised, which is natural and reversible in a gentle water bathHoney is a saturated sugar solution: over time and in the cool, glucose forms crystals.
- D. The apple gives off ethylene, a gas that speeds up ripeningEthylene is a gaseous plant hormone: ripe fruit release it, triggering ripening in nearby fruit.
- C. Hervé ThisIn the 1980s, Hervé This and Nicholas Kurti set out to study "grandmother's tips" scientifically: why mayonnaise splits, how to cook the perfect egg…
- A. Through osmosis, salt draws water out of the cellsSalt on the surface creates a high concentration that draws out the water held in the cells: small droplets bead up.
- D. Lime acid alters the proteins, just as heat wouldAcidity denatures the fish proteins: they unfold and rearrange, and the flesh turns opaque and firm, as if cooked.
- A. The bubbles lighten the batter and the cold limits gluten formationLess gluten means a less elastic, crispier batter, and the gas bubbles expand in the hot oil.
- D. A skin of proteins and fat forms on top and traps the steamAs it heats, proteins and fat form a film. Rising steam gets trapped underneath, puffs the surface into foam…
- A. Cut them off, as they can contain toxic solanineExposed to light, potatoes turn green and produce more solanine, a bitter substance that can cause digestive upset.