Cooking sense

According to a recently released Betty Crocker Kitchens surveycalled "How America Cooks," lots of people think they're better cooksthan they really are.

About 1,500 adults and 1,000 kids ages 10-17 took the survey. Ofthe adults, 71 percent said they like to cook, and 70 percent ratedthemselves above average in cooking knowledge.

But only 28 percent scored above average on a 20-question cooking-skills quiz. Most missed questions like how many cups a stick ofbutter equals (53 percent), knowing the FDA-recommended daily caloricintake for adults (49 percent), the number of teaspoons in atablespoon (44 percent) and how much uncooked rice will make a cup ofcooked rice.

The most knowledgeable respondents tended to be women over age 35.

It's true you don't need to know all the math (how many ounces ina cup, etc.) to make a great lasagna, but it does help when you'retrying to cut a recipe in half or improvise on ingredients.

With the teens surveyed, 94 percent knew how to access theInternet, but less than half knew how to make a baked potato or aspaghetti dinner. Still, 82 percent said they want to learn morecooking skills, and they'd be willing to do some of the cooking if ithelped their family to eat dinner together more often.

Want to see how you rate on the Betty Crocker cooking-skills quiz?See answers at the bottom.

QUIZ

1. The abbreviation tsp. stands for:

a. tablespoon

b. teaspoon

2. How many cups are in a quart?

a. 3

b. 4

c. 5

d. 6

e. 8

3. How many ounces are in one cup?

a. 6

b. 8

c. 10

d. 12

4. One stick of butter is equal to:

a. 1/4 cup

b. 1/3 cup

c. 1/2 cup

d. 1 cup

5. How many teaspoons are in one tablespoon?

a. 2

b. 3

c. 4

6. Imagine that you are cooking a casserole in the oven but don'thave any potholders to remove the casserole. What should you useinstead?

a. folded dry towel

b. folded wet dishcloth

7. Turning pot and pan handles to the side can prevent:

a. the pot from boiling over

b. the handle from overheating

c. someone from bumping into the handle and spilling hot food

8. Which of the following statements best defines "dicing"?

a. cut into pieces of irregular sizes

b. cut into squares smaller than 1/2 inch

c. cut into pieces of the same width

9. A boneless, skinless chicken breast should be cooked until:

a. juices of chicken run clear

b. chicken is slightly pink in the center

c. chicken reaches 150 degrees

10. How much uncooked rice is needed to yield 1 cup of cookedrice?

a. 1/3 cup

b. 1/2 cup

c. 3/4 cup

d. 1 cup

11. The best way to measure flour is to:

a. spoon into a measuring cup and level off

b. add a little bit at a time until your mixture looks right

c. scoop as much as you can get in the measuring cup, then tapdown

12. The best way to prevent burns from steam when taking the coveroff of a hot pot is to quickly lift the cover straight up.

true

false

13. Which cooking method would retain the LEAST amount ofnutrients in vegetables?

a. microwaving

b. stir-frying

c. boiling

d. steaming

14. What type of knife works best for chopping celery, onions andcarrots?

a. paring knife

b. chef's knife

c. serrated knife

15. You would use a Dutch oven when preparing which of thefollowing?

a. lasagna

b. cake

c. beef stew

16. Marbling in meat indicates:

a. fat content

b. freshness

c. aging

17. As a general rule of thumb, how many people can you serve with1 pound of boneless meat (ground beef or boneless chicken?)

a. 2

b. 4

c. 6

d. 8

18. Marinades that were used to flavor or tenderize raw meatshould be:

a. discarded

b. served with meat to add flavor

19. When cutting raw poultry, what type of cutting board should beused?

a. wood

b. plastic

c. metal

20. The FDA-recommended daily caloric intake for an adult is:

a. 1,500 calories

b. 1,800 calories

c. 2,000 calories

d. 2,500 calories

Here are the answers to the Betty Crocker cooking-skills quiz:

Scoring:

90 percent or above -- A

80-89 percent -- B

70-79 percent -- C

35-70 percent -- D

35 percent and below -- F

E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com