Sauces

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In the Red Seal Occupational Standard for Cook, sauces is major work activity E. Its 2 tasks carry these shares of the exam, according to the official exam breakdown:

Free sauces practice questions

Try these exam-style questions, then open each one to check your answer and read why it is right.

1. Question 1 · Task E-15

   What is beurre manié?

   • A.Raw butter and flour kneaded into a paste
   • B.Butter and flour cooked together until golden
   • C.Egg yolks and heavy cream whisked together
   • D.Cornstarch mixed into cold water until smooth
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   Answer: A. Raw butter and flour kneaded into a paste

   Beurre manié is raw butter and flour, usually in equal parts, kneaded into a paste, then whisked in small pieces into a simmering sauce to adjust its thickness near the end of cooking. Butter and flour cooked together is a roux, yolks with cream is a liaison, and cornstarch in cold water is a slurry.

2. Question 2 · Task E-16

   Which list names the five mother sauces in the Red Seal occupational standard for Cook?

   • A.Béchamel, Mornay, espagnole, bordelaise, hollandaise
   • B.Velouté, suprême, demi-glace, tomato, béarnaise
   • C.Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato, hollandaise
   • D.Béchamel, velouté, demi-glace, salsa, beurre blanc
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   Answer: C. Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato, hollandaise

   The five mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato and hollandaise. Mornay, suprême, bordelaise and béarnaise are derivatives, and demi-glace is made from espagnole, so it is not a mother sauce itself.

3. Question 3 · Task E-15

   A cook is making a béchamel for macaroni and cheese and wants the sauce to stay as white as possible. Which roux should be used?

   • A.Brown roux, cooked until nutty and dark
   • B.Blond roux, cooked to a light golden colour
   • C.White roux, cooked briefly with no colour
   • D.No roux, only beurre manié added at the start
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   Answer: C. White roux, cooked briefly with no colour

   White roux is cooked only until the raw flour smell is gone, without colouring, so it keeps a white sauce white. Blond roux is used for velouté and brown roux for espagnole; both would colour the béchamel. Beurre manié is for small adjustments at the end, not the main thickener at the start.

4. Question 4 · Task E-16

   A cook needs Mornay sauce for a cauliflower gratin. How is it made?

   • A.Add Gruyère and Parmesan cheese to a béchamel
   • B.Add grated cheddar to a fish velouté
   • C.Add heavy cream to a chicken velouté
   • D.Add an egg yolk and cream liaison and lemon juice to a veal velouté
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   Answer: A. Add Gruyère and Parmesan cheese to a béchamel

   Mornay is a béchamel derivative finished with cheese, classically Gruyère and Parmesan. Heavy cream added to chicken velouté makes suprême, and a liaison with lemon juice in veal velouté makes allemande.

5. Question 5 · Task E-15

   A cook sprinkles dry cornstarch straight into a pot of simmering gravy, and lumps form right away. What should the cook do next time?

   • A.Add the dry cornstarch while the gravy is at a rolling boil
   • B.Mix the cornstarch with a little cold liquid first
   • C.Use twice as much cornstarch so it spreads more evenly
   • D.Mix the cornstarch with hot stock before adding it
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   Answer: B. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold liquid first

   A cold-liquid slurry separates the starch granules so they swell evenly when the slurry is stirred into the simmering gravy. Dry starch, or starch mixed with hot stock, gelatinizes on the outside at once and traps dry powder inside, which makes lumps. Adding more starch only makes more lumps.