If You Can't Stand the Heat: Cooking Quiz

Sweating is a cooking method that allows food to gently cook in its own juices over a long period of time, just until it's soft, but not browned.

A convection oven uses a fan to circulate heat throughout the oven. With this additional apparatus, the convection oven generally cooks food 25 percent faster and at 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) cooler than conventional ovens.

Flatter and longer pasta shapes tend to go best with olive oil and cream sauces; sturdier shapes go best with chunky and assertive sauces.

When buying mussels, look for ones with tightly closed shells or shells that close when you tap them. Those shells that don't close when tapped mean the mussel is dead. Don't purchase those.

Never use softwoods -- like pine, spruce or cedar -- as they release resins that taint the food's taste. Opt for hardwoods or fruitwoods instead. Hickory, oak, mesquite, pear and apple all produce aromatic smoke that will enhance the flavor of your food.

Spatchcock (believed to have been derived from the phrase "dispatch the cock") is a way of flattening a whole chicken by cutting out the spine before cooking.

The Thousand Island region in upstate New York is known for its good hunting and fishing -- and salad dressing.

Pine nuts are an essential ingredient in any basic pesto recipe.

A mycophile is someone who hunts edible wild mushrooms. The word comes from the Greek "mykes" (meaning "fungus") and "philos" (meaning "loving)".

The hand test is used to estimate the temperature of charcoal when grilling. Hold your hand 4 inches (10 centimenters) above the coals. If you can hold it there for five seconds before the heat forces you to pull it away, the coals are at medium-low heat. Four seconds equals medium heat, three seconds equals medium-hot heat and two seconds means the coals are at high heat.

Products labeled as cooking wines contain salt. Most cooks use a regular wine for their recipes.

At the soft-ball stage, the syrup can be rolled into a soft ball and flattened when removed from cold water.

Fish and vegetables should only be marinated for short periods of time, since they don't need tenderizing.

If the rice is too wet, uncover the pot and cook over low heat to gently evaporate the extra water.

Smoking may take several days at temperatures around 150 degrees to 200 degrees Farenheit (66-93 degrees Celsius).

Thin and smooth sauces are favored by long and narrowly shaped pastas like spaghetti and vermicelli.

Applesauce will work in recipes for quick breads, muffins and other cake-like baked goods.

Poaching is a technique of cooking food slowly in a simmering, but not boiling liquid.

Mincing is cutting food into very fine pieces.

Alcohol can overpower the other flavors of the dish so you should not double it in a recipe. Use 1.5 times the amount instead.