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Cooking-knowledge quiz

Ingredients — what they actually are.

Eggs, dairy, flour, alliums, mushrooms — a pop quiz on the everyday stuff most recipes assume you know.

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Recipes lean hard on what you already know about the ingredients on the bench. Why does whisked egg white hold its shape? Why does sweating an onion taste so different from frying one? What's actually different between caster and granulated sugar, or between mushrooms that are happy in a pan and ones that just go soggy? Quizine's ingredients questions cover the everyday workhorses — eggs, dairy, flours, sugars, alliums, mushrooms, herbs — and the quiet behaviours that change how they end up on the plate.

Three sample questions

Have a think, then tap to reveal the answer. The real quiz adapts in difficulty as you go.

  1. Level 1

    Shallots differ from onions in flavour because they:

    • A. Are sweeter, milder and more delicate, with a slight garlic note
    • B. Are spicier and more pungent
    • C. Have no sulphur compounds
    • D. Are higher in starch
    Reveal answer

    A. Are sweeter, milder and more delicate, with a slight garlic note

    Lower sulphur, finer texture. Better raw in dressings and finishing sauces; classic in beurre blanc and many French reductions.

  2. Level 2

    Wild garlic (ramsons) is typically eaten:

    • A. The leaves, in spring, before the flowers open
    • B. The bulbs, like cultivated garlic
    • C. Only the flowers
    • D. Only the roots
    Reveal answer

    A. The leaves, in spring, before the flowers open

    British woodland in March–April. Strong garlic flavour without the bite. Pesto, butters, omelettes, salads.

  3. Level 3

    White asparagus is white because:

    • A. It's grown earthed-up so it never sees sunlight (no chlorophyll forms)
    • B. It's a different species
    • C. It's bleached after picking
    • D. It's blanched in boiling water
    Reveal answer

    A. It's grown earthed-up so it never sees sunlight (no chlorophyll forms)

    European tradition (Germany, Netherlands, France). Peel thoroughly — the skin is fibrous. Mild, slightly bitter.

Questions, asked

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Are the ingredients mostly British shop names?

We default to British names — caster sugar, plain flour, double cream — and add the American equivalent in the explanation when there's a real difference.

How do the levels work?

Three levels of difficulty. You start at level one and the quiz nudges you up after a short run of correct answers; a couple of wrong ones drops you back down. The aim is to keep you on questions that are just hard enough to be interesting.

How long does a session take?

Five minutes is normal. Most people answer eight to twelve questions and come back the next day. The daily challenge is three questions on purpose — easy to keep up with.

What if I think an answer is wrong?

Tell us. There's a contact link in the footer and every report gets read. Mistakes get fixed quickly.

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