Helping you Understand - Cooking Terminology

 

Appetizer; food served before an entree, typically of a small serving size​

Beat; to use a fork, whisk, or any sort of electric mixer to introduce air into a mixture​

Baste; to add liquid over top of a food while it is cooking in order to keep it from drying out and to add flavor

Batter; a semi-liquid mixture of flour, liquid, and other ingredients to be cooked, and which is highly customizable​

Blanch; to immerse food into boiling water very briefly, immediately transferring to an ice bath when done to stop the cooking process

Boil; to cook a liquid until it is bubbling

Braise; to cook in low moist heat with a fat and a liquid, typically used for meats

Brown Sugar; cane sugar mixed with molasses​

Broil; to cook food by direct exposure to high heat, often used to brown foods​

Broth; thin soup, liquid typically made by boiling meat, fish, and poultry, and different from a stock​

Caramelize; the process of heating sugar until it becomes golden brown, or introducing sugar into the cooking process to add color and flavor to foods

Cane Sugar; white sugar​

Chop; to cut or dice food into small pieces

Confectioner's Sugar; powdered sugar

Compote; cooked, sweetened fruit

Condiments; used to refer to sauces such as Worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Cream; blending fat and sugar smoothly together into a creamy whipped consistency

Cut In; to work fat in with flour or cornmeal until the texture is of very course meal, typically used for pie dough

Cutlet; a piece of meat from the leg or rib

Deep Fat Frying; also referred to as deep frying, when food is fried in completely liquid oil that is heated to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C

Drippings; fat left behind from cooking meats

Entree; main course of a meal

Fat; butter, shortening, lard, meat drippings, or oil

Fillet; a piece of meat with bones removed, or which originally didn't have bones

Flake; to break into small sections with a fork, typically used in reference to fish fillets

Frost; to spread icing or frosting onto a dessert

Garnish; an edible decorative element added to a dish at the end to enhance appearance

Glaze; typically a mixture of fat and butter added to a food to make it shiny and add flavor, such as a glazed ham

Grate; to use a grater to break foods into small pieces, like when shredding cheese or carrots

Gravy; sauce made of meat drippings and flour with liquid (typically broth or stock, or cream in a white gravy) and seasonings added

Grease; to rub the surface of a baking dish with fat to prevent sticking

Grill; to cook food on a wire rack over open heat

Infusion; dried herbs, spices, or teas steeped in boiling water

Julienne; to cut into long, slender pieces, typically for vegetables

Knead; to work dough with your hands until it is smooth and pliable

Leaven; to raise a dough or batter with leavening agents such as baking powder, baking soda, or egg whites

Marinate; to steep a food in a flavorful liquid (called a marinade) for an extended period of time to give it flavor before cooking, usually done for meats

Melt; to liquefy using low heat

Mince; to chop into very fine pieces

Mirepoix; roasted diced vegetables that vary by cuisine, used to add flavor to a stock

Pan Broil; to cook food in a pan without fat, or with just enough fat or liquid to keep it from sticking

Pan Fry; nearly the same as a pan broil, though with more fat added to the pan

Parboil; to cook to near doneness by boiling, and usually finished through another cooking method

Peel; to remove the skin of fruits, vegetables, etc. by way of peeling with fingers or a vegetable peeler

Poach; to cook food in gently simmering liquid

Puree; to blend food into a thick liquid using a blender or food processor

Render; to heat solid animal fat to a melting point

Roast; to cook in dry heat, usually in an oven

Roux; the base of all sauces and gravies, by melting together equal parts fat and flour

Saute; to cook foods in a pan with a small amount of fat

Scald; to cook liquid to just below boiling

Sear; To brown the surface of a food (usually meat) by exposing it to high heat for a short time

Simmer; to cook just below boiling, there should only be an occasional bubble on the surface

Skim; to remove fat or other material that floats to the surface with a spoon

Steam; to cook with steam rising from boiling water, the food being steamed will be encased in a separate container that can let in the steam

Steep; to infuse liquid with other flavors, such as tea leaves being steeped in hot water

Stock; similar to a broth but not the same, stock is typically made using a mirepoix and roasted animal bones

Toast; to brown by direct heat

Toss; to mix lightly, usually with two separate utensils used to lift and mix the foods

Whip; to beat rapidly