Cooking Terms Part 1.

Posted By Timber.


Au jus - To serve with the natural juices or gravy.

Bake - Cook by dry heat in an oven; or to cook pancakes on a griddle.

Baking sheet - Good baking sheets (also called cookie sheets) are thick, and the best are insulated. Nonstick baking sheets can make life easier.

Baking (Pizza) stone - It is best to bake pizza and bread directly on a hot surface, and a baking stone provides the hot surface needed.

Barbecue - To roast meat slowly on a spit or grill over coals, or in the oven, basting frequently with a highly seasoned sauce.

Baste - To moisten foods during cooking with drippings, water or seasoned sauce, to prevent drying or to add flavor.

Beat - To work a mixture smooth with a regular, hard, rhythmic movement.

Blanch - To immerse fruits or nuts in boiling water to remove skins or make easy to peel; also, to dip fruits and vegetables in boiling water in preparation for canning, freezing or drying.

Blend - To mix two or more ingredients until smooth and uniform.

Blind bake - To bake a piecrust before it is filled to create a crisper crust. To prevent puffing and slipping during baking, the pastry is lined with foil and filled with pie weights, dry beans or uncooked rice. These are removed shortly before the end of baking time to allow the crust to brown.

Boil - Cook in boiling liquid in which bubbles rise vigorously to the surface. The boiling point of water is 212ºF at sea level.

Braise - To brown meat or vegetables in small quantity of hot fat, then to cook slowly in small amount of liquid either in the oven or on top of the stove. Braising is an ideal way to prepare less-tender cuts of meat, firm fleshed fish and vegetables

Broil - Cook by exposure to direct heat under the broiler of a gas or electric range, in an electric broiler, or over an open fire.

Brown - To cook food quickly on top the stove (in fat or without fat), under a broiler, or in the oven to develop a richly browned, flavorful surface and help seal in the natural juices.

Brush - To spread food with butter or margarine or egg, using a small brush.

Butterfly - To split a food such as shrimp, boneless lamb leg or pork chop, horizontally in half, cutting almost but not all the way through, then opening (like a book) to form a butterfly shape. Butterflying exposes more surface area so the food cooks evenly and more quickly.

Candy - To cook fruit in a heavy sugar syrup until transparent, then drain and dry. Also, to cook vegetables with sugar or syrup to give a coating or glaze when cooked.

Caramelize - To melt sugar slowly over very low heat until sugar is liquid, deep amber in color and caramel flavored.

Chill - To refrigerate food or let it stand in ice or iced water until cold.

Chop - To cut food into small pieces with a knife or small cutting appliance.

Chow (Stir-fry) - A basic cooking method in Oriental kitchens. Generally a wok is used, but you may use a frying pan. The food is tossed about in a hot pan with very little oil, in a process not unlike sautéing.

Clarify - To clear a liquid, such as consommé, by adding slightly beaten egg white and egg shells; the beaten egg coagulates in the hot liquid and the particles which cause cloudiness adhere to it. The mixture is then strained.

Coat - To roll foods in flour, nuts, sugar, crumbs, etc., until all sides are evenly covered; or to dip first into slightly beaten egg or milk, then to cover with whatever coating is called for in a recipe.

Coats spoon - When a mixture forms a thin, even film on the spoon.

Coddle - To cook slowly and gently in water just below the boiling point. Eggs are frequently coddled.

Combine - To mix various ingredients together.

Cook - To prepare food by applying heat in any form.

Core - To remove the core or center of various fruits, such as apples, pears and pineapple, and vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage. Coring eliminates small seeds or tough and woody centers.

Correct the seasoning - To check for salt, pepper or herbs to make sure the dish has turned out as expected.

Cream - To rub, whip or beat with a spoon or mixer until mixture is soft and fluffy. Usually describes the combining of butter and sugar for a cake.

Crimp - To pinch or press dough edges - especially piecrust edges - to create a decorative finish and/or to seal two layers of dough so the filling does not seep out during baking. Edges of parchment or foil may also be crimped to seal in food and its juices during cooking.

Crisp - To make firm and brittle in very cold water or in refrigerator (lettuce or other greens, for example).

Curdle - To coagulate, or separate, into solids and liquids. Egg- and milk-based mixtures are susceptible to curdling if they are heated too quickly or combined with an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice or tomatoes.

Cut - To break up food into pieces, with a knife or scissors.

Cut in - To mix shortening with dry ingredients using a pastry blender, knife or fork. Usually applied to pastry making.

Deep-Fry - Cooking in enough fat to cover the food completely. The aim is to produce foods with a crisp golden-brown crust and a thoroughly cooked interior without letting them absorb too much fat. The kind, quantity and temperature of the fat are important in accomplishing this result.

Deglaze - After meats or vegetables have been browned, wine or stock is added to the pan over high heat, and the rich coloring that remains in the pan is gently scraped with a wooden spoon and combined with the wine or stock.

Devein - To remove the dark intestinal vein of a shrimp by using the tip of a sharp knife, then rinsing the shrimp in cold water.

Develop - Allow food to sit for a time before serving so the flavors have a chance to blend or brighten.

Devil - To coat with a hot seasoning, such as mustard or a hot sauce. Eggs are "deviled" when the yolk is mixed with highly spiced seasonings.

Dice - To cut food into small cubes of uniform size and shape, usually about 1/4 inch in size.

Dissolve - To make a liquid and a dry substance go into solution.

Dot - Scatter small amounts of specified ingredients, usually butter, or nuts, chocolate, etc. on top of food. This adds extra richness and flavor and helps promote browning.

Dredge - To sprinkle, coat or cover with flour, crumbs, cornmeal or other seasoned mixture.

Drizzle - To slowly pour a liquid, such as melted butter or a glaze in a fine stream, back and forth, over food.

Dust - To sprinkle a food or coat lightly with flour, sugar, cornmeal or cocoa powder.

Emulsify - To bind liquids that usually cannot blend smoothly, such as oil and water. The trick is to add one liquid, usually the oil, to the other in a slow stream while mixing vigorously. You can also use natural emulsifiers - egg yolks or mustard - to bind mixtures like vinaigrettes and sauces.

Ferment - To bring about a chemical change in foods or beverages. Beer, wine, yogurt, buttermilk, vinegar, cheese and yeast breads all get their distinctive flavors from fermentation.

Fillet - A strip or compact piece of boneless meat or fish.

Flambé - To sprinkle with brandy or liqueur and ignite and serve flaming.

Fold; Fold in - To combine two ingredients or two combinations of ingredients by two motions; cutting vertically through the mixture and turning over and over by sliding the implement (usually a rubber spatula or wire whisk) across the bottom of the mixing bowl with each turn.

Fork-tender - A degree of doneness for cooked vegetables and meats. You should feel just a slight resistance when food is pierced with a fork.

Fricassee - To cook pieces of fowl or meat by braising and serving with a thickened sauce.

Fry or Pan-Fry - To cook in a small amount of fat on top of the stove; also called "sauté" and "pan-fry."

Garnish - To decorate any foods. Nuts, olives, parsley, citrus zest and so forth are called garnishes when used to give a finish to a dish.

Glacé - To coat with a thin sugar syrup cooked to the crack stage.

Glaze - To cover with aspic; to coat with a thin sugar syrup; to cover with melted fruit jelly. Cold meats, fish, fruit, etc., are often glazed.

Grate - to rub on a grater to shred or flake.

Grill - See "Broil."

Hack - When cutting up chickens or thin boned meats, one "hacks" with a cleaver, thus cutting the meat into large bite-size pieces and retaining the bone. The presence of the bone will keep the meat moist during cooking.

Julienne - Food cut into very thin strips.

Knead - To work and press dough with the heels of your hands so the dough becomes stretched and elastic.