Cooking and Preparation Terms Glossary /Cooking Terms and Techniques for Absolute Beginners /Cooking Terms & Techniques /basic cooking terms /basic culinary terms
I guess we come across with different terms while reading recipe but sometimes do not know what it actually means.With so many different ways to prepare food, it's hard to keep all the terminology straight and to know exactly what we are expected to do with that so I decided to create a glossary of basic cooking terms /basic culinary terms .
Boil – To heat water until bubbling vigorously and also to cook food in water that is bubbling vigorously. Most often, foods should be poached instead of boiled, because boiling tends to dry out and break down food too much.
Bouquet Garni
Braise
Butterfly
Cream
Dash
Deep-fry – To cook completely submerged in hot oil. If done right, at the proper temperature, foods absorb little oil and are surprisingly light
Debone - To remove the bones from meat or poultry. This is best done with a flexible boning knife so that you can get as close to the bone as possible without losing meat.
Dice – To cut into smaller pieces, roughly the size of 1/4 inch.
Dredge – To coat foods lightly with dry ingredients before cooking. The most common dredge is flour.
Drizzle – To pour a liquid over a food in a thin stream to create a thread-like coating.
Fold – To incorporate dry ingredients or batter into whipped eggs, usually an egg-white foam, without deflating the light and airy texture essential to the finished product. This is done with a rubber spatula by reaching reach down through the center of the egg foam to the bottom of the bowl and lifting up some of the batter on top of the foam. As you turn your wrist to deposit the batter on top of the eggs, you turn the bowl a few degrees, repeating the process until there are no traces of egg white left.
Glaze – To brush a food with sauce, icing, or other topping to create a shiny surface. Meat is often coated with sauce and browned in the oven for a couple minutes to create the glaze.
Grill – To cook above a heat source, such as traditional wood coals or charcoal, in the open air.
Grind - To process foods finely in a grinder, processor or with 2 knives (in a drum roll fashion).
Garnish – Decorate (on top) by adding other food stuff or ingredients
Hull – To remove the outer covering from fruits, nuts or seeds.
Knead – Pressing dough with hand by folding and turning till it reaches the required consistency. Nowadays dough making machines are also available.
Julienne – To cut food, usually vegetables, into thin stick-shaped pieces.
Marinate – To soak a food, usually meat, seafood, or vegetables, in a seasoned liquid mixture, the marinade, so that the food absorbs the flavors of mixture. Marinades also help to tenderize tough meat
Mash – To crush, beat or squeeze food into a soft state by using a fork or a masher.
Match Cut – A long thin cut, ¼ x ¼ x 3 inches; alumette.
Mince – To cut into very fine pieces using a knife, food grinder, blender or food processor.
Parboil – To cook partially in boiling water.
Pulse - An action used with processors and blenders. If a recipe tells you to pulse, turn the start button on and off rapidly several times or until the ingredients are appropriately processed
Pare – To cut off the outside covering. Pare is applied to potatoes, apples, etc.
Peel – To strip of the outer covering. Peel is applied to oranges, grapefruit, etc.
Poach – To cook in liquid held just below boiling so it just shimmers slightly on the surface.
Purée
Refresh – To rinse just-boiled vegetables under very cold water to stop their cooking.
Resting – To allow a roasted meat to sit for 20 to 30 minutes after removing from the oven before serving. Roasted meats should always be loosely covered with aluminum foil during resting to keep them warm, but allow the juices to distribute fully throughout the meat.
Roast – To cook in an uncovered pan in the oven to produce a well-browned exterior and a moister, cooked interior. During roasting, no liquid (such as water or wine) comes into contact with the food.
Roll – To coat lightly with a powdery substance; to dredge.
Score – To make shallow or deep cuts in a decorative pattern with the point or a knife. Food such as a whole fish is often scored so that it will cook evenly.
Stir-fry - To quickly cook foods over high or medium-high heat in a lightly oiled skillet or wok, stirring or tossing constantly, until desired or specified doneness.
Sweat - To cook foods, usually chopped vegetables, over medium heat until they exude some of their moisture which, in turn, steams and softens the food without browning.
Shred – To cut into many, very fine strips or pieces.
Steam - Cooking food by placing on a rack or in a steamer basket over boiling or simmering water in a covered pan. Steaming is the preferred cooking method for retaining foods flavor, shape, texture and nutrients.
Sift – To shake through a fine sieve, often to combine dry ingredients like flour and sugar.
Slice – To slice is to cut into even slices, usually across the grain.
Snip – To cut food into small uniform lengths using kitchen shears or a small pair of scissors.
Strain – To pour a liquid through a strainer, sieve, or cheesecloth to remove unwanted particles or to separate out solids.
Seasoning /tadka/tempering– To add spices and other ingredients to increase the flavor.
Toss - To combine ingredients by gently turning over until blended. Most commonly refers to a salad, but is used for many other preparations. The easiest and most efficient way to toss is with a good pair of tongs. Alternately, two spoons, forks or one of each may be used. And nothing tosses food as well as a clean pair of hands.
Toast - Most commonly, to brown using a dry heat source such as an oven or toaster. However, many recipes call for toasting seeds, nuts, grains or spices before mixing with other ingredients to add flavor. They can be toasted in an oven or in a skillet, with or without oil, using a low heat, stirring or tossing often, until nicely browned, being very careful not to burn.
Wedge – A wedge-shaped cut of food, usually a section of a round or oval product such as an apple or lemon.
Zest
I guess we come across with different terms while reading recipe but sometimes do not know what it actually means.With so many different ways to prepare food, it's hard to keep all the terminology straight and to know exactly what we are expected to do with that so I decided to create a glossary of basic cooking terms /basic culinary terms .
Al dente – This Italian expression meaning "by the tooth" describes pasta cooked a shorter time so that it has just slight resistance when chewed. Fresh pasta is too soft already to be cooked al dente. The term also describes cooking vegetables until crisp by steaming, boiling, or stir-frying
Bake – To cook in the oven.
Baste– To moisten food during cooking with pan drippings, sauce, or other liquid, often with the help of a baster. Basting prevents foods from drying out.
Beat – To blend a mixture of food quickly with the goal of making it smooth and adding as much air as possible.
Blanch – To submerge foods in boiling water for just a few seconds, remove from the water, and refresh under cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching is a gentle form of cooking used to loosen skins, firm flesh, and heighten color and flavor.
Bouquet Garni
[boo-KAY gahr-NEE] A bunch of fresh herbs tied together with kitchen string or bundled together in cheesecloth. The classic herbs used are parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Bouquet Garni is typically used to flavor soups, stews, stocks and poaching liquids.
A cooking method used for meats and vegetables by first browning in fat, then cooked in a small amount of liquid at low heat, tightly covered, either on the stove or in the oven for a long period of time. This method of cooking is usually recommended for less-tender cuts of meat to both help tenderize the meat by gently breaking down the fibers and to help develop the flavors.
To split food such as steaks or shrimp through the center without completely cutting through. The two halves are opened and spread flat to resemble a butterfly. Butterflying thicker cuts of meat, such as steaks, will help it cook more evenly as there is more surface area exposed to the heat.
Cube – To cut food into smaller pieces, roughly the size of dice
Cube – To cut food into smaller pieces, roughly the size of dice
.
Cream
To beat a fat, (such as butter, margarine or shortening) or a combination of fat and sugar until a light and fluffy texture appears. This technique incorporates air into the mixture giving baked products a lighter texture and volume. Electric mixers or food processors make this fast and easy, however, it can be done by hand with a wooden spoon, it will just take some time and effort
A measurement term referring to a very small amount of seasoning. A dash or pinch (see also pinch) is approximately 1/16 of a teaspoon. Fill a ¼ teaspoon one-fourth full to achieve this measurement.
Debone - To remove the bones from meat or poultry. This is best done with a flexible boning knife so that you can get as close to the bone as possible without losing meat.
Dice – To cut into smaller pieces, roughly the size of 1/4 inch.
Dredge – To coat foods lightly with dry ingredients before cooking. The most common dredge is flour.
Drizzle – To pour a liquid over a food in a thin stream to create a thread-like coating.
Fold – To incorporate dry ingredients or batter into whipped eggs, usually an egg-white foam, without deflating the light and airy texture essential to the finished product. This is done with a rubber spatula by reaching reach down through the center of the egg foam to the bottom of the bowl and lifting up some of the batter on top of the foam. As you turn your wrist to deposit the batter on top of the eggs, you turn the bowl a few degrees, repeating the process until there are no traces of egg white left.
Glaze – To brush a food with sauce, icing, or other topping to create a shiny surface. Meat is often coated with sauce and browned in the oven for a couple minutes to create the glaze.
Grill – To cook above a heat source, such as traditional wood coals or charcoal, in the open air.
Grind - To process foods finely in a grinder, processor or with 2 knives (in a drum roll fashion).
Garnish – Decorate (on top) by adding other food stuff or ingredients
Hull – To remove the outer covering from fruits, nuts or seeds.
Knead – Pressing dough with hand by folding and turning till it reaches the required consistency. Nowadays dough making machines are also available.
Julienne – To cut food, usually vegetables, into thin stick-shaped pieces.
Marinate – To soak a food, usually meat, seafood, or vegetables, in a seasoned liquid mixture, the marinade, so that the food absorbs the flavors of mixture. Marinades also help to tenderize tough meat
Mash – To crush, beat or squeeze food into a soft state by using a fork or a masher.
Match Cut – A long thin cut, ¼ x ¼ x 3 inches; alumette.
Mince – To cut into very fine pieces using a knife, food grinder, blender or food processor.
Parboil – To cook partially in boiling water.
Pulse - An action used with processors and blenders. If a recipe tells you to pulse, turn the start button on and off rapidly several times or until the ingredients are appropriately processed
Pare – To cut off the outside covering. Pare is applied to potatoes, apples, etc.
Peel – To strip of the outer covering. Peel is applied to oranges, grapefruit, etc.
Poach – To cook in liquid held just below boiling so it just shimmers slightly on the surface.
Purée
To liquefy a cooked solid food such as vegetables, in a blender, food processor or mashing by hand creating a purée. Purées can be used to add as a thickener to sauces or soups, as a garnish or as a side dish.
Reduce or Reduction – The technique of cooking liquids down so that some of the water they contain evaporates. Reduction is used to concentrate the flavor of a broth or sauce and, at times, to help thicken the sauce by concentrating ingredients such as natural gelatin.
Resting – To allow a roasted meat to sit for 20 to 30 minutes after removing from the oven before serving. Roasted meats should always be loosely covered with aluminum foil during resting to keep them warm, but allow the juices to distribute fully throughout the meat.
Roast – To cook in an uncovered pan in the oven to produce a well-browned exterior and a moister, cooked interior. During roasting, no liquid (such as water or wine) comes into contact with the food.
Roll – To coat lightly with a powdery substance; to dredge.
Score – To make shallow or deep cuts in a decorative pattern with the point or a knife. Food such as a whole fish is often scored so that it will cook evenly.
Stir-fry - To quickly cook foods over high or medium-high heat in a lightly oiled skillet or wok, stirring or tossing constantly, until desired or specified doneness.
Sweat - To cook foods, usually chopped vegetables, over medium heat until they exude some of their moisture which, in turn, steams and softens the food without browning.
Stirring – Mixing with a ladle.
Steam - Cooking food by placing on a rack or in a steamer basket over boiling or simmering water in a covered pan. Steaming is the preferred cooking method for retaining foods flavor, shape, texture and nutrients.
Shallow Fry/Pan fry - To brown and cook foods in fat in a shallow pan in little oil/fat , where the fat does not completely cover the food. Also known as 'shallow fry'.
Slice – To slice is to cut into even slices, usually across the grain.
Snip – To cut food into small uniform lengths using kitchen shears or a small pair of scissors.
Strain – To pour a liquid through a strainer, sieve, or cheesecloth to remove unwanted particles or to separate out solids.
Seasoning /tadka/tempering– To add spices and other ingredients to increase the flavor.
Toss - To combine ingredients by gently turning over until blended. Most commonly refers to a salad, but is used for many other preparations. The easiest and most efficient way to toss is with a good pair of tongs. Alternately, two spoons, forks or one of each may be used. And nothing tosses food as well as a clean pair of hands.
Toast - Most commonly, to brown using a dry heat source such as an oven or toaster. However, many recipes call for toasting seeds, nuts, grains or spices before mixing with other ingredients to add flavor. They can be toasted in an oven or in a skillet, with or without oil, using a low heat, stirring or tossing often, until nicely browned, being very careful not to burn.
Wedge – A wedge-shaped cut of food, usually a section of a round or oval product such as an apple or lemon.
Zest
Is the colored outermost portion of the peel on citrus fruits. To remove the zest, use a zester, fine grater, vegetable peeler or paring knife; avoid the bitter white pith beneath the peel. Zest has aromatic oils that add wonderful flavor to food.
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