Cooking Terms

Listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal.

Italian term used to describe pasta that is cooked until it offers a slight resistance to the bite.

A widespread culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and / or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind.

Simply means to serve in the juice obtained from roasting.

To cook by dry heat, usually in an oven.

Traditionally means to grill outdoors over an open charcoal, wood , or propane fire.

To moisten foods during cooking with pan drippings or special sauce to add flavor and prevent drying.

A mixture containing flour and liquid, thin enough to pour.

To mix rapidly in order to make a mixture smooth and light by incorporating as much air as possible.

A rich, creamy soup typically made with shellfish, especially lobster.

To immerse in rapidly boiling water and allow to cook slightly

To incorporate two or more ingredients thoroughly

To heat a liquid until bubbles break continually on the surface

A combination-cooking method that first sears the food at high temperature, then finishes it in a covered pot at low temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid

The process of soaking meat in a brine, or heavily salted water, before cooking, similar to marination

To cook on a grill under strong, direct heat

To heat sugar in order to turn it brown and give it a special taste

To cut solids into pieces with a sharp knife or other chopping device

To separate and remove solids from a liquid, thus making it clear

A type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock that has been clarified, a process of using egg whites to remove fat

To soften a fat, especially butter, by beating it a room temperature. Butter and sugar are often creamed together, making a smooth, soft paste

A small round roll of minced meat, fish, or vegetable coated with egg and breadcrumbs

To preserve meats by drying and salting and/or smoking

To dissolve the thin glaze of juices and brown bits on the surface of a pan in which food has been fried sauteed or roasted. To do this, add liquid and stir and scrape over high heat, thereby adding flavor to the liquid for use as a sauce

To remove fat from the surface of stews, soups, or stock. Usually cooled in the refrigerator so that fat hardens and is easily removed

To cut food in small cubes of uniform size and shape

To cause a dry substance to pass into solution in a liquid

To sprinkle or coat with flour or other fine substance

To sprinkle drops of liquid lightly over food in a casual manner

To sprinkle food with dry ingredients. Use a strainer or a jar with a perforated cover, or try the good, old-fashioned way of shaking things together in a paper bag

As a verb, to remove the bones from meat or fish. A fillet (or filet) is the piece of flesh after it has been boned

To break lightly into small pieces

To flame foods by dousing in some form of potable alcohol and setting alight

To incorporate a delicate substance, such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites, into another substance without releasing air bubbles. Cud down through mixture with spoon, whisk, or fork; go across bottom of bowl, up and over, close to surface. The process is repeated, while slowly rotating the bowl, until the ingredients are thoroughly blended

To cook by braising; usually applied to fowl or rabbit

To cook in hot fat. To cook in a fat is called pan-frying or sauteing; to cook in a one-to-two inch layer of hot fat is called shallow fat frying; to cook in a deep layer of hot fat is called deep-fat frying

To decorate a dish both to enhance its appearance and to provide a flavorful foil. Parsley, lemon slices, raw vegetables, chopped chives, and other herbs are all forms of garnishes

To cook with a thin sugar syrup to crack stage; mixture may be thickened slightly. Also, to cover with a thin, glossy icing

To rub on a grater that separates the food in various sizes of bits or shreds

From the French word for “crust.” Term used to describe an oven-baked dish – usually cooked in a shallow oval gratin dish – on which a golden brown crust of bread crumbs, cheese or creamy sauce is formed

To cook on a grill over intense heat

To process solids by hand or mechanically to reduce them to tiny particles

To cut vegetables, fruits, or cheese into thin strips

To work and press dough with the palms of the hands or mechanically, to develop the gluten in the flour

Neither cool nor warm; approximately body temperature

To flavor and moisturize pieces of meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables by soaking them in or brushing them with a liquid mixture of seasonings known as a marinade. Dry marinade mixtures composed of salt, pepper, herbs or spices may also be rubbed into meat, poultry or seafood

Dredged with flour and sauteed in butter

To cut or chop food into extremely small pieces

To combine ingredients usually by stirring

To cook uncovered in a hot fry pan, pouring off fat as it accumulates

To cook in small amounts of fat

To boil until partially cooked; to blanch. Usually this procedure is followed by final cooking in a seasoned sauce

To remove the outermost skin of a fruit or vegetable

A mixture of seasoned ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste

A thin, flattened piece of meat, rolled with a stuffing of vegetables or fruits, which is then cooked before served

To remove the peels from vegetables or fruits

To preserve meats, vegetables, and fruits in brine

A pinch is the trifling amount you can hold between your thumb and forefinger

To remove pits from fruits

To soak dried fruits in liquid until they swell

To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below the boiling point

A mush or porridge made from yellow or cornmeal which originated in Northern Italy

A confection of nuts cooked in boiling sugar until brown and crisp

To mash foods until perfectly smooth by hand, by rubbing through a sieve or food mill, or by whirling in a blender or food processor

To boil down to reduce the volume

To run cold water over food that has been parboiled, to stop the cooking process quickly

A stock made from bones that have already been used once to make a stock, making it weaker

To make solid fat into liquid by melting it slowly

To cook by dry heat in an oven

To cook and/or brown food in a small amount of hot fat

To heat a liquid so it’s right about to reach the boiling point, where bubbles start to appear around the edge

To bake a food, usually in a casserole, with sauce or other liquid. Crumbs often are sprinkled over

To cut narrow grooves or gashes partway through the outer surface of food

To brown very quickly by intense heat. This method increases shrinkage but develops flavor and improves appearance

To cut or tear in small, long, narrow pieces

To put one or more dry ingredients through a sieve or sifter

To cook slowly in liquid over low heat at a temperature of about 180°. The surface of the liquid should be barely moving, broken from time to time by slowly rising bubbles

To remove impurities, whether scum or fat, from the surface of a liquid during cooking, thereby resulting in a clear, cleaner-tasting final produce

To cook in steam in a pressure cooker, deep well cooker, double boiler, or a steamer made by fitting a rack in a kettle with a tight cover. A small amount of boiling water is used, more water being added during steaming process, if necessary

To extract color, flavor, or other qualities from a substance by leaving it in water just below the boiling point

To destroy micro organisms by boiling, dry heat, or steam

To simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time

To mix ingredients with a circular motion until well blended or of uniform consistency

Raising the temperature of a cold or room-temperature ingredient by slowly adding hot or boiling liquid, often referring to eggs

To combine ingredients with a lifting motion

To secure poultry with string or skewers, to hold its shape while cooking

The word which describes any baked good that has no leavener, such as yeast, baking powder, or baking soda.

To beat rapidly to incorporate air and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or egg whites

A cooking utensil used to blend ingredients in a process such as whipping

To cut the zest, or the colorful part of the skin that contains oils and provide aroma and flavor, away from the fruit