The Passionate Home Cook Terminology |
| Term | Description |
| à poivre | with pepper |
| acidulated | made acidic |
| aerate | to introduce air into a liquid or substance. A decanter introduces air into wine. |
| agar-agar | A vegetarian alternative to gelatine, agar-agar is the jelly that results from boiling several kinds of seaweed together |
| aioli | garlic and oil emulsion |
| au jus | French for “with [its own] juice” |
| à la mode | what is in fashion. commonly means “with ice cream” |
| arrest | pour cold water over freshly cooked vegetables to prevent further cooking and to retain color. Aka Refresh |
| aubergine | eggplant |
| back of the house | kitchen area |
| bain-marie | (water bath) a pan of water surrounding the cooking container(s) that is used to help mixtures such as custards, cheese cake, shirred eggs bake evenly, usually filled at least a 1/2 inch up the cooking vessel. |
| banneton | a proofing (rising) wooden basket usually made of willow to rise and imprint its shape on unbaked loafs (sometimes cloth lined) |
| bard | to tie fat, such as bacon or fatback, around lean meats or fowl to prevent their drying out during roasting |
| baton | cut into a long, thin rectangle shape |
| batterie de cuisine | range of kitchen tools needed to create complete meal courses, the accoutrements of the kitchen |
| béchamel | basic white sauce |
| beignets | French donuts |
| beurre | butter |
| biga | Biga is aged or previous batch dough serving as a starter where the yeast have been fully developed to promote better flavor and nutrition in traditional Italian breads. |
| bistro | small café |
| blackened | New Orleans's chef Paul Prudhomme extra hot skillet combined with the seasoning rub gives fish an extra crispy crust |
| blackstrap | molasses |
| blanch | see parboil |
| blancmange | simple cooked pudding made of milk, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla |
| boeuf | beef |
| Boston shaker | This shaker serves a dual purpose because it is comprised of a mixing glass and a larger, flat-bottomed bar tin. The glass can be used alone for stirring drinks over ice and the two pieces are used together for shaking ingredients with the tin fitting over the glass. |
| bouillon | French for broth (brodo di carne - Italian) |
| bouquet garni | a tied bundle of herbs |
| braise | simmered slowly in a liquid |
| brine | to soak in a salted solution |
| broil | to cook with a radiant heat source from above |
| brunoise | Fine chopped in 1/8 inch cubes |
| brule | to burn or singe |
| boiling water bath (BWB) | canning in a Boiling Water Bath. Not all foods can be safely preserved by boiling water heat processing. The safest bet is to follow trusted recipes. |
| chafing dish | used to warm or cook food, a chafing dish consists of a metal dish with a heat source directly beneath it. The heat can be provided by a candle, electricity or solid fuel |
| charcuterie | cold cuts |
| chef | a cook, especially the chief cook of a large kitchen staff (French, short for chef de cuisine, head of the kitchen) (capocuoco Italian) |
| chiffonade | thin cuts or shreds of vegetables or herbs |
| chinois | metal conical strainer available in degrees of finest |
| clarify | removing impurities or suspended particulates from a liquid (often applies to butter or broth.) |
| concasse | French term meaning to rough chop any ingredient, usually vegetables. Tomato concasse is a uncooked tomato that has been peeled, seeded and chopped. |
| coq au vin | stewing chicken cooked in wine |
| coulis | smooth, thick fruit or vegetable sauce usually made by pureeing or sieving. |
| crème Fraiche | French clotted cream (like sour cream) |
| cream (verb) | Make creamy by beating. Beat until soft and mixed to a creaming consistency |
| crudité | French appetizers comprising sliced or whole raw vegetables with a dipping sauce |
| cure | to preserve food by smoking, salting, and or drying |
| custard (flan) | a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk that are stirred on top of the stove or baked. The word custard is derived from “crustade” which is a tart with a crust. |
| deglaze | after meat or poultry is sautéed or roasted, most of the fat and the meat are removed and a liquid is added to the browned residue and heated, while stirring continuously. |
| demi-glace | a stock highly reduced its concentrated essence. When term used alone it means from veal stock. |
| depouillage | to skim the surface of a cooking liquid, such as a stock or sauce. |
| devein | To remove the grainy, blackish vein under the rounded top of shellfish by splitting the shrimp, prawn, crayfish, lobster's tail and pulling it out. |
| dice | cut into especially small pieces |
| dilute | add liquid to make less concentrated |
| dot | place bits of food (like butter) here and there over the surface of another food. |
| dough hook | appliance attachment used for kneading bread |
| dredge | lightly coat food typically with flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs |
| dress (verb) | to prepare for cooking; in the case of vegetables, to add a dressing, as in salad. |
| Dutch oven | a large pot or kettle, usually made of cast iron, with a tight-fitting lid so steam cannot readily escape. |
| duxelles | a reduction of finely chopped mushrooms, parsley, onions, pepper, shallots, salt and butter, used to flavor soups, stuffings and sauces. |
| en chemise | a French term for food that is wrapped or coated (has a shirt on) |
| faux | fake or imitation |
| flambe | to flame |
| foie gras | a well-known delicacy of French cuisine made from fattened goose livers |
| gâteau | cake |
| gremolada | minced garlic, parsley, lemon rind, and sometimes shredded basil |
| griswold | cast iron skillet |
| hash (noun) | a dish containing chopped potatoes, meat, and other vegetables |
| hash (verb) | chop together |
| haute cuisine | French term for the highest quality restaurant food available. |
| hors d'Oeuvre | appetizers |
| infuse | introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout (imbue or inoculate) |
| jell | to congeal |
| juice | liquid extracted from any raw food, usually fruit |
| juicer | a device or appliance for extracting juice from fruit |
| julienne | to cut into long thin match-size strips |
| lame | small tool with a razor-sharp blade at one end, used for slashing cuts into risen bread dough just before it goes into the oven. |
| late harvest | American wine term referring to wines made from grapes picked toward the end of the harvest (usually late fall), preferably those with BOTRYTiS CiNEREA, a fungus that shrivels the grape thereby concentrating its sugar. Late-harvest wines are very sweet and usually have a high alcohol content. |
| l'eau de vie | the water of life |
| leaven | any ingredient or process to add bubbles or cause the rising of baked goods. |
| maître d' | short for maître d'hôtel and is translated literally as master of the hotel |
| macerate | to make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid or sugar |
| mandolin | french slicer |
| marinate | To steep in a liquid |
| mash | to press or crush a food into a smooth mixture |
| mask | hide the original flavor |
| matignon | a standard mirepoix plus diced smoked bacon or diced smoked ham and; depending on the dish; mushrooms and herbs. |
| meld | the “coming together” or marriage of ingredients |
| mesclun | combination of fancy young salad greens now typically raised by hydroponics |
| meuniére | cooking technique used for seasoned fish dredged with flour, then sautéed in butter. |
| mignonette | a sauce of vinegar and shallots; typically used for oysters |
| mill | grind |
| mirepoix | a traditional French culinary combination of onions; carrots and celery aromatics |
| mise en place | the setup or organization - French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as “everything in place” but having the meaning “everything in its proper place” |
| mix | to combine ingredients until well integrated. |
| mortar and pestle | is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix substances. The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped stick whose end is used for pounding and grinding, and the mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, marble, clay, or stone. The substance is ground between the pestle and the mortar. |
| monté Beurre | French “mount with butter” refers to melted butter that remains emulsified, even at temperatures higher than that at which butter usually breaks down as finish a pan reduction by swirling in butter. |
| Mother sauce | foundation sauce from many other sauces can be made |
| muddler | a bartender's tool, used like a pestle to mash — or muddle — fruits, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavor |
| on the bias | cut diagonally |
| Nicoise | from Nice, France |
| noir | dark or browned |
| noisette | light brown |
| noisette | very small medallions of meat |
| oeuf | eggs |
| oignon | French for onion |
| open-faced | on one piece of bread |
| pack | Press or mash together tightly |
| parboil | To boil a food briefly, until partially done, to blanch, unless otherwise specified, in water. |
| parchment paper | A heavy, grease- and moisture-resistant paper used including lining baking pans, wrapping foods that are to be baked in a pouch (“en papillote” in French or “al Cartoccio”) and to make disposable pastry bags. This paper's non-stick characteristic is its most salient property. |
| pesto | uncooked sauce that usually has fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil |
| poach | simmered slowly in a seasoned broth |
| poolish | a wet sponge with flour, water, and domestic yeast. (French term.) |
| pomme | apple |
| puree | to process to a fine or smooth consistency by mashing, or straining |
| quenelle | Classically, a poached dumpling, usually made of meat or fish but today, often, an egg like shape formed with two spoons for a pleasing presentation for semi-soft foods |
| quiche | a baked dish that is based on a custard made from eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust |
| reconstitute | to restore condensed, dehydrated or concentrated foods to their original strength with the addition of liquid, usually water. |
| reduce | to boil a liquid until a portion of it has evaporated. Reducing intensifies the flavor and results in a thicker liquid. |
| render | to extract the fat from meat by cooking over low heat. Rendered fat is strained of meat particles after cooking. |
| roast | to cook a food in an open pan in the oven, with no added liquid |
| roulade | stuffed meat or fish rolled |
| roux | a mixture of fat and flour which is blended and cooked slowly over low heat until the desired consistency or color is reached. Roux is used as a base for thickening sauces. |
| royal icing | an icing which hardens when dried |
| sachet | small bag of cloth or cheesecloth filled with various herbs & spices to add flavor to soup, stews, stocks or sauces. |
| salamander | a small overhead broiler unit in a professional oven that quickly browns the tops of foods |
| sauté | to cook quickly in a pan on top of the stove until the food is browned |
| scald | to heat milk or cream to just under the boiling point so that bacteria and enzymes in are pasteurized. Somewhat academic as most milk products in the US are pasteurized. |
| score | make shallow cuts into the surface of foods |
| sear | to brown a food quickly on all sides using high heat primarily for flavor. |
| shell | to remove the shell from nuts, legumes and shellfish. |
| shift | pass ingredients through a fine-mesh screen to break up lumps and to add air to make them lighter. |
| shirr | to bake (eggs removed from the shell) until set |
| shred | to cut, slice or tear into thin strips. Also, to pull apart very tender cooked meats. |
| sieve | sieve - To strain liquid from food through the fine mesh or perforated holes of a strainer or sieve. |
| sift | sift - To shake a dry, powdered substance through a sieve or sifter to remove any lumps |
| silicone baking mat | non-stick flexible mat made of a laminated rubberized silicone |
| simmer | cook food in liquid gently over low heat |
| singe | singe - To expose food, usually meat, to direct flame. |
| skewer | to thread food onto a pointed metal or wooden rod or stick |
| skim | to remove the surface layer (of impurities, scum, or fat) from liquids such as stocks and jams while cooking. |
| skin | to remove the skin of a food, such as poultry or fish, before or after cooking. |
| sliver | to cut a food into thin strips or pieces. |
| smoke | to expose foods to wood smoke to enhance their flavor and help preserve and/or evenly cook them. |
| smoke point | the temperature at which a fat such as butter or oil smokes |
| snip | to cut quickly with scissors into fine pieces. |
| soffritto | a sub-fry of vegetable ingredients (Italian and Spanish term) |
| sous-chef | chef who is second in authority in a restaurant or kitchen, ranking below the head chef |
| spit | sharp metal rod used to hold food for roasting over an open heat source. |
| sponge | a thick yeast batter that is allowed to ferment and develop into a light, spongy consistency. |
| sprig | leaves of an herb still attached to the stem often used as a garnish. |
| steam | cooking foods over, not in, hot liquid, usually water. |
| steep | to allow a food to stand in water that is just below the boiling point in order to extract flavor or color |
| stew | to cook food in liquid for a long time until tender, usually covered. |
| stir | to move foods around. Stirring is done to move foods when cooking or cooling. |
| strain | to pass a liquid or moist mixture through a colander, sieve or cheese cloth to separate the solid from the liquid. |
| sweat | to cook slowly over low heat without browning |
| tapenade | a thick paste made from capers, anchovies, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. |
| tasso | Cajun smoked lean chunk of cured pork richly seasoned with herbs or spices that is firm, smoky and flavorfully principally used for seasoning |
| Tatin pan | pan especially made to be inverted for tarts or apple tatin (see Desserts and Pastry) |
| teff | a miniscule grain that is staple of Ethiopia having a mildly nutty-flavored. Often served as an unleven bread cake |
| temper | To moderate - tempering most often refers to slightly warming beaten eggs, by rapidly stirring a little of the hot ingredients into them, before adding them to the hot mixture so that they will combine, stirring rapidly again, without solidifying. It also refers to the softening of a heavy mixture before folding in a whipped mixture, so that incorporation occurs without deflation. |
| terrine | glazed earthenware |
| thicken | the process of making a liquid substance dense by adding a thickening agent (ex. flour, gelatin) or by cooking to evaporate some of the liquid. |
| thin | to dilute a mixture by adding more liquid |
| tiella | a regional layered Italian dish like Tiella alla Barese featuring rice, potatoes, mussels, tomatoes, herbs, olive oil baked then browned. |
| to taste | according to your preference, sometime means actually tasting, but not in all case. |
| tomme | molded cheese |
| top | to place one food item or mixture on top of another. |
| toss | to combine ingredients by gently turning over until blended |
| tourne | A classic tourne is a football-shaped, blunt-ended cut classically with seven equal sides for vegetables such as carrots, potatoes or squash that provides a distinctive and consistent appearance to the food item being served. A small paring knife or bird’s beak knife is typically used to trim this shape. |
| trim | to remove undesirable portions of a food item |
| truss | to secure poultry or other food (usually meat) with string, pins or skewers so the food maintains a compact shape during cooking |
| umami | savoriness, proposed as one of the basic tastes sensed by the tongue |
| universal grater | This is usually a two or four sided metal tool with a handle that slices, grades various sizes of each face. |
| velouté | a sauce made with veal stock |
| vent | to allow the circulation or escape of a liquid or gas |
| viand | meat |
| warm | to heat a food using a very low temperature of approximately 105°F to 115°F. |
| whip | to beat an item to incorporate air, augment volume, and add substance |
| whisk | to mix with a wire beater, also called a whisk. Whisking can refer to blending, beating, emulsifying, or whipping, depending on the recipe. |
| zest | peel of citrus |
| zest | to remove just the thin, brightly colored outer part of the rind of citrus fruits |
