Cooking terms

The Basic Terms

Bake-To cook using dry heat, either cover or uncovered in an oven or saw a toaster oven or alike.

Baste-To moisten the meat (think turkey here I am sure you saw someone baste the turkey)or foods with the pan drippings to prevent drying out the food surface and it adds to the flavor.

Beat-To make a mixture nice and smooth by introducing air with a brisk over and over motion using a spoon or a rotary motion using an egg beater or electric mixer. You may find it easier to grab the bowl and put it against yourself to do this. However if you are using egg whites or say cream to make whipping the heat of your body will work against you.

Blanch-To preheat in boiling water or steam. This helps loosen skins off of fruit, vegetables or nuts. When you are making a veggie plate, Broccoli quickly thrown in boiling water then put into cold ice water really helps the color. Green it because adds to the joy of eating it. This is often used to help prepare foods for canning, freezing or drying. It helps kill unwanted germs and bacteria on the outside of the fruit or vegetables.

Blend- To combine 2 or more ingredients thoroughly by either hand or electric device.

Boil-To heat a liquid until bubbles continuously come to the top and break the surface.

Braise-To cook slowly in a small amount of liquid, a sauce or wine or whatever, in a covered pan

Bread-To coat with flour then dip it into say a slightly diluted beaten egg or milk and finally coated with bread, cereal or even cracker crumbs.

Broil-To cook with direct heat under a broiler (your stove should have this option) or over hot coals.

Caramelize-To melt sugars or foods containing sugars. Slowly done over low heat hopefully with out burning. We are looking for it to melt and become brown in color.

Chop-To cut food into small pieces with a knife. Simple.

Clarify-To make a liquid ( we this when we have a stock/broth/butter) clear by skimming away or filtering out the fat or other impurities.

Coat-To cover food evenly with flour, crumbs or a batter, a rub or salts.

Coddle-To cook food slowly in water almost or just to the boiling point.

Compote-Fruit stewed or cooked in syrup and or sugars. Usually served as a dessert or on top of pancakes or cakes. You get the idea.

Cool-To let stand the food to cool at room temperature until it is no longer warm to the touch. You wish to try putting it in the frig but don't this can make say a cake soggy.

Cream-To make a fat, such as butter, soft and smooth by beating with a spoon or mixer. Also, to combine a fat with sugar until mixture is light and fluffy.

Cube-To cut into a solid food into cubes of about/ideally 1/2 inch or more.

Cut In-To mix evenly a solid fat into a dry ingredient(s) ( an example :shortening and flour) by chopping with knives or a pastry knife/blender.

Dice-To make small cubes of 1/8 to 1/4 inches in size. Think small.

Dredge-To cover or coat food with flour or a similar fine, dry ingredient.

Dust-To sprinkle lightly with flour or sugar.

Fillet-A piece of meat, Fish/poultry without the bone.

Flute- To make decorative indentations around the edges of pastries (such as pies), fruits or vegetables.

Fold-To combine 2 ingredients using a spoon or rubber spatula. Go down through the mixture on the far side of the bowl and bring the spoon across the bottom of the bowl and then up the near side to you. We are looking to turn over the mixture over on the top. Then I want you to turn the bowl slightly and repeat the action until it it mixed completely.

Fry-To cook in a hot pan; pan-fry or saute in a small amount of fat or oil, deep-fat fry in a deep layer of fat or oil that covers the food.

Glaze-To coat with a smooth mixture to give food a glossy appearance. A syrup/honey or sugar based ingredient is often used.

Grate-To rub food against a grater ( think cheese grater) to form small pieces that are easy to mix,melt or so on.

Grill-To cook on a rack over hot coals or other form of direct heat. Think BBQ

Grind-To reduce to particles in a grinder, a blender or even food processor. The idea simply is like taking a whole coffee bean and grinding it up so you can make coffee.

Julienne-To cut meat, vegetables or fruit into long matchstick strips.

Knead-To manipulate with a pressing motion ( great for the upper body) accompanied by folding and stretching. For the yeast bread: fold the dough toward you, push it away from you using the heel of your hand. Rotate 1/4 turn and repeat.

Marinate-To let food stand in a seasoned sauce called a Marinade to help tenderize and increase flavor and moistness in some cases.

Mince-To cut or chop into very small pieces, but smaller than Diced.

Mix-To combine ingredients until evenly distributed and smooth.

Panbroil-To cook uncovered on a hot surface as you remove fat as it accumulates.

Parboil-To cook food in a boiling luquid until partially done. Cooking is usually finished off using another method.

Pare-To remove outer covering of fruit or vegetables with a knife. Be careful try not to cut yourself.

Peel-To strip off or pull away the outer skin (or clothes) of the fruit or vegetables.

Poach-To cook slowly in simmering liquid such as water or milk. Do not use a hard boil. To high of heat will burn milk.

Puree-To put food through a sieve, blender or processor to produce the thick pulp or paste with juice. Baby foods we Puree; My girls as babies were so picky about foods I had to make their baby food. Mind you it was cheaper and I knew what went into it. Buying baby food is expensive and hey the kid eats foods that you do so you will have less fussy eater in the end. I never had a problem getting them to eat veggies and trying new foods to to this day is easy for them.

Reduce-To rapidly boil down the volume of liquid to help concentrate the flavor and really make it put your taste buds on WOW! Be careful not to burn it though. Burnt rarely tastes good.

Roast- To cook meat in an uncovered pan by means of dry heat in say an oven.

Saute-To brown or cook in a small amount of fat/oil or butter. Go back to Fry

Scald-To heat milk to just below the boiling point. Question? Well when you start to see tiny bubbles appear around the edge of the pan you have reached the desired temperature. We also sometimes use Scald we we quickly dip certain foods briefly into boiling water. Broccoli quickly thrown in boiling water then put into cold ice water really helps the color. Green it because adds to the joy of eating it. Go back to Blanch.

Score-To make shallow slits into the surface of a food such as breads or meats, in a diamond or rectangular pattern.

Sear-To brown and seal the surface of meat quickly with intense heat. This is good to do when you are making a roast.

Shred-To cut into long, thin strips with a knife or shredder. Think paper shredder, no don't use one for your food. It will wrack the paper shredder.

Simmer-To cook in liquid just below boiling point; the bubbles form slowly and burst before reaching the surface. Just on the edge.

Sliver-To cut into long thin pieces with a knife. Common times you will do this is with almonds or pimiento.

Steam-To cook in a covered container, a steamer or bamboo rack above bowling water.

Steep-To let stand for a few minutes in water that has just been boiled to enhance flavor and the color. Example vegetables.

Stew-To Simmer slowly in liquid deep enough to cover ingredients. Go back to Simmer.

Toast- To brown with dry heat in an over or toaster.

Whip-To beat rapidly with a wire whisk, beater or mixer to incorporate air to lighten and increase volume. Think whipping cream and Angel food cake. Fluffy cakes.

Ok I am sorry that was so dry... But we are throw it.