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Cooking Definitions
By admin | December 30, 2009
Au gratin – French: Describes a topping of cheese or bread crumbs or a sauce over food that is browned under a broiler or baked in the oven.
Au jus – French: Served in natural juice or pan juices.
Baste – To moisten food periodically with a seasoned liquid while cooking.
Batter – An uncooked mixture, usually of flour, eggs, liquid, and butter/oil
Beat – To stir or mix rapidly in order to blend or make lighter
Bind – To add egg, cream or other liquid to a mixture to hold it together.
Bisque – A rich, thick soup, a variation of cream soup.
Blanch – To immerse briefly in boiling water. Used to loosen skin, to remove or set color, or to stop enzymatic action (as for canning or freezing).
Bouillon – A clear soup stock not as strongly flavored as broth.
Braise – To cook over low heat with a small amount of liquid in a
tightly covered pan. Meats may or may not be browned in fat first.
Broil – To cook under direct heat in broiler or over coals.
Cacciatore – Italian style of cooking in a flavorful tomato-wine sauce. Usually chicken or veal.
Canape – A small piece of fried or toasted bread with a topping. Served as an appetizer.
Candy – To cook in sugar or heavy syrup.
Capon – Roaster which has been gelded; grows larger and has tender meat.
Clarify – For butter, to melt and skim off top foam, then strain off milk solids, using only the clear layer.
Chill – To reduce temperature by putting in refrigerator or over ice.
Coddle – To simmer slowly just below the boiling point (usually applies to eggs or fruit)
Cream – To beat butter, or butter and sugar, until very light and nearly
twice original volume.
Crimp – To pinch the edges of pastry together to form a fluted edge and or to seal in a filling.
Crisp-Tender – Cooked until tender enough to be pierced by a fork but still firm to the bite.
Cut In – To mix solid fat with dry ingredients using fingers, pastry blender or two knives.
Cube – To cut into 1/4-inch squares.
Deep Fry – To cover food with hot oil and cook.
Dice – To cut food into small, even cubes.
Deglaze – To loosen pan drippings by adding liquid, usually to make a sauce.
Dissolve – To form a solution by adding a dry substance to a liquid.
Dredge – To coat, usually with flour.
Dress – To add a dressing (as for salads or vegetables); to stuff (as for fowl or meats); to garnish or decorate.
Drizzle – To pour liquid such as melted butter over food in a thin stream.
Dust – To lightly sprinkle one food item with another ingredient.
Enrich – To add eggs, cream or butter.
Entrée – In the United States, the main course of a meal; in other parts of the world, the term denotes a small prepared dish served between main courses at a formal dinner.
Flambé – To douse with an alcoholic beverage and ignite.
Flake – To separate into small pieces with a folk. (fish)
Flute – To make a decorative edge on the rim of a pie crust.
Fold In – Using a spatula, to combine fragile substances, such as whipped cream, into a heavier mixture with light, circular motions.
Fondue – A dish of melted cheese, broth or oil, into which other pieces of food are dipped; a baked dish, similar to a soufflé, made of cheese and bread crumbs.
Fricassee – To cook meat by braising or stewing in gravy.
Fry – To cook in oil or fat. For stir-frying or sautéing, a small amount of fat is used. For deep frying, a larger amount is used, often enough to cover the food.
Garnish – To ornament a dish with bright and savory tidbits.
Gelée – French, refers to jelly or a jellied substance.
Glaze – To add a shiny appearance to food by applying a coating of syrup, beaten eggs, or milk. (Icing)
Gluten – The sticky substance in wheat flour that gives dough its tough, elastic quality.
Grease -: To apply a thin layer of butter or oil on food or utensils.
Grate – To separate food into small particles by rubbing across the teeth of a grater.
Grill -: To cook over hot coals or a gridiron or under a broiler.
Hors d’ oeuvre – From the French, literally “outside of work”, the term has come to be synonymous with appetizer.
Infusion – A method of preparing beverages by covering a flavoring item with boiling water, covering the pot, and allowing it to stand until flavor is extracted.
Julienne – Cut into match-like sticks or strips.( carrots, potatoes)
Knead – To work dough with the palms by pressing, stretching and folding, turning a small amount after each push. Process develops the gluten until dough is smooth and elastic.(bread, pie dough)
Marinate – To let food stand in a highly seasoned liquid or marinade, to tenderize or to add flavor.
Mince – To cut or chop into very small pieces.
Mix – To thoroughly combine ingredients until evenly distributed.(cakes)
Pan-fry – To fry in an uncovered pan in the fat that accumulates from the cooking meat.
Parboil – To boil partially in a liquid. Cooking is unusually completed by baking.
Pare – To remove the peel or outer covering from a fruit or vegetable with a knife.
Paste – A thick creamy mixture, made by mixing dry ingredients with a liquid or by pounding fresh herbs, meats, or nuts with a mortar and pestle.
Pit – To remove the pit or pits from fruits. (prunes)
Poach – To cook in a hot liquid. (egg)
Precook -: To cook partially or completely before a final cooking or reheating.
Preheat – To heat an oven or broiler in advance of use to assure that it will be the proper temperature when ready to use.
Purée – To press through a sieve to make food the consistency of a thick paste.
Reduce – To boil a liquid and reduce its quantity through evaporation.
Roast – To cook in an oven, uncovered and without water.
Render – To melt down solid fats to get a liquid oil. (crisco)
Sauté – : To brown in a small amount of oil or butter.
Scald – To bring to a temperature just below the boiling point. (milk)
Scallop – To bake in a sauce, usually covered with seasoned bread crumbs.
Score – To make a sharp narrow slits or cuts in the outer surface of food to decorate or to allow seasonings to penetrate. (bread)
Sear – To quickly brown the surface of meat using very high heat.
Shred – To form small and narrow pieces by rubbing food against a shredder. (carrots, beets)
Sift – To put dry ingredients through a sifter or sieve. (flour)
Simmer – To stew gently below or just at the boiling point.
Skim – To remove fat or scum from the surface of a liquid. Steam: To cook covered in the vapor that rises from the liquid in which a food is cooking.
Steep – To soak in a liquid at a temperature below the boiling point. (tea)
Stew – To boil slowly or with simmering heat. (beef stew)
Stir – To mix ingredients until well blended.
Toss – To mix ingredients lightly without mashing them. (salad)
Truss – To bind the wings or legs of a fowl before cooking. (with string)
Whip – To beat quickly and steadily with either a hand or an electric beater.
Whisk – To stir rapidly, using a whisk, to blend ingredients or introduce air.
Courtesy of: http://foods4u2cookhome.com/blog
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