Cooking Terms

Al dente – An Italian expression for pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left for it to be felt “by the tooth.”

Arborio – A short-grained rice from the Po Valley of Italy used to prepare risotto.

Aromatics – Plants such as herbs and spices which add flavor and fragrance to food.

Arrowroot – A starch from the root of a South American plant, used as a thickener similar to cornstarch.

Bain-marie – A bain-marie is a pan of water that is used when baking delicate foods such as custards to protect them from the direct heat of the oven.

Bake – To cook in the oven. The terms baking and roasting are often used interchangeably, but roasting usually implies cooking at a higher temperature—at least at the beginning—to get the surface of the foods to brown.

Baste – To moisten food during cooking with pan drippings, sauce, or other liquid to prevent them from drying out.

Battuto – A combination of chopped raw vegetables for saut้ing – typically carrots, celery, onion and/or garlic, and parsley—that is the foundation of many Italian sauces and other dishes.

Beat – To whip air into a mixture to make it light and fluffy.

Besamella (B้chamel) – A classic white sauce made with whole milk thickened with a white roux (see cooking methods) and flavored with aromatic vegetables; often used in lasagna.

Beurre Blanc – A rich butter sauce made by whisking butter into a reduction of white wine, white wine vinegar, and shallots, and fresh herbs or seasonings.

Blanch – Placing foods, usually vegetables, into boiling water for a few seconds, then removing them from the boiling water and placing them in very cold or ice water to stop the cooking process. Used to retain food’s color and flavor, and to loosen the skins of tomatoes.

Bocconcini – Fresh Italian mozzarella balls sold in a water or brine solution.

Boil – To cook in water or other liquid which is heated to a rapid boil.

Bouillon cube – A dehydrated stock or broth sold in prepacked cubes, used to make instant broth or stock by rehydrating.

Bouquet Garni – A bundle of parsley stems, dried thyme, and a large bay leaf, tied together and left to float freely in broth, stock, or sauce.

Braise – To cook slowly in a small amount of liquid (also called stewing or pot roasting). Crockpots cook meats by braising. Helpful for tenderizing tough cuts of meats.

Broil – To cook at a high temperature with the food directly under a heat source, usually a gas flame or an electric coil that is above the food.

Broth – Broth and stock are interchangeable terms and mean a flavorful liquid made by gently cooking meat, seafood, or vegetables, often with herbs, in water.

Caramelize – The flavor of many foods, including vegetables, meats, and seafood, is often enhanced by a gentle browning that caramelizes natural sugars and other compounds and intensifies their flavor.

Chiffonade – A way of cutting large leaf herbs that produce fine ribbons obtained by tightly rolling the leaves and slicing across in thin cuts.

Chop – To cut into pieces from very fine (minced) to coarse.

Cioppino A fish stew usually made with white wine and tomatoes.

Clarified butter – Also known as ghee. Made by removing the water and milk solids in butter leaving only the clear fat, can be purchase at most larger grocery stores.

Colander – A perforated bowl made of metal or plastic that is used to strain foods - such as pasta.

Compound butter – Whole butter combined with herbs or other seasonings and used to sauce grilled or broiled meats or flavor vegetables.

Cure – To treat with an ingredient, usually salt and/or sugar, originally for the purpose of preserving foods by protecting them from bacteria, molds, etc.

Deglaze – To add liquid to a pan in which foods have been saut้ed or roasted in order to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. The purpose of deglazing is to make a quick sauce or gravy for a roast, steak, chop, or a piece of seafood fillet or steak.

Degrease – To remove the fat that forms on the tops of simmering broths, sauces, jus, and braising liquids.

Dice – To cut into cubes; unlike chopping, which cuts foods into irregular pieces.

Dredge – To coat a food with flour, bread crumbs or any fine ingredient for coating.

Dutch oven – A cast-iron or other oven-proof pot used for the preparation of stews, braises, and pot-roasts.

Emulsion – The blending of two liquids, such as oil and water that normally do not mix well, until smooth by incorporating air into the blend by whisking or blending, such as mayonnaise, vinaigrettes and b้chamel sauce.

Fold – To incorporate a lighter food (often whipped cream) into a denser food without deflating, to make a light mixture.

Frittata – An Italian baked omelet.

Garnish – To add an interesting and completely edible item to a plate to make it look more attractive.

Gnocchi – A starchy dumpling usually made from potatoes.

Gratin -A gratin is really the same thing as a casserole, except a gratin is usually baked in a special oval, shallow dish.

Gravy – A gravy is an American-style jus that has been thickened with a roux. This roux can be made using butter and flour or by cooking flour into some of the fat skimmed off the jus. Cornstarch mixed with a little water can also be whisked into the jus and the jus brought to a simmer to get the cornstarch to thicken

Grill – To cook above the heat source (charcoal or gas grill) in the open air.

Grind – To pass meats or nuts through a grinder or a food processor to reduce to small pieces.

Julienne – To cut into long thin matchstick size strips.

Kosher Salt – is a coarse salt that does not contain magnesium carbonate.

Lard – Animal fat used for cooking in place of butter. To lard is to insert strips of fat into a dry cut of meat using a utensil called a larding needle. Larding makes the cooked meat more succulent and tender.

Liqueur – A spirit flavored with fruit, spices, nuts, herbs, or seeds and is usually sweet.

Mandoline – A slicer that can be fitted with diverse cutting blades slice vegetables in a variety of ways.

Marinade – A mixture of ingredients used to flavor and moisten foods. Liquid marinades are usually acidic-based and dry marinades are usually salt-based.

Marinate – To soak food in a seasoned liquid mixture for a certain length of time. The purpose of marinating is to add flavor and/or tenderize the food.

Marsala – An Italian fortified wine made in the vicinity of Marsala in Sicily.

Meringue – Egg whites beaten until they are stiff, with added sugar or sugar syrup, used as a topping or shaped and baked until stiff.

Mince – To chop until very fine.

Mirepoix –A mixture of diced vegetables, usually onion, carrot and celery, that is often saut้ed in butter to form a base for many sauces, soups and stews

Panfry – Cooking pieces of meat, seafood, or large pieces of vegetables in a hot pan, turning with tongs or a spatula only once or twice rather than continuous stirring.

Pan gravy – A sauce made by deglazing pan drippings from a roast and combining them with a roux or other starch and additional stock.

Papillote – Food wrapped in parchment paper or aluminum foil and baked in an oven where it will steam in its own moisture and that of any vegetable added.

Parboil – To partially cook in boiling water.

Parchment paper – Heat-resistant paper used in baking to line pans. It does not need to be buttered or greased.

Paring knife – A short knife used for paring and trimming fruits and vegetables. Its blade is usually 2 to 4 inches long.

Pasta – The Italian generic name for all forms of pastes made from a mixture of flour, semolina, and whole eggs or egg whites.

Pastasciutta – Literally “dry pasta,” meaning fresh or dried pasta with sauce (as opposed to a soup or a baked pasta dish).

Pesto – From the Italian pestare, a verb that means to pound or crush. Pesto is traditionally made of crushed fresh basil leaves pounded with garlic, Pecorino, either pine nuts for walnuts, and olive oil.

Poach – To gently cook food completely submerged in barely simmering liquid.

Puree – To blend or strain foods until they are completely smooth.

Quick bread – Bread made with chemical leaveners, which work more quickly than yeast.

Ragừ – A complex meat sauce that may or may not contain tomato.

Ramekin – A small, ovenproof dish, usually ceramic.

Reduce or Reduction sauce – 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.

Resting – Roasted meats allowed to rest in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil. Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become reabsorbed back in the meat and to maintain its moisture during carving.

Roast – Cooking with a very hot, dry heat to create a golden brown crust on the outside while moist on the inside.

Roux – A mixture of flour and butter used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies. Usually the butter is cooked with the flour in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Most roux are white roux, made by cooking the flour for only a minute or two. Brown roux—made by cooking the flour until pale brown to dark brown—is also used in many recipes, especially Cajun cooking.

Sabayon –A light, frothy mixture made by beating egg yolks with water or other liquid over gentle heat. Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, a sweet liquor (usually Marsala wine), and sometimes cream or whole eggs. .

Saut้ – To cook over high heat in a small amount of fat in a saut้ pan or skillet.

Sear – To brown the surface of pieces of meats and/or fish by submitting them to intense initial heat.

Sea salt – A coarse salt produced by evaporating sea water.

Semolina – The coarsely milled hard wheat endosperm used for gnocchi, some pasta, and couscous.

Shallot – A member of the onion family, but with a milder flavor and smaller in size – similar to a large clove of garlic.

Shred – To cut into fine strips. Shredding is similar to cutting into chiffonade but less precise.

Simmer – To maintain the temperature of a liquid just below boiling.

Skim – To lift and discard any unwanted foam or fat from the surface of a stock, broth, sauce, or soup.

Sommelier – The wine steward or waiter in charge of wine.

Sorbet – A frozen dessert made with fruit juice or another flavoring, a sweetener (usually sugar), and beaten egg whites, which prevent the formation of large ice crystals.

Spring-form pan – A cake pan with a detachable bottom and a clamp on its side that can be released to easily unmold the cake often used for Tiramisu.

Steam – To cook in steam by suspending foods over (not in) boiling water, in a covered pot or steamer.

Stew – A cooking method nearly identical to braising but generally involving smaller pieces of meat and a shorter cooking time.

Stock – A rich meat, fish, or vegetable broth, used as a base for soups and sauces.

Sun-dried tomatoes – Plum tomatoes that have been dried slowly to produce a chewy, intensely flavorful sauce ingredient. They are available in both oil-packed and dry-packed. For many recipes, the dried tomatoes must be soaked in hot water to soften them before using.

Table salt – Refined, granulated rock salt.

Tomato paste – A concentrated essence of cooked tomatoes, sold in cans and tubes. It is commonly used to thicken and accent the flavor and color of sauces; however it is slightly bitter and should not be used alone or in large quantities.

Vinaigrette – The classic French salad dressing made of one part vinegar and three parts oil.

Whip – To beat a preparation with the goal of introducing air into it, often using a blender, mixer or balloon wire whisk.

White chocolate – Is the natural fat of the cacao bean, flavored with sugar and milk solids but no cocoa powder.

White sauce – Sauces made with milk, cream, butter and sometimes cheese.

Yogurt – Milk cultured with bacteria to give it a slightly thick consistency and sour flavor.

Zabaglione – A whipped custard made with egg yolks and sugar gradually diluted over heat with Marsala or other wine, fruit juice, or liqueur.

Zest – The thin, brightly colored outer part of the rind of citrus fruits containing aromatic oils.

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