Cooking terms

AllenOK

New member
I saw a thread yesterday, where a member mentioned something about all the different terms used in cooking.

I will admit, being "in the business", that I am constantly using foreign terms, usually French. Here is a list of terms that I have. Hopefully this will make understanding some recipes easier.

Al Denté: pasta cooked “to the tooth”, an expression meaning that the pasta is still firm in the center.
Au sec: French term that means “almost dry”, used in reducing liquids in a pan until there is barely any left.
Bake: to cook an item by surrounding it with hot air, usually applied to breads, pastries, vegetables, and fish.
Barding: tying pieces of fat (i.e. fatback, bacon, etc.) over or around a piece of meat with little or no natural fat cover to protect it while cooking.
Batonnet: to cut into a long, thin, shape, ¼ x ¼ x 2 ½”.
Blanch: to briefly cook items in liquid, usually water but sometimes oil, to parcook the food item.
Boil: to cook in a liquid that is bubbling rapidly and is greatly agitated, 212°F (100°C) at sea level.
Bouquet garni: a term generally used for a sachet that contains no spices, just herbs and aromatic vegetables, usually tied into a bundle.
Braise: to cook an item is a small amount of liquid, usually after browning it first.
Break: usually applied to a sauce or emulsification, meaning that it the fat has separated from the liquid.
Broil: to cook with radiant heat from above.
Brunoise: 1/8” dice.
Chiffonade: to cut leafy herbs and leafy greens, by rolling into a cigar shape, then slicing as thinly as possible.
Chop: to cut into irregular shaped pieces.
Chow: to stir-fry, Chinese style.
Dice: to cut into a cube shape.
En Papillote: to cook a food, wrapped tightly in paper or parchment, so that it actually steams in it’s own vapor.
Deep-fry: to cook a food submerged in hot fat.
Deglaze: to swirl a liquid in a sauté pan, roasting pan, or other pan to dissolve cooked particles (fond) remaining on the bottom of the pan.
Fond: cooked particles or liquids coating the inside of a pan in a “glaze”.
Glaze: to give shine to the surface of a food by applying a sauce, aspic, sugar, or icing, and/or by browning or melting under a broiler or in an oven.
Grill: to cook with dry heat from below, on a grid.
Griddle: to cook with dry heat from below, on a large solid metal surface.
Julienne: to cut into a long, thin, shape, 1/8 x 1/8 x 2 ½”.
Larding: inserting strips of fat with a larding needle into meats with little or no marbling.
Marinate: to immerse a food item into a seasoned liquid to allow the liquid to penetrate and flavor the food.
Mince: to cut into very fine pieces.
Mirepoix: a 1:1:2 mixture of chopped celery, onions, and carrots, respectively.
Napé: a liquid thickened just enough to cover the back of a spoon.
Pan-broil: same as griddling, except done is a pan.
Pan-fry: to cook in a moderate amount of fat.
Parcook: to briefly cook a food item, for some purpose, to either help in preparation, or to reduce a cooking time later.
Parboil: to partially cook an item in a boiling or simmering liquid.
PDC: abbreviation that stands for “Peeled, Deveined, and Cooked”, usually used for shrimp.
Poach: to cook in a liquid, usually a small amount, that is hot but not actually bubbling, 160 - 180°F (71 - 82°C).
Pomme-frite (French Fry): 1/3 - ½” square x 3” long.
Pressure-frying: to deep-fry an item in a specially designed covered fryer that will trap the steam and hold it under pressure.
Reduce: to cook by simmering or boiling until the quantity of liquid is decreased, often to concentrate flavors.
Roast: to cook an item by surrounding it with hot air, applied to meats and poultry.
Sachet: a small bundle of whole herbs and spices, tied loosely into a piece of cheesecloth.
Sauté: to cook quickly in a small amount of fat.
Sear: to brown the surface of a food quickly at a high temperature.
Simmer: to cook in a liquid that is bubbling very gently, 185 - 205°F (85 - 96°C).
Steam: to cook food by exposing it to direct contact with steam, either in a pressurized steamer, or over a kettle of boiling water.
Stew: to simmer a food or foods in a small amount of liquid, which is usually served with the food as a sauce.
Sweat: to cook slowly in fat without browning, sometimes under a cover.
 
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