Glossary of Cooking Terms

Bake:

Cook by dry heat, either covered or uncovered, in an oven or oven-type appliance.

Barbacue:

Cook over an open fire on a spit, or in an oven, usually basting with a savory sauce.

Baste:

Moisten food as it cooks, with pan drippings, fruit juice, fat, or a sauce. Prevents drying of food surface and adds flavour.

Beat:

To make a mixture smooth by introducing air with a brisk over and over motion using a spoon, or a rotary motion using an egg beater (whisk) or an electric beater.

Blanch:

To preheat in boiling water or steam. Cook in, or simply cover with, boiling water for a few minutes, in order to make food easier to peel, or as a preliminary to freezing (vegetables), or in order to precook food before further preparation (canning).

Blend:

To combine two or more ingredients thoroughly.

Boil:

To cook in boiling liquid in which bubbles rise vigorously to the surface. The boiling point of water is 212 degrees F. at sea level.

Braise:

To cook slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan.

Bread:

To coat with flour, then dip into slightly diluted beaten egg or milk, and finally coat with bread, cereal ro cracker crumbs.

Broil:

To cook by exposure to direct heat, under a broiler or over hot coals.

Caramelize:

To melt sugar, slowly over low heat without burning, until it melts and becomes brown in colour.

Chop:

To cut food into small pieces with a knife.

Clarify:

To make a liquid (stock, broth, butter) clear by skimming away or filtering out fat or other impurities.

Coat:

To cover food evenly with flour, crumbs or batter.

Coddle:

To cook food slowly in water just below the boiling point.

Compote:

Fruit stewed or cooked in syrup, usually served as a dessert.

Cool:

To let food stand at room temperature until it is no longer warm to the touch.

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 the mixture is light and fluffy. (Used principally to describe the combining of butter and sugar for a cake.)

Cube:

To cut a solid into cubes of about 1/2 inch or more.

Cut In:

To mix evenly a solid fat into dry ingredients (e.g. shortening and flour) by chopping with two knives or a pastry blender.

Deep-Fry:

To deep-fry, requires using enough fat to cover the food completely. See Fry.

Dice:

To cut a solid into cubes of 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

Dot:

Scatter small amounts of specified ingredients - usually butter - on top of food.

Dredge:

To cover or coat food with flour or a similar fine, dry substance, such as cracker crumbs or cornmeal.

Dust:

To sprinkle lightly with flour or sugar.

Fillet:

A piece of meat, poultry or fish without bones.

Flake:

To break food into small pieces, usually with a fork.

Flute:

To make decorative indentations around the edge of pastries, fruits or vegetables.

Fold:

To combine two ingredients. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, go down through the mixture on the far side of the bowl, bring the spoon across the bottom of the bowl and up the near side, turn the mixture over on the top. Turn bowl slightly and repeat until mixture is blended. (as in blending beaten egg white or whipped cream into a thicker, heavier mixture.)

Fry or Pan-Fry or Deep-Fry:

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

Glaze:

To coat with a smooth mixture to give food a glossy appearance.

Grate:

To rub food against a grater to form small particles.

Grill:

To cook on a rack over hot coals or other direct heat. (see Broil)

Grind:

To reduce to particles in a grinder, blender or food processor.

Julienne:

To cut meat, vegetables or fruit into long matchlike strips.

Knead:

To manipulate with a pressing motion accompanied by folding and streching. For yeast bread: fold dough toward you, push dough away using the heel of your hand. Rotate 1/4 turn and repeat. For tea biscuits: Knead as per yeast bread, but for less time and with less vigour.

Marinate:

Soak in a liquid containing an acid such as lemon juice, vinegar or wine, plus seasonings and sometimes oil. Used to flavour and tenderize meat, fish and poultry. The liquid is called a marinade.

Mince:

To cut or chop into very small pieces, but smaller than diced.

Mix:

To combine ingredients until evenly distributed.

Panbroil:

To cook uncovered on a hot surface removing fat as it accumulates.

Parboil:

To cook food in a boiling liquid until partially done. Cooking is usually completed by some other method. (see Blanch)

Pare:

To remove outer covering of a fruit or vegetable with a knife.

Peel:

To remove or slip off outer covering of fruit or vegetable.

Poach:

To cook slowly in simmering liquid such as water or milk. (Such as eggs, fish, chicken, fruit and other delicate foods in hot liquid at a temperature below the boiling point.)

Puree:

To put food through a sieve, blender or food mill to produce a thick pulp or paste with juice, of smooth, uniform consistency. (as in a sieve, food mill, potato ricer, or electric blender.)

Reduce:

To rapidly boil down the volume of a liquid to concentrate flavour.

Roast:

To cook meat in an uncovered pan by dry heat in an oven.

Saute:

To brown or cook food in a small amount of hot fat. (see fry).

Scald:

To heat milk to just below the boiling point, when tiny bubbles appear around the edge of the pan; to dip certain foods briefly into boiling water (see blanche).

Score:

To make shallow slits into the surface of a food in a diamond or rectangular pattern using a shape knife or a fork.

Sear:

To brown and seal surface of meat quickly with intense heat.

Shred:

To cut into long, thin strips with a knife or shredder.

Simmer:

To cook in liquid just below the boiling point; bubbles form slowly and burst before reaching surface.

Sliver:

To cut into long thin pieces with a knife; e.g. almonds or pimento.

Steam:

To cook in a covered container above boiling water, without letting the water touch the food, which is contained in a colander or in a mold on a rack. Sometimes means cooking in the top of a double boiler over boiling water; or in a very small amount of boiling water in a saucepan.

Steep:

To let stand for a few minutes in water that has just been boiled to enhance flavour and colour.

Stew:

To simmer slowly in liquid deep enough to cover.

Stir:

To mix ingredients in a circular motion until blended with uniform consistancy.

Stir Fry:

To cook in a frypan or wok over high heat in a small amount of fat, tossing or stirring constantly.

Toast:

To brown with dry heat in an oven or toaster.

Whip:

To beat rapidly with a wire whisk, beater or mixer to incorporate ait to lighten and increase volume.