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    Home » Glossary

    An A-Z Of Cooking Terms

    Published: Sep 14, 2020 · Modified: Sep 4, 2021 by Geetanjali · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    An A-Z of common cooking terms: Trying recipes can be challenging without knowing some common cooking-related terms. If you are a beginner or just confused about some culinary terminologies, our glossary of common cooking terms is here to help you out. Some of the most common are defined here.

    Common Cooking Terms

    Al dente: To cook food until just firm, usually referring to pasta, but can include vegetables, rice, & beans too.

    Bake: Cook food using dry heat without exposure to a flame.

    Baste: To pour melted fat or juices over meat or other foods while cooking in order to keep it moist.

    Batter: A mixture of flour, liquid, and sometimes with other ingredients of a thin, creamy, consistency.

    Beat: To stir vigorously in a circular motion to make a smooth mixture, using a whisk, spoon, mixer, or food processor.

    Blanch: Food is briefly immersed in boiling water followed by ice water to soften, stop enzyme action, or loosen the skin.

    Blend: To combine together thoroughly two or more ingredients by hand, with a blender, or by using an electric mixer.

    Boil: To heat a liquid until many bubbles appear on the surface.

    Braise: To cook first by sauteing the food in butter or oil, then gently simmering in a small amount of liquid over low heat for a long period of time.

    Broil: To expose food to direct radiant heat either on a grill over live coals or below a gas burner or electric coil.

    Brown: To cook the food over high heat (usually on the stove-top) to give it a brown color.

    Caramelize: To heat sugar until it melts and becomes a syrup.

    Chop: To cut foods into fine or coarse cut pieces, usually specified by the recipe.

    Coat: To cover a food with or dipping it into an ingredient such as flour, egg, breadcrumbs, or sauce.

    Cream: To beat ingredients solid fat until soft, smooth and fluffy.

    Cube: Cut food into small pieces, usually about ⅓ to ½  inch.

    Curdle: To break or separate a liquid food by acid or excessive heat.

    Dash: A liquid measurement which is approximately ⅛ teaspoon.

    Dice: To cut into small pieces of equal size so that the food is evenly cooked.

    Dollop: A small amount of a soft semi-solid food item placed on top of another food.

    Dough: A thick mixture of flour and liquid and sometimes with other ingredients that form a soft, thick mass. 

    Dredge: To lightly coat food with a dry mixture prior to cooking, usually with flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs, to be pan-fried or sautéed.

    Dress: To coat wet or moist foods with a sauce with dry ingredients such as salad. Also sometimes denotes a special method of preparation, that looks as attractive as possible.

    Drizzle: To pour liquid in a thin stream or to fall in fine drops over a food, usually melted butter, oil, syrup, or melted chocolate.

    Dust: To coat lightly with powdery ingredients, such as confectioners’ sugar or cocoa.

    Fillet: A boneless piece of meat, poultry, or fish.

    Flambe: To drizzle a flammable spirit such as alcohol over food while cooking, to create a burst of flame. 

    Fold: Gently combine light and airy ingredients with a heavier one, using an over-and-under motion.

    Fry: To cook in hot fat or oil either by shallow-frying with a small quantity of fat or by deep-frying with a sufficient amount of fat by covering the food completely.

    Garnish: An edible decoration added to a savory or sweet dish to improve its appearance.

    Glaze: To coat foods with mixtures such as jellies or sauces.

    Grate: Creates tiny pieces of food, best for things like cheese to melt quickly or a vegetable used in a sauce.

    Grease: To coat the interior of a pan or dish with shortening, oil, or butter to prevent food from sticking during cooking.

    Grind: To reduce hard food such as pulses, lentils, rice, and so forth, to a fine or coarse paste in a grinder or blender. 

    Julienne: Cutting vegetables until long, thin strips, approximately ¼ inch thick and 1 inch long.

    Knead: The process of mixing dough with the hands or a mixer

    Marinate: To soak in a sauce or flavoured liquid for a long period of time, usually meat, poultry or fish.

    Mince: To cut as small as possible, most commonly used with garlic.

    Pan Fry: Cook larger chunks of food over medium-heat, flipping once only.

    Parboil: To partially cook by boiling, usually to prepare the food for cooking by another method.

    Patty: A small individual pie

    Poach: To cook gently over very low heat, in barely simmering water just to cover.

    Pinch: An amount that could literally pinch between your forefinger and thumb. Which is somewhere between 1/16 and ⅛ teaspoon.

    Puree: To mash or grind food until completely smooth.

    Roast: To cook food using dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat sources.

    Rub in: To incorporate the ingredients using the fingertips.

    Saute: To cook small pieces of food in an open pan with hot oil, usually to prevent it from sticking.

    Scald: To heat a liquid until just below the boiling point.

    Sear: To cook the surface of meat or seafood over high heat until a browned crust forms in order to seal in the meat’s juices.

    Seasoning: The process of adding salts, herbs, spices to food to enhance the flavor.

    Shred: Cutting food into thin slices or pieces using a sharp knife, food processor, or grater.

    Sift: To shake a dry ingredient through a sieve or flour sifter to remove lumps.

    Simmer: Bring a pot to a boil, then reduce the heat until there are no bubbles.

    Skewer: Fasten together pieces of food compactly on a specially designed long pin or stick for cooking.

    Skim: To remove fat or foam from the surface of a liquid.

    Slice: To cut vertically down into thin, uniform pieces, thickness sometimes specified by the recipe.

    Smidgen: It is half a pinch which is approximately 1/32 teaspoon.

    Steam: To cook food separate from the boiling water but has direct contact with the steam. Such as on a rack or in a steamer set over boiling or simmering water.

    Steep: To soak a dry ingredient in a liquid just under the boiling point to soften it and extract the flavor.

    Stew: To cook solid food ingredients covered over low heat in a liquid for a substantial period of time.

    Stir: To mix with circular action, usually with a spoon, fork, or spatula.

    Whip: To beat food with a whisk or mixer to incorporate air and increase volume.

    Whisk: To beat ingredients rapidly with a fork or a whisk into a light mixture.

    Zest: The outer, coloured peel of a citrus fruit.

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    Hi, I'm Geetanjali! I am the cook, photographer, and author behind Spoons Of Flavor. I focus on simple, affordable, and easy-to-follow recipes for everyday life.

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