Cooking Terms

Cooking Terms

1. Preparation

   • Bread-To cover a food with a coating of crumbs made from bread, crackers, or cereal. The food is often dipped in a liquid such as milk or egg before coating.
   • Grease • To rub shortening, fat, or oil, on the cooking surface of bake-ware. Use waxed paper or paper towel to spread a thin, even layer.
   • Brush-To spread a liquid coating on a food, using a pastry brush or paper towel.
   • Marinate-To soak in a seasoned liquid, called a marinade, to add flavor and/or to tenderize.
   • Dredge-• To cover a food with a dry ingredient such as flour or sugar. The food may be rolled in, sprinkled with, or shaken in a bag with the dry ingredient.
   • Sift• To put dry ingredients through a sifter or a fine sieve to incorporate air.
   • Flute-• To form a standing edge on a pastry, such as pie crust, before baking. Press the dough with your fingers to create this scalloped edge, or use a fork to “crimp” the edge.

2. Mixing

   • Beat-• To mix with an over-and-over motion, using a spoon, rotary, or electric beater.
     • Blend- To combine thoroughly two or more ingredients.
       • Combine-To mix together, usually by stirring, two or more ingredients.
         • Cream-To soften and blend until smooth and light by mixing with a spoon or an electric mixer.
           • Cut in-To mix solid shortening with flour by cutting the shortening into small pieces and mixing until it is completely covered with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender, two knives, or a fork.
             • Fold in-To combine a delicate mixture, such as beaten egg white or whipped cream, with a more solid material. Insert the edge of a spoon or rubber scraper vertically down through the middle of the mixture, slide it across the bottom of the bowl, bring it up with some of the mixture, and fold over on top of the rest. Continue slowly and gently, turning the bowl often, until all is evenly mixed.
               • Knead-• To work dough by folding, pressing, and turning, until it is smooth and elastic. Place dough on a floured board, fold it in half, and press firmly with the heels of your hands. Turn the dough about a quarter turn, and repeat the folding and pressing.
                 • Mix-To combine two or more ingredients, usually by stirring.
                   • Stir-To mix with a circular motion of a spoon or other utensil.
                     • Whip-To beat rapidly with a rotary beater, an electric mixer, or wire whisk; to incorporate air and make light and fluffy, as whipped cream or egg white

3. Cutting

   • Chop-To cut into small pieces
     • Core-To remove the core of a fruit with a corer or paring knife
       • Cube-To cut into small squares
         • Cut-To divide foods into small pieces with a knife or scissors.
           • Dice-To cut into very small cubes
             • Grate-To rub food, such as lemon or orange peel, against a grater to obtain fine particles.
               • Julienne=To cut food into long, thin strips
                 • Mash-To crush food until it becomes smooth.
                   • Mince-To cut into very small pieces with a sharp knife.
                     • Pare-To cut away the skin or a very thin layer of the outside of fruits or vegetables. Use a vegetable peeler or a knife.
                       • Score-To make thin, straight cuts through the outer edge of fat on meat to prevent the meat from curling during cooking.
                         • Scrape-To rub a vegetable, such as a carrot, with the sharp edge of a knife in order to remove only the outer layer of skin.
                           • Shred-To tear or cut into thin pieces or strips.
                             • Slice-To cut food into flat pieces.
                               • Silver-To cut in long, thin pieces.
                                 • Trim-To cut away most of the fat from the edges of meat.

4. Cooking Techniques

   • Bake • To cook in an oven or oven type appliance in a covered or uncovered pan.
     • Barbeque • To cook meat or poultry slowly over coals on a spit or in the oven, basting it often with a highly seasoned sauce.
       • Baste • To spread, brush, or pour liquid (such as sauce, drippings, melted fat, or marinade) over food while it is cooking. Use a baster, brush, or spoon.
         • Boil To cook in liquid, usually water, in which bubbles rise constantly and then break on the surface.
           • Braise To cook meat slowly, covered and in a small amount of liquid or steam.
             • Broil To cook under direct heat or over coals.
               • Brown To make the surface of a food brown in color by frying, broiling, baking in the oven, or toasting.
                 • Deep-fat fry-To cook in hot fat that completely covers the food.
                   • Dot To place small particles of a solid, such as butter, on the surface of a food.
                     • Fry To cook in hot fat.
                       • Pan-broil & Pan-fry To cook uncovered in an un-greased or lightly greased skillet, pouring off excess fat as it accumulates. To cook in an uncovered skillet with a small amount of fat.
                         • Poach To cook gently in hot liquid below the boiling point.
                           • Preheat To set the oven to cooking temperature in advance so that it has time to reach the desired temperature
                             • Roast To cook by dry heat, uncovered, usually in the oven.
                               • Saute To cook uncovered in a small amount of fat in a pan.
                                 • Scald To heat a liquid to just below the boiling point; or to pour boiling water over food or to dip food briefly into boiling water.
                                   • Sear To cook meat quickly at a high temperature until it becomes brown. Use a skillet with a small amount of fat, or the oven at a high temperature.
                                     • Simmer To cook in liquid just below the boiling point. The tiny bubbles that form should break before they reach the surface.
                                       • Steam To cook over steam rising from boiling water.
                                         • Steep To cover with boiling water and let stand without additional heating until flavor and color are extracted, as for tea.
                                           • Stew To cook slowly and for a long time in
                                             • Stir-fry To fry small pieces of food very quickly in a small amount of very hot oil while stirring constantly. Use a wok or skillet.
                                               • Toast To brown by direct heat in a toaster or in the oven.