Food Terms Glossary - Help Explain Cooking Jargon and Make Recipes Easier to Read

À la carte: Menu items portioned and priced separately from entrées.
À la mode: Dessert accompanied by ice cream.
Al dente: Italian term translated "to the tooth," meaning cooked through but firm.
Amuse-Bouche: A one-bite appetizer served at restaurants; meant to amuse the mouth.
Antipasto: Italian term for medley of small salad and meat dishes served as an appetizer.
Appetizers: Small portions of food often eaten with fingers; served prior to a meal or on their own as a meal.
Au jus: Meat dishes served with their natural pan juices as the sauce.

Bain-marie: A container placed in a hot water bath to keep sauces and foods warm.
Bake: To cook in the oven.
Balsamic Vinegar: Popular Italian vinegar made from Trebbiano grapes used frequently in dressings and cooking.
Beat: To mix either by hand or with an electric mixer until ingredients are combined.
Béchamel Sauce: A classic white sauce made by cooking a roux and whisking in milk and seasoning until thickened.
Beurre Manié: A paste made of equal parts butter and flour added to a sauce to thicken it.
Blanch: To cook, usually vegetables, in a pot of salted, boiling water until tender.
Blind Bake: To pre-bake a tart or pie dough until slightly dried prior to adding a wet filling to maintain crispiness of shell.
Bouquet Garnis: A bundle of herbs including bay leaf, parsley stem, peppercorns and thyme used for seasoning.
Braise: To cook in a small amount of simmering liquid and seasonings in a covered pan either on the stovetop or in the oven.
Brine: A solution of water and salt used to season and tenderize meats and poultry prior to cooking.
Bruschetta: A large freshly made crouton used as the base for appetizers often topped with a fresh tomato-basil relish.
Buffalo Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella made from the milk of buffalo, commonly served with Caprese Salad.
Butterfly: To cut a fillet into a thinner piece by slicing it horizontally and opening it up.

Canapé: A bite-size hors d'oeuvre with a round crouton for the base.
Caprese: A popular Italian salad with fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and olive oil.
Caramelize: To cook sugar, produce, fish or meat until the food browns naturally.
Carpaccio: Meat, fish or a vegetable dish sliced paper-thin and served raw.
Casserole: Both a type of baking dish and a type of meal that fits into one dish.
Cast-Iron Cookware: A cooking material that must be "seasoned" before the first use, used frequently for frying food.
Chateaubriand: Center-cut portion of beef tenderloin.
Chef: Master cook
Chef's Knife: The most frequently used knife for chopping and slicing, often 8"-10" in length.
Chop: To cut into consistent-sized pieces.
Clarify: To purify butter and stocks by simmering until residue floats to the top and can be skimmed off.
Compote: A cooked fruit sauce, either cold or warm, made with one or more fruits and seasonings served with sweet or savory foods.
Compound Butter: Butter with a flavoring incorporated into it; frequently herbs.
Consommé: A stock that has been clarified with a mixture of egg whites, chopped vegetables and ground poultry or meat.
Copper Cookware: Superior heat conductor and cools quickly.
Coulis: A smooth fruit sauce of pureed fruit.
Court Bouillon: Aromatic liquid in which fish is cooked.
Crème Anglaise: Classic egg based vanilla sauce for desserts.
Crème Chantilly: Whipped cream flavored with vanilla and sugar.
Crouton: Bread cut into desired shape, seasoned, and toasted in the oven until crisp.
Crudités: Vegetables cut into sticks and served with sauce as an appetizer.
Cured: Preserving meat by removing moisture with salt and aging.
Custard: A classic dish, either sweet or savory, made from eggs and milk or cream, baked in a water bath until set.

Deglaze: To scrape the bits of flavorings from sauteéd meat or poultry onto the bottom of the pan while adding wine, liquor, stock or water and reducing the liquid.
Demi-glace: A thick, potent reduction made from veal stock used in sauces.
Dice: To cut into consistent-size cube shapes.
Dredge: To dip food lightly into a dry item such as flour or breadcrumbs before frying.
Dutch Oven: A covered pot used frequently to braise meats and make stews.
Du Jour: Literally, "of the day." The daily special on the menu.

Edamame: Fresh soybeans.
Emulsify: To incorporate items that naturally don't come together using a binding agent like egg yolk or mustard.
Enamel Cookware: Pans and casserole dishes coated in enamel, often brightly colored, and frequently brought from the stovetop or oven directly to the table.
Entrée: Main course.
EVOO: Abbreviation for extra virgin olive oil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olive oil taken from the first crop of olives and cold pressed to extract the oil.

Fillet: A cut of fish, poultry or meat removed from the bone.
Flambé: To ignite liquor in the saucepan when making a sauce.
Foie Gras: Considered a delicacy, the fattened liver of a goose soaked in milk and then cooked.
Fold: A technique using a spatula to delicately incorporate foods by gently lifting and rotating rather than beating.
Food Mill: A culinary tool used to purée foods such as potatoes and soups.
Frenched: To trim the fat completely off chops to expose the bone.
Fumet: Fish stock.

Garnish: To decorate the finished plate or platter.
Gelatin: A substance that when dissolved with a liquid and chilled turns semi-solid. Used frequently in desserts and terrines.
Glaze: A glossy sauce thickened by an ingredient containing sugar.
Gluten: A component in flour that toughens if over-processed.
Gratin: A layered vegetable dish baked in the oven until brown, frequently finished with grated cheese on top.

Hollandaise: A warm emulsified sauce flavored with lemon frequently used for egg dishes and vegetables.
Hors d'Oeuvre: An appetizer served at parties in lieu of a full meal or prior to dinner with drinks.

Ice Bath: Ice water used to quickly stop the cooking of many foods that have been boiled such as eggs, vegetables, and crustaceans.
Infusion: Flavoring a liquid by simmering it with a seasoning.
Iodized Salt: Processed salt to which iodine has been added.

Jerk: A spicy Caribbean blend of seasonings used with poultry and meats.
Julienne: To cut vegetables into matchstick-size pieces.

Kebob: Skewered ingredients cooked on the grill or broiled.
Kosher Salt: Coarse salt that meets kosher guidelines; popular in cooking and curing.

Lard: Animal fat used for cooking.
Liaison: A binding element for sauces.
Lyonnaise: In the style of Lyon, France, and including sautéed onions.

Mandoline: Tool for cutting and slicing vegetables in a variety of ways.
Marinate: To flavor food with a combination of liquid and seasonings prior to cooking.
Medallions: Meat cut into round pieces, often from the tenderloin.
Meringue: A combination of beaten egg whites and sugar; used both raw and cooked in many desserts.
Milanese: An Italian term referring to meat thinly pounded and often breaded.
Mince: To finely chop, almost into a paste.
Mirepoix: A combination of chopped vegetables, traditionally onion, carrots and celery.
Mis en Place: A French culinary principle meaning "everything in its place."
Mousse: A combination of flavoring, stiffly beaten egg whites, sugar and optional whipped cream, folded together and chilled.

Napoléons: A classic French dish, either sweet or savory, layering pre-baked, thin rectangles of puff pastry with flavored mousse or pastry cream.
Niçoise: In the style of Nice, France, including native ingredients such as olives.

Organic: Any food product grown or raised without man-made chemicals or pesticides added to the soil or directly to the product.
Overbeat: To go beyond the desired point of beating, deterring from the finished product.

Panko Bread Crumbs: Coarse Japanese-style dried bread crumbs.
Parchment Paper: Paper safe for cooking and non-stick baking.
Paring Knife: Small, sharp knife used for peeling fruits and vegetables.
Pasteurized: Products that have undergone a heating and cooling process to kill and prohibit the growth of bacteria.
Pastry Bag: A lined cloth or plastic bag used to pipe batters and decorate desserts.
Pastry Cream: A starch-bound custard used as a filling for various desserts.
Pâté: A blend of either cooked meats, fat, and seasonings pureed to desired consistency and served as an appetizer.
Phyllo Dough: A delicate pastry used for sweet and savory foods that is layered and coated with butter, shaped and baked.
Piccata: A classic Italian lemon, butter and caper sauce.
Pinch: An amount less than 1/8th of a teaspoon.
Poach: To cook food by barely covering it in water and gently simmering.
Primavera: A dish containing a medley of spring vegetables.
Puff Pastry: A rich, buttery pastry used for sweet and savory foods cooked at high heat that puffs upon baking.
Puree: To blend thoroughly until smooth with a blender or food processor.

Quenelle: A type of fish mousse in the shape of an egg traditionally poached or baked.
Quiche: A dish baked in an 8"-10" pie pan with a crust, filled with custard and the desired flavourings.

Ragout: A meat and vegetable sauce cooked for hours to concentrate flavor.
Ramekin: Small, oven-safe cups used commonly for baking custards and individual soufflés.
Reduction: Liquid boiled until its flavor is concentrated and the texture is thickened.
Relish: A mixture of chopped vegetables or fruits used as a condiment or sauce.
Rest: After baking, to wait the specified time prior to carving to maintain juiciness.
Rotisserie: A device that rotates food slowly in circles over the heat source.
Roulade: A sweet or savory dish that is filled or stuffed and rolled into a tube shape.
Roux: A thickening agent comprised of melted butter and flour cooked together.

Sauce: A liquid thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Sauté: To cook with some form of fat in a skillet over high heat.
Savory: Foods that contain flavorings and seasonings not sweet in nature.
Sea Salt: Salt crystals from the ocean that are air-dried and usually not treated with iodine.
Sear: To cook in a hot pan until a crust is formed and meat is colored.
Simmer: Liquid has reached the boiling point and heat is lowered to a gentle bubble.
Simple Syrup: Equal parts sugar and water boiled until the sugar dissolves.
Slice: To cut across food and into thin, even pieces.
Soft Peak: Egg whites beaten until they are still fairly wet but can hold a peak.
Soufflé: A sweet or savory dish made from a roux, flavoring and beaten egg white, baked until puffy and voluminous.
Stainless Steel Cookware: A rust proof, non-reactive metal that often has a layer of copper or aluminium inside to conduct heat better.
Stiff Peak: Egg whites beaten past the soft peak point until they are drier in texture and the peak holds without falling.
Stock: Broth made from any combination of vegetables, poultry, meat, seasoning and water.

Tart: A sweet or savory dish with a bottom crust and no top, similar to quiche, baked in a special tart pan.
Tartare: A dish of fish or meat served raw and finely chopped.
Terrine: A dish formed in a rectangular mold, layered and cut into slices.
Twine: String used to hold together food when cooking.
Truffle: A rare and expensive tuberous mushroom grown underground, native to France and Italy. They can be black or white in variety.
Truss: To tie poultry or meat with twine to hold the shape while cooking.

Unsalted Butter: Butter without added salt, commonly used in baking and cooking.

Veloute: A sauce made from a roux and chicken stock.
Vinaigrette: A mixture of vinegar, oil and seasonings for salads and vegetables.

Whipped: Either using a hand whisk or electric beater, to incorporate air and increase the volume.
Wire Whisk: A useful hand tool to whip eggs, cream and batters.

Xanthan Gum: A thickening agent used in some dairy and processed food made from corn sugar.

Yeast Dough: Dough containing yeast that requires a process of kneading, resting and rising.

Zabaglione: A warm emulsified sauce made from egg yolks, sugar and liquor.
Zest: The colored part of citrus fruit containing the essential oils.