Cooking Terms and What They Mean

Cooking Terms

Al dente: Describes pasta that is cooked only till it offers a slight
resistance to bite.
Baste: To moisten foods during cooking with pan drippings or
a special sauce in order to add flavor and prevent drying.
Beat: To make the mixture smooth by briskly whipping or stirring
it with a spoon, wire whisk, rotary beater, or electric mixer.
Blanch: To partially cook fruits, veggies, or nuts in boiling water
or steam to prepare for canning or freezing.
Butterfly: To split foods such as shrimp or steak through the
middle without completely separating the halves, then spreading
the halves to resemble a butterfly.
Coat: To evenly cover food with crumbs, flour, or a batter.
Crisp-tender: Describes veggies cooked until they are just tender
but still somewhat crisp.
Cut in: To combine shortening with dry ingredients using a pastry
blender or two knives.
Dash: An ingredient measure that equals about 1/8 of a teaspoon.
Dissolve: To stir a dry substance in a liquid till no solids remain.
Heating the liquid first is sometimes needed.
Dollop: To place a scoop or spoonful of a semi-liquid, such as
whipped cream, on top of another food.
Fillet: To cut lean meat or fish into pieces without bones.
Flake: To brake foods gently into small pieces.
Fold: To gently mix ingredients, using a folding motion. With
a spatula, cut down through the mixture; cut across the bottom
of the bowl, then up and over, close to the surface. Turn the
bowl frequently for even distribution.
Garnish: To add visual appeal to finished food by decorating
it with small pieces of food or edible flowers.
Glaze: To brush a mixture on a food to give it a glossy
appearance or a hard finish.
Grind: To use a food grinder or food processor to cut food
such as meat or fruit into fine pieces.
Knead: To work dough with the heel of your hand in a pressing
and folding motion.
Melt: To heat a solid food till it is a liquid.
Mull: To slowly heat beverages.
Pan-broil: To cook meats in a skillet without added fat , removing
any fat as it accumulates.
Pan-fry: To cook foods in a small amount of hot fat.
Partially set: A mixture chilled until its consistency resembles
unbeaten egg whites.
Puree: To chop food into a liquid or heavy paste in a blender
or food processor.
Reduce: To boil liquids such as pan juices or sauces rapidly so
that some of the liquid evaporates, thickening the mixture.
Sauté: To cook or brown food in a small amount of hot fat.
Score: To cut narrow grooves or slits part way through the
outer surface of food.
Shuck: To remove the shells or husks from foods.
Skim: To remove melted fat or other substance from the surface
of a liquid.
Stew: To cook food in liquid for a long time till tender, usually
in a covered pot.
Whip: To beat food lightly and rapidly using a wire whisk, rotary
beater, or electric mixer to incorporate air into the mixture and
increase it's volume.