Cooking Terminology | Sustainable Cooking

COOKING TERMINOLOGY

In this section you will find a comprehensive description of all the terms used in recipes on this site and many others making it easy to understand the reasons behind cooking methods and follow the recipes accurately.

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Agar-Agar: A gelatine-like substance made from seaweed, often used as a vegetarian thickener in desserts and jellies.
Al dente: Italian for "to the tooth"; pasta or vegetables that are firm to the bite.
A la carte: Menu style where each dish is ordered and priced separately.
Amuse-Bouche: A small, complimentary appetizer served before a meal.
Antipasto: An Italian appetizer typically including cured meats, cheeses, olives, and vegetables.
Aromatics: Ingredients like herbs and spices used to enhance flavour and aroma.
Aioli: Mediterranean garlic and olive oil sauce, sometimes with egg or lemon.
Arroser: To baste food, typically meat, with its own juices or other liquids to enhance flavour and prevent drying.
Aspic: A savory jelly, usually made from gelatine and meat stock, used to encase meat, fish, or vegetables in classic French cuisine.

Au Gratin: A dish topped with breadcrumbs or cheese and browned in the oven or under the broiler.

Bánh: A Vietnamese term that generally refers to cakes, pastries, or buns, such as "bánh mì" (sandwich) or "bánh xèo" (crispy pancake).
Bain-marie: A water bath for gentle cooking or keeping food warm.
Bard: Wrapping meat with fat to prevent drying during cooking.
Baste: Moistening food with drippings or marinade during cooking.
Béchamel: A white sauce made from milk, butter, aromatics and flour; one of the "mother sauces" in French cooking.
Beurre Blanc: A creamy, butter-based sauce made with vinegar or white wine, often served with fish or vegetables.
Béarnaise: A sauce made of clarified butter, egg yolks, vinegar reduction and herbs.
Blanch: Briefly boiling food then plunging it into ice water to halt cooking.
Blanchir: French for blanching or making white, often used with almonds.
Boudin: A type of sausage, often blood sausage in French and Cajun cuisines, but can refer to other sausage varieties as well.
Bouquet Garni: A bundle of herbs used to flavour soups and stews.
Braise: A cooking method where food is first browned, then slow cooked in liquid at a lower temperature.
Brine: A saltwater solution used to soak foods, particularly meat, to enhance moisture and flavour.
Broil: Cooking with direct exposure to radiant heat.
Brunoise: Finely diced vegetables, about 1/8 inch per side.
Butterfly: Cutting food to thin it out by opening it like a book.

Cacciatore: Italian for "hunter-style," a method of cooking meat with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and herbs.
Caramelize: Heating sugar until it liquefies and darkens; also for browning onions.
Carve: Slicing portions from large cuts of meat.
Ceviche: Fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices with seasonings.
Chiffonade: Cutting herbs or greens into thin ribbons.
Clarify: Removing impurities from a liquid, commonly for butter.
Concassé: Roughly chopped, peeled, and seeded tomatoes.
Compote: A dessert made by slow-cooking fruit in sugar, often served as a topping or side.
Confit: Slow-cooking food in its fat for preservation.
Consommé: A clear, richly flavoured soup.
Coulis: A thick puréed and strained sauce made from fruits or vegetables.
Crème brûlée: A dessert of custard topped with a hard layer of candied sugar.
Crepe: Thin French pancake, served with various fillings.
Crudités: A selection of raw vegetables served with a dip, typically enjoyed as an appetizer.
Crudo: Italian for "raw," referring to raw fish or meat served with minimal seasoning.
Cure: To preserve food by drying, salting, or smoking, often applied to meats and fish.

Dash: A small amount, typically used in the context of adding spices or liquid to taste.
Dashi: A Japanese broth made from kelp and bonito flakes, foundational in many Japanese dishes.
Dacquoise: A dessert with layers of nut-flavoured meringue and buttercream.
Deglaze: Adding liquid to dissolve food particles in a pan for sauce.
Degorge: To remove bitterness from vegetables by sprinkling them with salt and allowing them to release moisture.
Dehydrate: Removing moisture from food to preserve it.
Demi-Glace: A rich, reduced brown sauce often used as a base for other sauces in French cuisine.
Dice: Cutting food into small cubes.
Dock: Pricking pastry to prevent puffing during baking.
Dollop: To add a heaping spoonful of a semi-solid food like whipped cream or mashed potatoes.
Duxelles: A finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, onions, and herbs, often used as a filling for pastries and meats.
Dredge: Lightly coating food with a dry ingredient before cooking.

Éclair: A French pastry filled with cream and topped with icing, made from choux dough.
Emulsify: Combining two unmixable liquids into a stable mixture.
En papillote: Cooking food wrapped in paper or foil.
Espuma: Culinary foam created with a siphon, popular in molecular gastronomy.
Étouffée: A spicy Cajun or Creole dish with shellfish and rice.
Escabeche: A method of marinating and preserving fish or meat in an acidic sauce, commonly vinegar-based, used in Spanish and Latin cuisines.
Essence: A concentrated flavour extract used in small amounts to enhance dishes.
Espagnole: A basic brown sauce in French cooking made from a rich stock and roux, one of the "mother sauces."
Extract: A concentrated flavouring made by soaking ingredients, like vanilla beans, in alcohol.

Ferment: Converting carbohydrates to alcohol or acids using microorganisms.
Fillet: Boneless cut of meat or fish.
Fines Herbes: A French herb blend that includes parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil, typically used fresh in lighter dishes.
Florentine: A style of cooking with spinach as a primary ingredient, often applied to egg or fish dishes.
Flambé: Adding alcohol to a hot pan to ignite flames.
Fondant: Sweet, pliable icing used for cakes.
Fold: Gentle mixing to incorporate airy ingredients.
Froth: Whisking to create bubbles, often used in drinks.
Frangipane: An almond-flavoured filling used in pastries and tarts, made from ground almonds, butter, sugar, and eggs.
Fumet: A concentrated fish stock, often used in seafood-based dishes and sauces.

Ganache: A chocolate and cream mixture used as filling or glaze.
Garam Masala: A blend of ground spices common in Indian cuisine, including cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, adding warm and fragrant Flavors.
Galantine: A French dish made from deboned meat, often stuffed and poached, then served cold, usually in aspic.
Ghee: Clarified butter commonly used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking.
Glaze: Coating food with a glossy layer, often for shine or flavour.
Gougère: A savory pastry made from choux dough and cheese, often served as an appetizer in French cuisine.
Gratin: A dish topped with a browned crust, typically with cheese or breadcrumbs.
Gravlax: A Scandinavian dish of salmon cured with a mixture of salt, sugar, and dill.

Haricot: French for beans.
Harissa: A spicy North African paste made from chili peppers, garlic, and various spices, used as a condiment or flavour base.
Herbs de Provence: A blend of dried herbs typical of southern France, often including thyme, rosemary, and basil.
Hasselback: A preparation technique involving thin, partial cuts across vegetables or meat, creating a fan-like appearance when cooked.
Hollandaise: A rich, creamy sauce made from egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice or vinegar, classically served with asparagus or eggs Benedict.
Homogenize: The process of breaking down fat particles in liquid, often used in milk production to create a uniform texture.
Hull: Removing the outer husk or shell, typically from fruits or nuts.
Hors d'oeuvres: Small, bite-sized appetizers served before a meal.

Icing: A sweet coating, like frosting, for cakes or pastries.
Infuse: Steeping ingredients in liquid to release flavours.
Impastatura: Italian term for kneading dough to develop its structure.

Jardinière: A French term for a garnish or dish of mixed vegetables, often cut into baton shapes.
Jerky: Meat that has been trimmed, seasoned, and dried for preservation and as a snack.
Jus Gras: A rich, fatty sauce made from pan drippings and fat, typically used to accompany roasted meats.
Jus Lié: A thickened sauce made from meat juices and stock, finished with a starch for added body.
Julienne: Cutting food into thin, matchstick-sized strips.

Katsu: A Japanese style of breaded and deep-fried cutlet, usually made with pork or chicken.
Kimchi: A Korean dish of fermented and spiced cabbage and vegetables.
Knead: Working dough to develop gluten for elasticity.
Kombu: Edible kelp used in Japanese cooking, especially in dashi (broth) for its umami flavour.
Kosher salt: A type of coarse salt without additives, often used in brining or as a finishing salt.

Labneh: A Middle Eastern strained yogurt, thick like cream cheese and often served with olive oil and herbs.
Larding: Inserting fat into meat to keep it moist during cooking.
Leaven: To add a rising agent, such as yeast or baking powder, to make dough or batter rise.
Liaison: Thickening agent for sauces, usually egg yolks and cream.
Lyonnaise: A cooking style that includes onions, particularly used with potatoes.

Macerate: Soaking food, often fruit, in liquid to soften and flavour.
Maillard reaction: A chemical reaction that occurs when proteins and sugars in food are exposed to heat, browning and flavouring.
Mandoline: A utensil for slicing and cutting vegetables.
Marinate: Soaking food in a seasoned liquid for flavour and tenderizing.
Mirepoix: A flavour base made from diced onions, carrots, and celery.
Mise en place: Organizing ingredients before cooking.
Miso: A Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans, used as a base for soups and in marinades and sauces.
Monté au Beurre: A technique of adding cold butter to a sauce at the end of cooking to give it a glossy, rich finish.

Nage: A broth flavoured with herbs and often used as a cooking liquid or sauce for seafood.
Nappe: Sauce consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

Niçoise: Refers to foods prepared in the style of Nice, France, often including olives, tomatoes, and anchovies.
Noisette: French for "hazelnut," it can also refer to a round cut of meat, usually lamb, or browned butter.
Nougat: A chewy confection made with sugar or honey, nuts, and egg whites, often found in candy bars.
Nouvelle cuisine: A style of cooking that is lighter, emphasizes presentation, and uses fresh ingredients.

Oeuf: The French word for egg, used in terms like "Oeuf à la coque" (soft-boiled egg) and "Oeufs en cocotte" (baked eggs).
Offal: The internal organs and entrails of animals, often used in dishes like pâtés, sausages, and stews.
Oven Spring: The rapid rise of bread during the first few minutes of baking, as the yeast releases gases before being killed by heat.

Panzanella: An Italian bread and tomato salad, often made with stale bread and mixed with fresh vegetables and vinaigrette.
Parboil: To partially cook food by boiling it briefly.
Pâté: A spread made of seasoned ground meat.
Pâte à Choux: A light pastry dough used to make sweets like éclairs and cream puffs.
Persillade: A French mixture of parsley and garlic, often used as a seasoning or garnish.
Pilaf: Cooking rice with broth and seasonings, sometimes sautéed first.
Poach: Cooking gently in simmering liquid.
Proof: Allowing dough to rise before baking.
Purée: To blend, grind, or mash food until it is smooth and semifluid.

Quatre Épices: A French spice blend, usually containing pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, often used in savory dishes.
Quenelle: An oval-shaped dumpling often poached puréed fish or meat.
Quiche: A savory, open-faced tart made with a pastry crust and filled with custard, cheese, and other ingredients.

Ras el Hanout: A complex Moroccan spice mix that includes a variety of warm spices like cinnamon, coriander, and cumin.
Reduce: Concentrating flavour by simmering or boiling to evaporate water.
Remouillage: A French term for a stock made from bones that have already been used to make another stock, often weaker.
Rest: Allowing meat to sit post-cooking to redistribute juices.
Rillettes: A spread made from slow-cooked, shredded meat (usually pork or duck) preserved in its own fat, similar to pâté.
Risotto: An Italian dish featuring rice cooked slowly by adding broth gradually, resulting in a creamy consistency.
Romesco: A Spanish sauce made from roasted tomatoes, red peppers, almonds, and garlic, often served with seafood or meats.
Roux: Mixture of fat and flour used to thicken sauces.

Sauté: Cooking quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat.
Scald: To heat milk or cream to just below boiling, often used in custards or for pasteurization.
Score: Making shallow cuts on food for decoration or even cooking.
Sear: Browning food quickly at high heat to lock in juices.
Simmer: Cooking gently just below boiling point.
Soubise: A creamy onion-based sauce, usually made with onions cooked in béchamel.
Sous-vide: Cooking vacuum-sealed food in a temperature-controlled water bath.
Spatchcock: A method of preparing poultry by splitting it open to lay it flat for quicker and more even cooking.
Sriracha: A hot sauce made from chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt, commonly used in Asian and American cuisines.
Sweat: Gently cooking vegetables to release moisture and soften.

Tajine: A North African, slow-cooked stew traditionally made in a conical dish called a tagine.
Tartare: A dish of raw, finely chopped meat or fish, typically seasoned and served with condiments like capers and onions.
Temper: Gradually raising the temperature of ingredients to prevent curdling. To carefully add a liquid, typically warm, to another to stabilize it, often used in chocolate and custards.
Terrine: A dish of ground meat, vegetables, or fish that is packed into a loaf and cooked, often served cold.
Toast: Browning food, usually in a dry heat, to bring out flavour and create a crisp texture.
Toss: To lightly mix ingredients together, usually in a bowl.
Truss: Tying meat or poultry to maintain shape during cooking.
Tempura: A Japanese dish of battered and deep-fried vegetables or seafood

Umami: Often referred to as the "fifth taste," a savory flavour present in foods like mushrooms, soy sauce, and aged cheeses.
Uthappam: A South Indian savory pancake made from fermented rice and lentil batter, often topped with onions, tomatoes, and spices.

Velouté: One of the five French "mother sauces," made from roux and stock.
Velvet: A Chinese cooking technique where meat is marinated and partially cooked in oil or water to make it tender.
Vermicelli: Thin pasta, resembling spaghetti, but slightly thinner.
Vinaigrette: Dressing made from oil and vinegar, often with mustard.
Vol-au-Vent: A small, hollow puff pastry case often filled with savory mixtures like creamy mushrooms or chicken.

Wakame: A type of seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, often in soups and salads.
Whey: The liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained, often used in cheese-making and as a cooking liquid.
Whip: Beating to incorporate air, increasing volume.
Wok: A round-bottomed cooking pan used for stir-frying and other high-heat cooking methods.
Wonton: A Chinese dumpling filled with meat, seafood, or vegetables, often served in soup or fried.

Xanthan Gum: A thickening agent used in gluten-free baking and sauces to stabilize and thicken.

Yeast: A microorganism used as a leavening agent in baking.
Yolk: The yellow centre of an egg, high in fat and protein, used in various culinary applications.

Za’atar: A Middle Eastern spice blend often containing thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, and salt, used as a condiment or seasoning.
Zabaglione: Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine.
Zest: Outer citrus peel, used for flavour without the bitter white pith.