Common culinary terms range from ways to prepare food and sauces to kitchen items to dishes themselves. These cooking definitions often come from other languages like French and Italian and can be challenging to understand. Learning the basics of cooking vocabulary will help you to interpret recipes, better understand the food you serve, and help customers with questions they have about unfamiliar terms.
Al dente
To cook food until just firm, usually referring to pasta, but can include vegetables.
Bake
To cook food in an oven using dry heat.
Baste
To pour juices or melted fat over meat or other food while cooking to keep it moist
Beat
To stir rapidly in a circular motion to make a smooth mixture, using a whisk, spoon, or mixer.
Blanching
To plunge into boiling water, remove after moment, and then plunge into iced water to halt the cooking process, usually referring to vegetable or fruit.
Braising
A combination-cooking method that first sears the food at high temperature, then finished it in a covered pot at low temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid.
Broil
To expose food to direct heat on a rack or spit, often used for melting food like cheese.
Brown
To cook over high heat (usually on the stove-top) to brown food.
Caramelize
To heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a syrup.
Chiffonade
shredded or finely cut vegetables and herbs, usually used as a garnish for soup.
Chop
To cut vegetables into large squares, usually specified by the recipe.
Cream
To beat ingredients (usually sugar and a fat) until smooth and fluffy.
Cube
Like chopping, it is to cut food into small cubes, usually about 1/2 inch.
Dash
1/8 teaspoon.
Deglaze
To remove and dissolve the browned food residue, or "glaze", from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies.
Degrease
To remove the fat from the surface of a hot liquid such as a sauce, soup, or stew, also known as defatting or fat trimming.
Dice
To cut into small pieces, usually 1/4 to 1/8 chunks.
Dredging
To coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient before cooking to provide an even coating.
Dress
To put oil, vinegar, salt, or other toppings on a salad or other food.
Drizzle
To pour liquid back and forth over a dish in a fine stream, usually melted butter, oil, syrup, or melted chocolate.
Dust
To coat lightly with a powdery ingredients, such as confectioners’ sugar or cocoa.
Fillet
To cut the bones from a piece of meat, poultry, or fish.
Fold
To combine light ingredients, such as whipped cream or beaten eggs whites, with a heavier mixture, using a over-and-under motion.
Grate
Creates tiny pieces of food, best for things like cheese to melt quickly or a vegetable used in a sauce.
Julienne
Cutting vegetables until long, thin stripes, approximately 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch long.
Marinate
The process of soaking foods in seasoned and acidic liquid before cooking for hours or days, adding flavor to the food.
Mince
To finely divide food into uniform pieces smaller than diced or chopped foods, prepared using a chef's knife or food processor.
Mise en place
The preparation of ingredients, such as dicing onions or measuring spices, before starting cooking.
Parboiling
The process of adding foods to boiling waters, cooking until they are softened, then removing before they are fully cooked, usually to partially cook an item which will then be cooked another way.
Parcooking
The process of not fully cooking food, so that it can be finished or reheated later.
Poach
To cook gently over very low heat, in barely simmering water just to cover.
Pinch
1/16 teaspoon.
Purée
To mash or grind food until completely smooth.
Roast
Like baking but concerning meat or poultry, it is to cook food in an oven using dry heat.
Sautéing
To cook food quickly over relatively high heat, literally meaning "to jump" as the food does when placed in a hot pan.
Sear
A technique used in grilling, baking, or sautéing in which the surface of the food is cooked at high temperature until a crust forms.
Scald
To heat a liquid so it's right about to reach the boiling point, where bubbles start to appear around the edges.
Shred
Done on a grater with larger holes, resulting in long, smooth stripes to cook or melt.
Simmer
Bring a pot to a boil, then reduce the heat until there are no bubbles.
Slice
To cut vertically down, thickness sometimes specified by the recipe.
Steam
To cook food on a rack or in a steamer set over boiling or simmering water.
Steep
To allow dry ingredients to soak in a liquid until the liquid takes on its flavor, often referring to coffee, tea, or spices.
Stew
To cook covered over low heat in a liquid for a substantial period of time.
Whip
To beat food with a mixer to incorporate air and produce volume, often used to create heavy or whipping cream, salad dressings, or sauces
Whisk
A cooking utensil used to blend ingredients in a process such as whipping.
Zest
To cut the zest, or the colorful part of the skin that contains oils and provide aroma and flavor, away from the fruit.