10 Handy Terms to Advance Your Cooking
It’s happened to us all, you’re watching a cooking show or looking at a recipe and you run across a term you’ve never heard before. Most people at least know a few terms that are the basis for most recipes. However, with cooking at home becoming more and more popular, it’s only a matter of time before there’s an instruction that might get you stumped. To save you time and frustration, we’ve compiled a list of 10 useful cooking terms along with their definitions, where you’ll hear them and a recipe for each. And just in case you’re missing the perfect tool we’ve thrown in some suggestions for great products from Central that will get you on the path to becoming a great chef!
Photo from cookinglight.com taken by Lee Harrelson
1) Term: Al dente
Definition: “To the tooth,” in Italian. Pasta
is cooked just to a firm and chewy texture.
(from goodcooking.com)
Where you might hear it: Italian
cooking
Tool: Pasta Cooker and
Vegetable Steamer
Recipe: Pasta Puttanesca
(from epicurious.com)
2) Term: Bain-marie (or double boiler)
Definition: A bain-marie is a pan of water that is used to help
mixtures such as custards bake evenly and to protect them from the
direct heat of the oven or, in some cases, the stove.
(from newitalianrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it: Desserts (custard/cheesecake) or Sauces
Tool: Bain Marie Pot
Recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake (from food.com)
3) Term: Blackened
Photo from centralrestaurant.com
Definition: Method in which
seasoned foods are cooked over
high heat in a super-heated
heavy skillet until charred on the
outside. (from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it:
Cajun cooking
Tool: Cast Iron Skillet
Recipe: Blackened Salmon Filets
(from allrecipes.com)
4) Term: Blanch
Definition: To boil briefly to loosen the skin of a fruit or a vegetable.
After 30 seconds in boiling water, the fruit or vegetable should be
plunged into ice water to stop the cooking action and then the skin
easily slices or peels off. (from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it: Vegetable/fruit dishes or cooking before
freezing a fruit/vegetable
Tool: Stock Pot
Recipe: Stuffed Peppers for Two (from allrecipes.com)
Photo from epicurious.com (taken by Romulo Yanes)
5) Term: Braise
Definition: A cooking technique
that requires browning meat in oil
or other fat and then cooking slowly
in liquid. The effect of braising is to
tenderize the meat.
(from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it:
When cooking tougher cuts of meat
Tool: Brazier
Recipe: Stout-braised short ribs
(from epicurious.com)
6) Term: Caramelize
Definition: Browning sugar over a flame with or without the addition
of some water to aid the process. The temperature range in which
sugar caramelizes, approximately 320° to 360°.
(from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might heart it: Desserts (Crème Brule or meringue) or
preparing onions
Tool: Butane Torch
Recipe: Lemon Meringue Parfait (from kitchendaily.com)
Photo from centralrestaurant.com
7) Term: Confit
Definition: Slowly cook pieces
of meat in their own gently
rendered fat until very soft and
tender. With seasonings,
brandy/wine and sometimes
vegetables. Duck and pork are
two popular meats to be used in
confit. When cooked and cooled
the meat is keep submerged in
its cooking fat as a preservative
and as a seal against oxygen.
(from goodcooking.com)
Where you might hear it: Preparing goose or duck
Tool: Roasting Pan
Recipe: Duck Confit (from epicurious.com)
8) Term: Deglaze
Definition: To add liquid to a pan in which foods have been fried or
roasted, in order to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom
of the pan. (from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it: When sautéing or roasting
Tool: Saute Pan
Recipe: Chicken Saute with Mango Sauce (from kitchendaily.com)
Photo from simplyrecipes.com
9) Term: Score
Definition: To tenderize
meat by making a number of
shallow (often diagonal) cuts
across its surface. This
technique is also useful in
marinating, as it allows for
better absorption of the
marinade.
(from kissrecipes.com)
Where you might hear it: Tenderizing or flavoring meat
Tool: Paring Knife
Recipe: London Broil (from allrecipes.com)
10) Term: Sweat
Definition: Cooking vegetables over low heat in a small amount of fat
to release their moisture, flavor and to have them look translucent.
(from goodcooking.com)
Where you might hear it: Cooking aromatic vegetables (ex: onions,
celery, carrots)
Tool: Non-stick fry pan
Recipe: Curried Parsnip Soup (from grouprecipes.com)
