Cooking is much easier than describing what is happening during the cooking process. Recipes use a lot of words that aren't in our common vocabulary anymore. In order to cook from recipes, one needs to know what these words mean. Since there are thousands of culinary words, we'll start with the ones that apply to cooking techniques, from acidifying to zesting.
You may encounter most of these words in recipes, especially recipes I'm likely to share. While I will try to define the words when I use them, sometimes I forget that not everyone knows what I do. And having said that, I'm bound to have left a few words off this list, but I did try to be very complete.
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Acidify: To add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to a dish to make it slightly acid, sour, or piquant
Adjust: In cooking, to "adjust flavoring" means to taste before serving, adding seasoning (usually salt or pepper, but also adjusting the heat level in spicy dishes) if necessary.
Aerate: A synonym for SIFT, means to add air and volume to the dish, such as egg whites or flour.
Al Dente: An Italian phrase meaning "to the tooth," mostly used to describe pastas that are cooked only until it offers a slight resistance when bitten into, neither hard nor mushy.
Au jus: (ah ZHOO): A French phrase describing meat served with its own natural juices, commonly used with beef. Some restaurants thicken it slightly - too thin for gravy, but it shouldn't be thickened.
Au lait (oh LAY): French for "with milk," referring to foods or beverages served or prepared with milk, most commonly used for coffee drinks, but can also be applied to porridges.
Au naturel (oh nah-tour-EHL): The French term for food served in its natural state — not cooked or altered in any way, raw.
Bain marie (bahn mah-REE): This is the French term for water bath cooking. It consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, casserole dish, etc.) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat while it cooks. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on top of the stove. This technique is used to cook delicate dishes such as custards, sauces and savory mousses without breaking or curdling them.
Bake: To cook food in an oven, usually surrounding it with dry heat.
Bake blind: An English term for baking a pastry shell before it is filled. The shell is usually pricked all over with a fork to prevent it from blistering and rising. Sometimes it's lined with foil or Parchment Paper, then filled with dried beans, rice, or metal or ceramic pie weights. The weights and foil or parchment paper should be removed a few minutes before the baking time is over to allow the crust to brown evenly.
Bard: To tie fat, such as bacon or fatback, around lean meats or fowl to prevent their drying out during roasting, like filet mignons The barding fat bastes the meat while it cooks, keeping it moist and adding flavor. The fat is removed a few minutes before the meat is done to allow the meat to brown.
Baste: To spoon or brush food as it cooks with melted butter or other fat, meat drippings or liquid such as stock. A bulb baster can be used instead to drizzle the liquid over the food. In addition to adding flavor and color, basting keeps meats and other foods from drying out while cooking.
Batter: An uncooked, semiliquid mixture (thick or thin) that can be spooned or poured, as for cakes, muffins, pancakes or waffles. Batters are usually composed of some combination of flour, eggs and milk. They can also be used to coat food before frying, as in batter-fried fish or tempura vegetables.
Beat: To stir rapidly in a circular motion. Generally, 100 vigorous strokes by hand equals about 1 minute by electric mixer.
Bind: To stir any of a variety of ingredients (eggs, flour and butter, cornstarch and water, cheese, cream, etc.) into a hot liquid to cause it to thicken
Blackened: A cooking technique made famous by New Orleans's chef Paul Prudhomme by which meat or fish is cooked in a cast-iron skillet that's been heated until almost red hot. Most home ranges don't get that hot, but a grill can, so this technique is best suited to grilling. Because this is a Cajun invention, the food is customarily rubbed with a cajun spice mixture before being cooked. The extra hot skillet combined with the seasoning rub gives food an extra crispy crust with blackened areas, hence the name.
Blanch: To plunge food (usually vegetables and fruits) into boiling water briefly, then into cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching is used to firm the flesh, to loosen skins (as with peaches and tomatoes) and to heighten and set color and flavor (as with vegetables before freezing).
Blend: To mix two or more ingredients together until combined, usually with a spoon, mixer, or blender.
Bloom: To soften gelatin in cool liquid before using in the dish you are making. To bloom, sprinkle the powdered gelatin into a liquid and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, when the mixture is heated, the gelatin will dissolve evenly.
Boil: "Bring to a boil" refers to heating a liquid until bubbles break the surface (212°F for water at sea level). The term also means to cook food in a boiling liquid. A "full rolling boil" is one that cannot be dissipated by stirring.
Bone: To remove the bones from meat, fish or fowl.
Bouillon (BOO yawn): Any broth made by cooking any combination of vegetables, poultry, meat or fish in water. The liquid that is strained off after cooking is the bouillon, which can form the base for soups, sauces, and other dishes.
Bouquet garni (bow-KAY gahr-KNEE): A bunch of herbs (the classic trio being parsley, thyme and bay leaf) that are either tied together or tied in cheesecloth or filling a seasoning ball and used to flavor soups, stews and broths. Tying or bagging the herbs allows for their easy removal before the dish is served.
Braise: A cooking method by which food (usually meat or vegetables) is first browned in fat, then cooked, tightly covered, in a small amount of liquid at low heat for a lengthy period of time. The long, slow cooking develops flavor and tenderizes foods by gently breaking down their fibers. Braising can be done on top of the range or in the oven. A tight-fitting lid is very important to prevent the liquid from evaporating. Tagines and cast iron are most commonly used for braising.
Bread: To coat the surface of a food (usually meat or seafood, but some vegetables, like eggplants or squashes, do well breaded) with flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs before cooking or frying.
Brine: Brining is like a marinade as it keeps food moist and tender. Most brines start with water and salt — 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water. Poultry and some red meats benefit from brining before cooking to add depth of flavor.
Broil: To cook food directly under the heat source. Food can be broiled in an oven, directly under the gas or electric heat source located in the top of the oven. Food can also be broiled on a barbecue grill, directly over charcoal or some other heat source.
Brown: To cook quickly over high heat, causing the surface of the meat (because it's usually meat) to turn brown while the interior stays moist. This method not only gives meat an appetizing color, but also a rich flavor. Browning is usually done on top of the stove, but may also be achieved under a broiling unit.
Brunoise (broo-NWAHZ): It is a French word used to describe a mixture of finely minced vegetables, usually onion, celery, and carrot, then cooked slowly in butter until tender and slightly caramelized. This classic mixture is used as a base to flavor soups, stews and sauces.
Bruise: In cooking, to partially crush an ingredient in order to release its flavor. Bruising a garlic clove with the flat side of a knife crushes without cutting it. Herbs are bruised in a mortar with a pestle.
Brush: To apply a liquid (such as melted butter or a glaze) with a pastry (or basting) brush to the surface of food such as meat or bread before cooking or baking, and sometimes during the cooking process. Grilled meats and vegetables are often brushed with a seasoning.
Butterfly: In cooking, to split a food (such as shrimp or pork chops) down the center, cutting almost but not completely through. The two halves are then opened flat to resemble a butterfly shape.
Can/Canning: A method of preserving food by hermetically sealing it in glass containers. Tonyahky wrote a series of diaries on canning.
Caramelize: 1. To heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a clear syrup ranging in color from golden to dark brown (from 320° to 350°F on a candy thermometer). Granulated or brown sugar can also be sprinkled on top of food and placed under a heat source, such as a broiler, until the sugar melts and caramelizes. Caramelized sugar is also referred to as burnt sugar. 2. Heating of meats or vegetables until the natural sugars in them break down and turn light brown (such as caramelizing onions). Sugar will begin to caramelize at 320ºF. Generally it occurs between 320 and 360ºF.
Carbonnade (car-boh-NAHD): A French term for meat cooked over hot coals or directly over flames
Chiffonade (shihf-uh-NAHD): Literally translated, this French phrase means "made of rags." Culinarily, it refers to cutting very thin strips or shreds of vegetables (classically, sorrel and lettuce), either lightly sautéed or used raw to garnish soups and other foods (like sandwiches).
Chop: Using quick, heavy blows of a knife or cleaver to cut food into bite-size (or smaller) pieces. A food processor may also be used to "chop" food. Chopped food is cut into larger pieces than minced food.
Churn: To agitate cream briskly so that the fat separates from the liquid, thereby forming a solid (butter). The modern household substitute for a butter churn is the food processor. While this commonly refers to making butter, it is also sometimes used to refer to homogenizing or emulsifying foods.
Clarify: To clear a cloudy liquid by removing the sediment. The most common method is to add egg whites and/ or eggshells to a liquid (such as a stock) and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The egg whites attract any particles in the liquid like a magnet. After cooling for about an hour, the mixture is poured through a cheesecloth or muslin-lined sieve to strain out all residue. Rendered fat can be clarified by adding hot water and boiling for about 15 minutes. The mixture is then strained through several layers of cheesecloth and chilled. The resulting top layer of fat should be almost entirely clear of residue and can be sliced off.
Coat: In cooking, this term refers to covering food with an outer layer, usually of bread crumbs. It can mean dipping or rolling food (such as chicken) in seasoned bread crumbs or flour. The food can be dipped into beaten eggs before being coated with the dry mixture to add crunch and flavor. Coating food in this manner usually precedes frying. A semi-liquid, such as mayonnaise or sauce, can also be used to coat food.
Coddle: A cooking method most often used with eggs, though other foods can be coddled as well. There are special containers with tight-fitting lids called "egg coddlers" made specifically for this purpose. Coddling is usually done by placing the food in an individual-size container that is covered and cooked in a bain marie. Coddling can also be done by gently lowering the food into water that's come to a boil and then removed from the heat.
Combine: To mix two or more ingredients together until they do not separate.
Core: to remove the center of fruits such as apples, pears, or pineapples, which can be tough or woody and contain seeds.
Cream: To beat an ingredient or combination of ingredients until the mixture is soft and smooth, usually a mixture of fat (like butter or lard) and sugar. When creaming two or more ingredients together, the result should be a smooth, homogeneous mixture that shows neither separation nor evidence of any particles (such as sugar). Electric mixers and food processors make quick work of what used to be a laborious, time-consuming process.
Crimp: 1. To pinch or press two pastry edges together, as for pies, sealing the dough while forming a decorative edge with fingers, fork or a crimping tool. The pastry for a single-crust pie is crimped by turning the dough under along the edges to form a ridge, then shaping (or fluting ) the raised edge into a fancy pattern. A raised crimped edge not only seals the pastry but acts like a dam to contain the filling during cooking. 2. To cut gashes at 1- or 2-inch intervals along both sides of a freshly caught fish. The fish is then soaked in ice water for up to an hour. Crimping a fish creates a firmer-textured flesh and skin that quickly becomes crisp when cooked
Crisp: To refresh limp vegetables such as celery or carrots by soaking them in ice water until they once again become crisp. Other foods, such as crackers that have lost their snap, may be heated in a moderate oven (about 325ºF) until their crispness returns
Crush: To reduce a food to its finest form, such as crumbs, paste, or powder. Crushing is often accomplished with a mortar and pestle, a rolling pin, or the side of a chef's knife.
Cube: 1. To cut food (such as potatoes, meat, or cheese) into 1/2-inch squares. Cubes of food are larger than diced or mirepoix. 2. A term also used to describe tenderizing meat with an instrument that leaves cube-shaped imprints on the surface, such as cubed steaks, a method often used to make chicken fried steaks or schnitzels.
Curdle: To coagulate, or separate into curds and whey. Soured milk curdles, as do some egg- and milk-based sauces when exposed to prolonged or high heat. Acids such as lemon juice also cause curdling in some mixtures. Curdling is sometimes used for cheeses.
Cure: To treat food by one of several methods in order to preserve it usually without freezing or canning. Smoking, brining, and salt-curing are the most common methods used.
Cut in: To mix a solid, cold fat (such as butter or shortening) with dry ingredients (such as a flour mixture) until the combination is in the form of small particles, usually "pea-sized". This technique can be achieved by using a pastry blender, two knives, a fork or fingers (which must be cool so as not to melt the fat, use the finger tips only). A food processor fitted with a metal blade does an excellent job of cutting fat into dry ingredients, as long as you don't over process it.
Dash: A measuring term referring to a very small amount of (usually liquid) seasoning added to food with a quick, downward stroke of the hand, such as "a dash of Tabasco." In general, a dash can be considered to be somewhere between 1/16 and a scant 1/8 teaspoon.
Decant: To pour a liquid from its bottle to another container, usually a carafe or decanter. Often used for wines, vinegars, alegars, and some flavored oils.
Deep-fry: To cook food in hot fat deep enough to completely cover the item being fried. The oil or fat used for deep-frying should have a high smoke point (the point to which it can be heated without smoking). Butter and margarine have low smoke points; shortening, lard and most oils have higher smoke points. An average fat temperature for deep-frying is 375°F, but recipes differ according to the characteristics of each food. Food can be deep-fried in any large, heavy pot roomy enough to fry without crowding. To allow for bubbling up and splattering, the container should be filled no more than halfway full with oil. Fat or oil used for deep-frying may be reused. Let it cool, then strain it through cheesecloth and funnel into a bottle or other tightly sealed container before refrigerating.
Deglaze: After meat has been sautéed and the food and excess fat removed from the pan, deglazing is done by heating a small amount of liquid in the pan and stirring to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Water, stock, or wine can be used, and the flavorful liquid can be used to make a gravy or sauce.
Degrease: Using a spoon to skim fat from the surface of a hot liquid, such as soup, stock or gravy. Another way to degrease is to chill the mixture until the fat becomes solid and can be gently peeled off the surface.
Dehydrate: To remove the natural moisture from food by slowly drying it.
Devein: To remove the gray-black vein from the back of a shrimp. This can be done with the tip of a sharp knife or a special tool called a deveiner. On small and medium shrimp, this technique need be done only for cosmetic purposes. However, because the intestinal vein of large shrimp contains grit, that vein should always be removed.
Dice: To cut food into tiny (about 1/8- to 1/4-inch) cubes.
Dilute: To reduce a liquid mixture's strength by adding water.
Disjoint: To separate meat at the joint, such as the shoulder or thigh.
Dissolve: To soak a dry ingredient (such as sugar, salt, yeast, or gelatin) into a liquid so thoroughly that no grains of the dry ingredient are evident, either by touch or sight.
Dollop: A small glob of soft food, such as sour cream to top a creamed soup or whipped cream to top coffee or hot chocolate.
Dot: To scatter small bits (dots) of an ingredient (usually butter) over another food or mixture so it melts evenly across the surface when baked.
Draw: 1. In cooking, to remove the insides from poultry or fish. 2. To clarify a mixture, as in drawn butter.
Dredge: To lightly coat food to be fried, as with flour, cornmeal or bread crumbs. This coating helps brown the food.
Dress: 1. To prepare game, fowl, fish and so forth for cooking by plucking, scaling, eviscerating, and so on. 2. To "dress a salad" simply means adding a dressing.
Drippings: The melted fat and juices that gather in the bottom of a pan in which meat or other food is cooked. Drippings are used as a base for gravies and sauces and in which to cook other food.
Drizzle: To slowly pour a liquid mixture in a very fine stream over food (such as a sweet glaze over cake or bread, or melted butter over food before baking).
Dust: In cooking, this term refers to lightly coating a food with a powdery ingredient such as flour or confectioners' sugar, usually cakes or cookies. Also, savory foods can be dusted with powdered herbs or spices.
Egg wash: Egg yolk or egg white mixed with a small amount of water or milk. This is brushed over breads, pastry and other baked goods before baking to give them color and gloss.
Emulsify: Mixing one liquid with another with which it cannot normally combine smoothly — oil and water being the classic example. Emulsifying is done by slowly (sometimes drop-by-drop) adding one ingredient to another while at the same time mixing rapidly ( a stand mixer or blender helps here). This disperses and suspends minute droplets of one liquid throughout the other. Emulsified mixtures are usually thick and satiny in texture. Mayonnaise (an uncooked combination of oil, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) and Hollandaise Sauce (a cooked mixture of butter, egg yolks and vinegar or lemon juice) are two of the best-known emulsions.
Fillet (FILL- iht): To cut the bones from a piece of meat or fish, thereby creating a boneless cut of meat or fish, called a fillet (fill AY).
Filter: To strain through a paper filter or several layers of cheesecloth.
Fining: A term usually referring to the process of removing minute floating particles that prevent liquids (such as broth, wines, or beer) from being clear (see CLARIFY). Besides egg whites and eggshells, other substances used to fine these liquids include gelatin and isinglass.
Flake: To use a utensil (usually a fork) to break off small pieces or layers of food, usually fish.
Flour: To lightly coat a food, utensil or baking container with flour. Flouring food to be fried facilitates browning when frying, and coating foods that tend to stick together (such as chopped dried apricots) helps separate the pieces when adding to batters. Flouring a pie, pastry or cookie dough will prevent it from sticking to a work surface; flouring your hands, rolling pin or work surface prevents dough from sticking. Dusting greased baking pans with flour provides for easy removal of cakes, breads and other baked goods.
Flute: 1. To press a decorative pattern into the raised edge of a pie crust (see also CRIMP). 2. To carve slashes, grooves and other decorative markings in vegetables (such as mushrooms or cucumbers) and fruits such as watermelons.
Fold: A technique used to gently combine a light, airy mixture (such as beaten egg whites) with a heavier mixture (such as batter or custard). The lighter mixture is placed on top of the heavier one in a large bowl. Starting at the back of the bowl, a rubber spatula is used to cut down vertically through the two mixtures, across the bottom of the bowl and up the nearest side. The bowl is rotated a quarter turn with each series of strokes. This down-across-up-and-over motion gently turns the mixtures over on top of each other, combining them in the process and keeping as much air as possible in it.
French: 1. To cut a vegetable or meat lengthwise into very thin strips. Green beans, carrots, and potatoes are vegetables that are commonly "frenched." 2. To cut the meat away from the end of a rib or chop, so that part of the bone is exposed. Pig wings are "frenched"
Fry: To cook food in hot fat over moderate to high heat. Frying (also called pan frying or sauteing) refers to cooking food in a lesser amount of fat, which doesn't cover the food. There is little difference in these pan frying and sauteing, though sauteing is often thought of as using less fat and being the faster of the two methods.
Garnish: A decorative, edible accompaniment to finished dishes. Garnishes can be placed under, around or on food, depending on the dish. Garnishes should not only be pretty, but edible and complement the dish it decorates.
Glaze: To coat food with a thin, liquid, sweet or savory mixture that will be smooth and shiny after setting or baking.
Grate: To reduce a large piece of food to small particles or thin shreds by rubbing it against a coarse, serrated surface, usually on a kitchen utensil called a grater. A food processor, fitted with the metal blade, can also be used to reduce food to small bits or, fitted with the shredding disc, to long, thin strips. The food to be grated should be firm. Soft foods such as cheese and butter can be refrigerated or frozen before grating.
Grill: To prepare food on a grill over hot coals or other heat source. The term barbecue is often used synonymously with grilling.
Grind: To reduce food to small particles. Food can be ground to various degrees — fine, medium and coarse.
Hull: To prepare a food for eating by removing the outer covering like beans or, as in the case of strawberries, the leafy portion at the top.
Ice: To chill a food, glass or serving dish in order to get it icy cold and sometimes coated with frost.
Infuse/Infusion: An infusion is the flavor that's extracted from an ingredient such as tea leaves, herbs or fruit by steeping them in a liquid (usually hot), such as water, for tea. Sauces, oils, and vinegars that have been variously flavored (as with herbs) are also called infusions.
Jaccart: To inject a product, usually beef, with tiny needles, in order to tenderize it.
Jell: To congeal a food substance, often with the aid of gelatin.
Jerk: A term used for an island style of barbecue that includes marinating the meat in a green pesto-like mixture of herbs, spices, and very hot peppers.
Juice: To remove the liquid from a fruit or vegetable, usually citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, but also from juicy vegetables like tomatoes and celery. A juicer is often used, either manual or electric.
Julienne (joo-lee-EHN): To cut food into thin sticks which are also called matchsticks. Food is cut with a knife or mandoline into even slices, then into strips.
Knead: A technique used to mix and work a dough in order to form it into a cohesive, pliable mass. By hand, kneading is done with a pressing-folding-turning action performed by pressing down into the dough with the heels of both hands, then pushing away from the body. The dough is folded in half and given a quarter turn, and the process is repeated. Depending on the dough, the manual kneading time can range anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes (or more). Well-kneaded dough is smooth and elastic.
Lard: To insert long, thin strips of fat (usually pork) into a dry cut of meat. The purpose of larding is to make the cooked meat more tender and flavorful. These strips are commonly referred to as "lardons" and are inserted with a special tool called a "larding needle".
Macerate: To soak a food (usually fruit) in a liquid in order to infuse it with the liquid's flavor. A spirit such as brandy, rum or a liqueur is usually the macerating liquid.
Marinate: To soak a food such as meat, fish or vegetables in a seasoned liquid mixture called a marinade. Because most marinades contain acid ingredients, the marinating should be done in a glass, ceramic or stainless-steel container — never in aluminum. Foods should be covered and refrigerated while they're marinating.
Mash: To crush a food (such as cooked potatoes or carrots) into a smooth, evenly textured mixture.
Melt: Using heat to convert food (such as butter or chocolate) from a solid to a liquid or semi-liquid.
Mince: To cut food into very small pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than chopped food.
Mirepoix (mihr-PWAH): A mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs sautéed in butter. Sometimes ham or bacon is added to the mix. Mirepoix is used to season sauces, soups and stews, as well as for a bed on which to braise foods, usually meats or fish.
Mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs): A French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish pre-measured out, cut, chopped, or otherwise prepared and ready to combine for cooking. It means "everything in place".
Moisten: Adding only enough liquid to flour and other dry ingredients to make them damp or moist, but not wet.
Mold: To form food into a distinctive shape either by hand-forming (as with a bread dough) or by pouring (as with Jell-O) into a decorative mold and chilling or freezing until firm.
Mount: A cooking technique where small chunks of cold, unsalted butter are whisked into a sauce just before serving to give it flavor, texture and a glossy appearance.
Muddle: To mash or crush ingredients with a spoon or a muddler (a rod with a flattened end). Usually identified with the preparation of mixed drinks, but can also be used for seasoning mixes in savory dishes, especially of the mixes need to be sauteed before adding to the dish.
Mull: To flavor a beverage or fruit soup by heating it with various ingredients such as herbs, spices, fruit and sugar.
Nap: To coat food lightly with a sauce so that it completely covers the food with a thin, even layer. Similar to "coating".
Parboil: To partially cook food by boiling it briefly in water.
Parch: To dry grains or starchy vegetables like corn, peas and beans by roasting slightly in a pan on the stove top or on a cookie sheet in the oven without burning.
Pare: To remove the thin outer layer of foods like fruits and vegetables with a small, short-bladed knife (paring knife) or vegetable peeler.
Pastuerize: To kill bacteria by heating milk or other liquids to moderately high temperatures for a short period of time. Milk must be heated to at least 145°F for not less than 30 minutes or at least 161°F for 15 seconds, and then rapidly cooled to 40°F or lower. Although pasteurization is used in beer processing and for some wines and fruit juices, it's mostly used in the home for raw milk milk.
Peel: To use a knife or vegetable peeler (or peeling glove) to remove the rind or skin from a fruit or vegetable, as to peel a potato.
Pickle: To preserve food in a vinegar mixture or brine.
Pinch: A measuring term referring to the amount of a dry ingredient (such as salt or pepper) that can be held between the tips of the thumb and forefinger. It's equivalent to approximately 1/16 teaspoon.
Pit: To remove the stone or seed of a fruit. This is most often done by using a sharp knife to cut it loose or a specialized utensil (known as a pitter - as in olive pitter or cherry pitter) to push it out.
Planking: A cooking method handed down by American Indians whereby meat or fish is cooked — usually by baking or broiling — on a wooden board. Planking imparts a touch of the wood's flavor to the food. Whole Foods carries a variety of thin wooden planks for just this purpose. Food referred to as "planked" has been cooked in this manner.
Poach: To cook food gently in liquid (usually broth) just below the boiling point when the liquid's surface is beginning to show some quivering movement and releasing a few small bubbles from the bottom of the pot.
Prick: To make small holes in the surface of food. The best example is an unfilled pie dough or cracker dough that is pricked all over with the tines of a fork so it bakes without blistering or rising.
Proof: To dissolve leavening (often yeast) in a warm liquid (sometimes with a small amount of sugar) and set it aside in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes until it swells and becomes bubbly.
Pulverize: To reduce to powder or dust, usually by crushing, pounding or grinding.
Puree: To grind or mash food until it's completely smooth. This can be accomplished by one of several methods including using a food processor or blender or by forcing the food through a sieve.
Reduce: To boil a liquid (usually stock, wine or a sauce mixture) rapidly until the volume is reduced by evaporation, thereby thickening the consistency and intensifying the flavor. Such a mixture is sometimes referred to as a reduction.
Render: To melt animal fat over low heat so that it separates from any connective pieces of tissue, which, during rendering, turn brown and crisp and are generally referred to as cracklings. The resulting clear fat is then strained through a paper filter or fine cheesecloth to remove any dark particles. The term try out is used synonymously with render. We get lard from rendering pig fat.
Ribbon: This is the texture of an egg-and-sugar mixture that has been beaten until pale and extremely thick. When the beater or whisk is lifted, the batter falls slowly back onto the surface of the mixture, forming a ribbonlike pattern that, after a few seconds, sinks back into the batter.
Rice: To push cooked food through a perforated kitchen utensil called a ricer. The result is food that looks vaguely ricelike. Ricing boiled eggs makes a light and fluffy egg salad.
Roast: To oven-cook food in an uncovered pan, a method that usually produces a well-browned exterior and ideally a moist interior. Roasting requires reasonably tender pieces of meat or poultry.
Roux (ROO): A mixture of flour and fat (butter or lard make the most flavorful) that, after being slowly cooked over low heat, is used to thicken mixtures such as soups and sauces.
Saute (saw TAY): To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet over direct heat.
Scald: 1. A cooking technique — often used to retard the souring of milk — whereby the raw, unpasteurized milk is heated to just below the boiling point. Ultra-pasteurized milk does not need to be scalded for most recipes. 2. To plunge food such as tomatoes or peaches into boiling water (or to pour boiling water over them), in order to loosen their skin and facilitate peeling.
Scale: A technique by which the scales are removed from the skin of a fish, generally using a dull knife or a special kitchen tool called a fish scaler.
Scant: Scant means lacking a small part of the whole; not quite up to full measure. In other words, one (1) scant teaspoon means not quite a whole teaspoon but a little less.
Score: To make shallow cuts (usually in a diamond pattern) in the surface of foods such as unbaked breads, meat, or fish.
Sear: To brown meat quickly by subjecting it to very high heat either in a skillet, under a broiler or in a very hot oven. The object of searing is to seal in the meat's juices. British cooks call this "sealing". Same thing.
Season: 1. To flavor foods in order to improve their taste. 2. To age meat, which helps both to tenderize it and to improve its flavor. 3. To smooth out the microscopic roughness of new pots and pans, particularly cast iron, which might cause foods to stick to the cooking surface.
Seed: To remove the seeds from foods, such as fruits or vegetables.
Set: To allow food to become firm, as with a gelatin-based dish.
Shell: To remove the shell or tough outer covering of a food such as nuts, eggs, garden peas, etc
Shred: To cut food into narrow strips, either by hand or by using a grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding disk. Cooked meat can be separated into shreds by pulling it apart with two forks.
Shuck: To remove the shell from shellfish such as oysters or clams. Also, to peel the husk from an ear of corn.
Sieve: To strain liquid or particles of food through the mesh or perforated holes of a sieve or strainer.
Sift: To pass dry ingredients, like flour, through a fine-mesh sifter so any large pieces can be removed. Sifting also incorporates air to make ingredients (such as confectioners' sugar or flour) lighter.
Simmer: To cook food gently in liquid at a temperature (about 185°F) low enough that tiny bubbles just begin to break the surface.
Simple Syrup – It is a solution of sugar and water that is boiled over high heat. Most simple syrups contain a ratio of one cup water to two cups of sugar. The longer you boil the mixture, the thicker it will become.
Singe: To scorch something. Usually done to remove the last pinfeathers of fowl being dressed for cooking.
Skewer: To impale small pieces of food on skewers.
Skim: To remove the top layer from a liquid, such as cream from milk or foam and fat from stock, soups, sauces, etc.
Slice: A cross cut 1/8 to 3/8 inch thick. To slice is to cut into even slices, usually across the grain. Sometimes it means cutting food into narrow wedges, such as a slice of cake or pie.
Sliver: To cut food into thin strips.
Slurry: A thin paste of water and flour, or water and cornstarch, which is stirred into hot preparations (such as soups, stews and sauces) as a thickener. After the slurry is added, the mixture should be stirred and cooked for several minutes in order for the slurry to lose its raw taste.
Snip: To cut food into small uniform lengths with scissors, such as chives or parsley, celery, and thin carrots.
Soft peaks: Whipping eggs or cream until stiff enough that when the beaters are lifted, it forms peaks that slowly flatten.
Souse: To cover food, particularly fish, in wine vinegar and spices and cook slowly, the food is cooled in the same liquid. Sousing gives food a pickled flavor.
Spatchcocking (SPATCH-kok-king) – It’s a French technique of butter-flying a whole chicken by removing the backbone so you can open it up flat, like a book, and cook it using direct heat.
Spritz: To quickly spray or squirt. Spritzing dough in the oven can give it a nice crust.
Steam: A method of cooking where food is placed on a rack or in a special steamer basket over boiling or simmering water in a covered pan.
Steep: To soak dry ingredients such as tea leaves, ground coffee, herbs, spices, etc. in liquid (usually hot) until the flavor is infused into the liquid.
Stiff peaks: Whipping eggs or cream so that when the beaters are lifted, peaks form that do not flatten.
Stir-Fry: To quickly fry small pieces of food in a large pan over very high heat while constantly and briskly stirring the food. This cooking technique, which is associated with Asian cooking.
Strain: 1. To pour a liquid or dry ingredient through a sieve, strainer, or cheesecloth to remove undesirable particles. 2. To press soft food through the holes of a sieve, which results in a pureed texture.
Stud: "Stud" means to insert flavor-enhancing or decorative edible items (such as whole cloves, slivered almonds or garlic slivers) partway into the surface of a food so that they protrude slightly.
Supreme: To remove the flesh sections of citrus fruit from the membranes.
Sweat: A technique by which ingredients, particularly vegetables or onions, are cooked in a small amount of fat over low heat. The ingredients are covered directly with a piece of foil or parchment paper, then the pot is tightly covered. With this method, the ingredients soften without browning, and cook in their own juices.
Toss: To turn pieces of food over multiple times, thereby mixing the ingredients together. The term is most often applied to salad, where various ingredients and the salad dressing are tossed together, mixing the ingredients and coating them with the dressing
Water Bath: see BAIN MARIE
Whip: To beat ingredients, such as egg whites, cream, etc., thereby incorporating air into them and increasing their volume until they are light and fluffy. See SOFT PEAKS and STIFF PEAKS.
Whisk: Same as whipping, but generally using a tool called a whisk.
Zest: To remove the outermost colored layer of citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges, leaving the white pith behind.
Some good resources for more definitions:
Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts:
The Visual Food Encyclopedia: The Definitive Practical Guide to Food and Cooking
Culinary School: How to Talk Like a Chef: This book is valuable not just for chefs, but for people who eat out. And to impress friends. It's really not necessary for learning how to cook.