Basic Cooking Terms Information
Cooking Terms
 Bake: To cook by dry heat, usually in an oven
 Barbecue: To roast meat slowly on a spit rack or rack over heat- basting frequently
with a seasoned sauce
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Blanch: To plunge food briefly into boiling water in order to tenderize the food or
mellow its flavor.
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Braise: A cooking method in which meat or vegetables are quickly browned in fat
over a high heat then cooked, tightly covered, in a small amount of liquid at a low
heat. Good for tough cuts of meat.
 Boil: To cook in water or liquid in which bubbles rise continually and break the surface
 Broil: To cook over, under, or in front of hot coals or a gas or electric burner, or other
form of direct heat
 Brown: To bake, dry, or toast food until the surface is brown
 Brush: To coat food with butter, margarine, or egg- using a small brush
- Caramelize: To carmelize sugar, heat sugar over low heat until it melts and develops a
flavorful, golden-brown color.
 Cook: To prepare food by applying heat in any form
 Drain: To remove liquid or fat from food, often by placing it in a colander or strainer
or by placing it on a paper towel.
- Dredge: To lightly coat food, usually with flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs. One quick
way to coat food is to put the coating material in a ziptop bag, add the food to be coated,
then seal the bag and shake.
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Deep-fry: a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat. e.g. oil.
- Egg Wash: Egg yolk or white mixed with a small amount of water or liquid then
brushed over baked goods to give color and sheen.
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 Flour: To sprinkle or coat with a powdered substance, usually with crumbs or
seasonings
 Garnish: To ornament food- usually with another colorful food- before serving to add
eye appeal
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- Grease: Coat the inside of a baking dish or pan with a fatty substance (oil, butter, lard)
to prevent sticking.
- Grill: To cook food directly over intense heat on a rack over hot coals, natural wood,
or gas.
 Knead: To work dough with the “heel” of the hands, using a pressing motion,
accompanied by folding and stretching until smooth and elastic.
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Poach: To cook foods gently in a liquid with the temperature of the liquid is just
before the boiling point of the liquid.
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Preheat: to heat oven before using.
 Roll: To flatten to a desired thickness by using a rolling pin
 Sauté: To cook in a small amount of fat, usually frying
 Season: To add salt, pepper, or other substances to food to enhance the flavor
 Simmer: To cook below the boiling point, bubbles form slowly and break on the
surface
 Steam: To cook in the steam generated by boiling water
 Baste: To moisten foods during cooking with pan drippings or a sauce in order to add
flavor and prevent drying
 Chill: To cool a food to below room temperature in the refrigerator or freezer, or over ice
 Blanche: To partially cook fruits, vegetables, or nuts in boiling water or steam
 Al dente: “To the tooth”, a term to indicate pasta is cooked just enough to keep a firm
texture
 Marinade: A liquid in which food is allowed to stand in order to flavor or tenderize it
 Dash: A measure equal to 1/16 teaspoon
- Pan-fry: cooking food in an uncovered pan in a moderate amount of fat, often lower
temperatures.
 Preheat: To heat an oven or utensil to a specific temperature before using it
 Stew: To cook food in liquid for a long time until tender, usually in a covered pot
- Strain: To remove unwanted particles from a liquid or to separate liquid from other
solids.
 Coat: To evenly cover food with crumbs, flour or a batter
 Sear: To brown a food, usually meat, quickly on all sides using high heat to seal in juices
 Marble: To gently swirl one food into another, usually done with light and dark batters
for cakes
- Roast: hot, dry air to cook food. Food is uncovered, browns food more. Vegetables,
meat, and poultry are often roasted.
-
Sift: To pass dry ingredients through a fine mesh strainer to remove lumps and lighten the
texture.
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Stir-fry: To fry quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat while stirring continuously.
- Yield: the amount of servings or portion quantities. For example, a recipe might say that
for its list of ingredients it will yield 6 servings.
Mixing Terms
 Beat: To make mixture smooth by lifting it over and over quickly with a big beating
stroke or to incorporate air through the mixture
 Blend: To mix two or more ingredients together until well combined
 Cream: To beat sugar and fat together until fluffy
 Cut in: To cut fat into flour with two knives, or a pastry blender, until it is distributed in
small particles throughout the mixture
 Fold: To mix ingredients by gently turning one part over another with a spatula
 Stir: To mix by using circular motion, going around and around until blended
- Toss: To mix ingredients lightly without mashing or crushing them
- Whip: To beat rapidly to introduce air bubbles into food, applied to cream, eggs, and
gelatin
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Cutting Terms
Brunoise: food that is finely diced into approx. 1/8-inch cubes.
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Chiffonade: a chopping technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach,
basil, cilantro and parsley) are cut into long, thin strips. To do this - stack leaves, rolling them
tightly, then slice the leaves perpendicular to the roll.
- Chop: To cut into small pieces.
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-Dice: To cut into very small, uniform cubes, 1/8 to ¼ in.
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- Grate: To finely divide food in various sizes by rubbing it on a grater with sharp projections.
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- Julienne: to cut food into long, thin strips, like matchsticks.
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- Mince: To cut or chop food at finely as possible in irregular shaped pieces.
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- Peel or Pare: To remove or strip off the skin or rind of some fruits and vegetables, using
knife or vegetable peeler.
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- Snip: To cut food, often fresh herbs, dried fruit, with kitchen shears into very small, uniform
pieces using short, quick strokes.
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- Cube: To cut into uniform pieces, usually half inch on all sides.
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- Butterfly: To split foods in the middle without completely separating the halves, then
spreading the halves to resemble a butterfly (for example: pork chops or chicken breast).
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- Score: To cut narrow grooves or slits partway through the outer surface of a food to
tenderize it or to form a decorative pattern.
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- Julienne: To cut food into thin match like sticks about two inches long.
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Slice: a cutting technique to create thin pieces.
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