| Culinary Techniques |
| |
| A |
| Almondine - a garnish of almonds. |
| |
| Alumette - a matchstick-sized cut of potatoes |
| |
| B |
| Baking - the technique of cooking food
in an oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven or only from
the bottom element. |
| |
| Basting -is the spooning of liquid over
food while cooking. |
| |
| Blanching - Dip food into boiling water
for a few minutes, then plunge it into cold water. This is use for helping
to remove the skins from fruits and vegetables. |
| |
| Boiling - is heating liquid until it continuos
bubbles break the surface. |
| |
| Braising - is cooking with "moist
heat," typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid which
results in a particular flavor. It is an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. |
| |
| Brining - a process in which meat is soaked
in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking. |
| |
| Broiling - To cook with direct, high heat
radiating from an overhead source. |
| |
| C |
| Caramelize - 1. gentle browning of food
that caramelizes natural sugars and other compounds and intensifies their
flavor 2. to cook sugar to a point where it turns a golden brown, and
changes flavour |
| |
| Chiffonade - a small chopped pile of thin
strips of an ingredient. Usually it is raw, but sometimes sautéed.
Mostly used to garnish. |
| |
| Coddling - is to heat it in water kept
just below the boiling point. |
| |
| Cut-in - to incorporate solid fat into
dry ingredients using a pastry blender or knives. |
| |
| D |
| Deglaze - to remove browned bits of food
from the bottom of a pan after sauteing, usually meat. After the food
and excess fat have been removed from the pan, a small amount of liquid
is heated with the cooking juices in the pan and stirred to remove browned
bits of food from the bottom. The resulting mixture often becomes the
base for a sauce. |
| |
| Devein - to remove the dark intestinal
vein of a shrimp by using the tip of a sharp knife, then rinsing the shrimp
in cold water. |
| |
| Dice - to cut into small cubes |
| |
| Double Boiling - a cooking method consisting
of two nesting saucepans so that the contents of the upper pan can be
cooked slowly and evenly by boiling water in the lower pan. |
| |
| E |
| Emulsify - to bind together two liquid
ingredients that normally do not combine smoothly, such as water and fat.
Slowly add one ingredient to the other while mixing rapidly. This action
disperses tiny droplets of one liquid in the other. Mayonnaise and vinaigrettes
are emulsions. Use a good whisk for a steady even emulsification. |
| |
| Escalope - a thin slice of meat or fish,
without bones, gristle, or skin. |
| |
| F |
Flake - To break into small sections or
pieces with a fork or spoon.
|
| |
| Flambe - French term for flamed, food that
is ignited with a small amount of liquor poured over, the burning alcohol
envelops the dish in flames. |
| |
| Fold - by repeatedly turning it over without
stirring or beating |
| |
| G |
| Glaze - to give food a shiny coating of
sauce before serving |
| |
Grilling - is the cooking of food over
an open flame of charcoal. Most grilling of meat is done over a very high
heat that produces a sealing in of the juices of the meat.
|
| |
| H |
| |
| |
| I |
| Indirect Grilling - cooking technique in
which the food is placed to the side of the heat source instead of directly
over the flame. |
| |
| Infusion - flavor that is extracted from
any ingredient such as tea leaves, herbs or fruit by steeping them in
a liquid such as water, oil or vinegar. |
| |
| J |
| Julienne - a method of cutting vegetables
and other food into thin strips about the length of a matchstick and 1/8
inch wide |
| |
| K |
| |
| |
| L |
| Larding - threading small strips of fat
(lardons) into the surface of meat to prevent it drying out whilst roasting |
| |
| M |
| Macerate - to soak raw, dried or preserved
fruit or vegetables in liquid to soften or absorb the flavour of the liquid. |
| |
| Marinate - to make foods more flavorful
or tender by allowing them to stand in a liquid for several hours or overnight;
the food is generally completely covered. Most marinades are a mixture
of cooking oil and vinegar or lemon juice with a variety of spices added
for flavor. |
| |
| Mince - to chop in very fine pieces. |
| |
| N |
| |
| |
| O |
| |
| |
| P |
| Pan Searing - is a technique used in grilling,
roasting, braising, sauteeing, etc. that cooks the surface of the food
(usually meat, poultry or fish) at high temperature so that a caramelized
crust forms. |
| |
| Papillote - French term for baking food
in a sealed bag or parcel. |
| |
| Poach - To cook food simmered in a liquid,
just below the boiling point |
| |
| Puree - To finely blend and mash food to
a smooth, lump-free consistency. You can purée foods in a blender,
food processor, or food mill |
| |
| Q |
| |
| |
| R |
| Render - to cook a food over low heat until
it releases its fat. |
| |
| Roasting - is high-heat baking with very
little moisture. Roasted foods get drier and browned on the outside, which
keeps most of the moisture from being cooked out of the food. |
| |
| |
| S |
| Scald - 1. to dip fruits or vegetables
in boiling water in order to loosen their skins and simplify peeling.
2. to heat a liquid, usually milk or cream, to just below the boiling
point. |
| |
| Score - to cut shallow slashes into food,
usually for decoration, to allow excess fat to drain, or to help tenderize. |
| |
| Sear - brown meat very quickly over high
heat to seal in juices. |
| |
| Season - to enhance the flavor of foods
by adding salt, pepper, herbs, spices or vinegar. |
| |
| Simmer - to cook food in liquid over gentle
heat, just below the boiling point, low enough so that tiny bubbles just
begin to break the surface. |
| |
| Stew - cook slowly and for a long time
in liquid |
| |
| |
| Stir Fry - an oriental form of preparation
in which pieces of meat and/or vegetables, of uniform size, are cooked
quickly in a small amount of hot fat, usually in a wok. |
| |
| T |
| Temper - slowly add a hot liquid to to
an egg mixture or other food being prepared to raise the temperature without
making them curdle or begin to cook |
| |
| U |
| |
| |
| V |
| |
| |
| W |
| Whisk - to mix or beat with a wire whisk. |
| |
| X |
| |
| |
| Y |
| |
| |
| Z |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
