Cooking Terms
Al dente
Description: Pasta cooked "to the tooth", until it's ready-to-eat but slightly firm to the bite.
Baking
Description: When food is cooked in an oven.
Basting
Description: To moisturise (brush, spoon or pour liquid) food so that it does not dry when it's being cooked.
Beating
Description: Mix ingredients with quick movements, with a spoon or with a grinder.
Blanching
Description: Immersing a food item in boiling water to partially cook, loosen the skin, etc. Timing is important (which is different for each item). E.g. if you blanch tomatoes, you cannot leave them in the hot water for more than a couple of minutes, as they will lose their firmness. Almonds on the other hand can be left till the water cools, as the skin will then come off easily.
Blending
Description: Mix two or more ingredients thoroughly.
Boiling
Description: Bring water to 100 degree centigrade.
Braising
Description: A cooking technique in which meat or vegetables are first browned and then cooked slowly at a low heat for a long period of time in a small amount of liquid. This process adds flavour and tenderizes the food.
Caramelise
Description: Stir in sugar over low heat until it liquefies and become a clear caramel syrup that usually looks golden or dark brown in color.
Cream
Description: To blend or beat butter or margarine and sugar together together to a fluffy and creamy consistency.
Cutting in
Description: A term applied to a method of combining fat and flour when making some kind of pastry
De-glaze
Description: To remove browned bits of food from the bottom of a pan by pouring some liquid (like wine, water or stock) into it. After frying or sauteing food, you can heat the liquid alongwith the remaining drippings, and this often becomes a sort of gravy or sauce.
Deep-Frying
Description: The food is immersed in hot oil and cooked. This method of frying is used in India for pakoras and puris.
Desiccation
Description: The process of drying or dehydrating food, e.g. desiccated coconut.
Devilled
Description: Usually applied to a method of cooking small joints, e.g. drum sticks of chicken. The food is highly seasoned and often marinated in a piquant sauce before frying or grilling.
Dice
Description: To finely chop.
Dough
Description: The name given to a foundation mixture of flour and liquid. Other ingredients are added according to the purpose of the dough.
Dredge
Description: To coat food in flour or breadcrumbs or cornmeal prior to being fried or sauted. The coating helps to brown the food and provides a crunchy surface.
Dusting
Description: To sprinkle with sugar or flour.
Egg wash
Description: To brush the top of a baked item, such as bread, lightly with a beaten egg.
Flambe a dish
Description: In a ladle (a deep spoon, large one which is used for serving soups or even a kadhchi) pour some alcohol - mostly rum or brandy. Heat this a little, light it and pour the flaming liquid over the dish. Usually it is heated and brought to the table and lit by a match, because it does not last long.
Fold in
Description: Combining ingredients by lifting and dropping a spoon, in order to incorporate air into the mixture. Eg, while making a sponge cake, you normally fold in the flour into the egg mixture.
Frying
Description: When food is cooked in fat or oil.
Garnish
Description: To decorate food with something that adds color and flavour.
Grate
Description: To reduce a large piece of food to coarse or fine threads by rubbing it against a serrated surface or a grater.
Gravy
Description: A thick sauce, usually made from pan drippings and other liquid, plus flour.
Grilling
Description: Food is placed on a grid iron over a fire, or in an electric grill. The grill bars are brushed with oil.
Grind
Description: To cut food into tiny particles by pushing through a food grinder, or by crushing with a mortar and pestle. Also can be accomplished in a food processor.
Infuse
Description: To extract flavor by steeping - herbs and vegetables are heated slowly in stock or milk to be used for some sauces in order to draw out the flavour. For sweet dishes, milk can be flavored by infusing a vanilla pod, piece of cinnamon stick, bay leaf, or lemon peel in the milk.
Julienne
Description: A term used to indicate a method of cutting vegetables and other food into thin strips about the length of a matchstick and 1/8 inch wide. Also used as a garnish gently cooked in butter.
Kneading
Description: To mix and press dough to make it elastic in consistency.
Marinate
Description: Allow chicken or meat or vegetables to stand in a flavored liquid, for a considerable length of time - to add flavor or to tenderize.
Meringue
Description: A mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and granulated sugar, often used as a garnish when browned in the oven. It can also be made into small cakes and filled with cream.
Mince
Description: To cut or chop into very small pieces.
Mirepoix
Description: A mirepoix is a mixture of diced vegetables, carrots, onions and celery (sometimes with ham or bacon), usually sauteed in butter. Mirepoix is used to flavor stews, soups, stocks, etc. The usual mixture is 50 per cent onions, and 25 per cent each carrots and celery
Mix
Description: To combine ingredients in any way that evenly distributes them.
OTG
Description: It is an oven-toaster-grill. It performs all these functions. A microwave oven does not toast or grill unless it has dual functions, in which case it works like an oven when you put it on convection mode.
oz.
Description: ounce
Parboiling
Description: To boil vegetables until partially cooked
Pinch/dash
Description: Small, inexact amounts that basically add up to "to taste."
Poaching
Description: Cooking food that is partially or completely covered by a liquid, that is maintained at a temperature just below boiling point.
Preheat
Description: To set the temperature and heat the oven well before putting in the food to cook.
Punch down
Description: A term used in working with yeast-risen products. After letting the dough rise, one flattens it forcefully in the bowl before turning it out onto a floured board.
Rest
Description: In bread-making, to let the dough sit a few minutes before kneading more.
Rise
Description: In bread-making, to leave the dough in a warm place and allow to double in volume.
Roast
Description: To cook uncovered in an oven without adding any liquid.
Rubbing in
Description: Rubbing fat or butter with finger tips into flour. Normally you rub till the mixture till it looks like breadcrumbs.
Saute
Description: Quickly fry vegetables or meat in a small amount of fat over moderate heat.
Scald
Description: To heat a liquid just below boiling point.
Sear
Description: To seal in the juices of meat by quickly browning or charring the outside of meat at a high temperature.
Shallow-fat frying
Description: Fry food in very little oil. Usually used for pre-cooked food, or food that contains fat in itself (like bacon) or food that cooks quickly, likely omeletes.
Shred
Description: To slice finely.
Sift
Description: To put dry ingredients through a fine sieve.
Simmer
Description: To cook liquid below or just at the boiling point. You can see the bubbles rise to the surface.
Sprouting Lentils
Description: Soak whole lentils over night. The next day, drain out the water and transfer into a wide mouthed jar and tie a muslin cloth over it. Keep the jar at an angle, mouth side down,in a container. Pour water into jar and drain, at least three times a day, keeping jar back at an angle. Continue till they are of desired size.
Stew
Description: To simmer in a liquid.
Description: Pasta cooked "to the tooth", until it's ready-to-eat but slightly firm to the bite.
Baking
Description: When food is cooked in an oven.
Basting
Description: To moisturise (brush, spoon or pour liquid) food so that it does not dry when it's being cooked.
Beating
Description: Mix ingredients with quick movements, with a spoon or with a grinder.
Blanching
Description: Immersing a food item in boiling water to partially cook, loosen the skin, etc. Timing is important (which is different for each item). E.g. if you blanch tomatoes, you cannot leave them in the hot water for more than a couple of minutes, as they will lose their firmness. Almonds on the other hand can be left till the water cools, as the skin will then come off easily.
Blending
Description: Mix two or more ingredients thoroughly.
Boiling
Description: Bring water to 100 degree centigrade.
Braising
Description: A cooking technique in which meat or vegetables are first browned and then cooked slowly at a low heat for a long period of time in a small amount of liquid. This process adds flavour and tenderizes the food.
Caramelise
Description: Stir in sugar over low heat until it liquefies and become a clear caramel syrup that usually looks golden or dark brown in color.
Cream
Description: To blend or beat butter or margarine and sugar together together to a fluffy and creamy consistency.
Cutting in
Description: A term applied to a method of combining fat and flour when making some kind of pastry
De-glaze
Description: To remove browned bits of food from the bottom of a pan by pouring some liquid (like wine, water or stock) into it. After frying or sauteing food, you can heat the liquid alongwith the remaining drippings, and this often becomes a sort of gravy or sauce.
Deep-Frying
Description: The food is immersed in hot oil and cooked. This method of frying is used in India for pakoras and puris.
Desiccation
Description: The process of drying or dehydrating food, e.g. desiccated coconut.
Devilled
Description: Usually applied to a method of cooking small joints, e.g. drum sticks of chicken. The food is highly seasoned and often marinated in a piquant sauce before frying or grilling.
Dice
Description: To finely chop.
Dough
Description: The name given to a foundation mixture of flour and liquid. Other ingredients are added according to the purpose of the dough.
Dredge
Description: To coat food in flour or breadcrumbs or cornmeal prior to being fried or sauted. The coating helps to brown the food and provides a crunchy surface.
Dusting
Description: To sprinkle with sugar or flour.
Egg wash
Description: To brush the top of a baked item, such as bread, lightly with a beaten egg.
Flambe a dish
Description: In a ladle (a deep spoon, large one which is used for serving soups or even a kadhchi) pour some alcohol - mostly rum or brandy. Heat this a little, light it and pour the flaming liquid over the dish. Usually it is heated and brought to the table and lit by a match, because it does not last long.
Fold in
Description: Combining ingredients by lifting and dropping a spoon, in order to incorporate air into the mixture. Eg, while making a sponge cake, you normally fold in the flour into the egg mixture.
Frying
Description: When food is cooked in fat or oil.
Garnish
Description: To decorate food with something that adds color and flavour.
Grate
Description: To reduce a large piece of food to coarse or fine threads by rubbing it against a serrated surface or a grater.
Gravy
Description: A thick sauce, usually made from pan drippings and other liquid, plus flour.
Grilling
Description: Food is placed on a grid iron over a fire, or in an electric grill. The grill bars are brushed with oil.
Grind
Description: To cut food into tiny particles by pushing through a food grinder, or by crushing with a mortar and pestle. Also can be accomplished in a food processor.
Infuse
Description: To extract flavor by steeping - herbs and vegetables are heated slowly in stock or milk to be used for some sauces in order to draw out the flavour. For sweet dishes, milk can be flavored by infusing a vanilla pod, piece of cinnamon stick, bay leaf, or lemon peel in the milk.
Julienne
Description: A term used to indicate a method of cutting vegetables and other food into thin strips about the length of a matchstick and 1/8 inch wide. Also used as a garnish gently cooked in butter.
Kneading
Description: To mix and press dough to make it elastic in consistency.
Marinate
Description: Allow chicken or meat or vegetables to stand in a flavored liquid, for a considerable length of time - to add flavor or to tenderize.
Meringue
Description: A mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and granulated sugar, often used as a garnish when browned in the oven. It can also be made into small cakes and filled with cream.
Mince
Description: To cut or chop into very small pieces.
Mirepoix
Description: A mirepoix is a mixture of diced vegetables, carrots, onions and celery (sometimes with ham or bacon), usually sauteed in butter. Mirepoix is used to flavor stews, soups, stocks, etc. The usual mixture is 50 per cent onions, and 25 per cent each carrots and celery
Mix
Description: To combine ingredients in any way that evenly distributes them.
OTG
Description: It is an oven-toaster-grill. It performs all these functions. A microwave oven does not toast or grill unless it has dual functions, in which case it works like an oven when you put it on convection mode.
oz.
Description: ounce
Parboiling
Description: To boil vegetables until partially cooked
Pinch/dash
Description: Small, inexact amounts that basically add up to "to taste."
Poaching
Description: Cooking food that is partially or completely covered by a liquid, that is maintained at a temperature just below boiling point.
Preheat
Description: To set the temperature and heat the oven well before putting in the food to cook.
Punch down
Description: A term used in working with yeast-risen products. After letting the dough rise, one flattens it forcefully in the bowl before turning it out onto a floured board.
Rest
Description: In bread-making, to let the dough sit a few minutes before kneading more.
Rise
Description: In bread-making, to leave the dough in a warm place and allow to double in volume.
Roast
Description: To cook uncovered in an oven without adding any liquid.
Rubbing in
Description: Rubbing fat or butter with finger tips into flour. Normally you rub till the mixture till it looks like breadcrumbs.
Saute
Description: Quickly fry vegetables or meat in a small amount of fat over moderate heat.
Scald
Description: To heat a liquid just below boiling point.
Sear
Description: To seal in the juices of meat by quickly browning or charring the outside of meat at a high temperature.
Shallow-fat frying
Description: Fry food in very little oil. Usually used for pre-cooked food, or food that contains fat in itself (like bacon) or food that cooks quickly, likely omeletes.
Shred
Description: To slice finely.
Sift
Description: To put dry ingredients through a fine sieve.
Simmer
Description: To cook liquid below or just at the boiling point. You can see the bubbles rise to the surface.
Sprouting Lentils
Description: Soak whole lentils over night. The next day, drain out the water and transfer into a wide mouthed jar and tie a muslin cloth over it. Keep the jar at an angle, mouth side down,in a container. Pour water into jar and drain, at least three times a day, keeping jar back at an angle. Continue till they are of desired size.
Stew
Description: To simmer in a liquid.
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