CULINARY TERMS
Aboyeur (ah bwah yer)
Kitchen worker who accepts and transmits orders from waiters, calls for orders
to be finished, inspects finished dishes, and passes them to the dining room
staff.
Aging Holding meats in
coolers under controlled conditions to allow natural tenderizing to take place.
À la Carte (1) Referring to
a menu on which each individual item is listed with a separate price. (2)
Referring to cooking to order, as opposed to cooking ahead in large batches.
Al Dente Firm, not soft
or mushy, to the bite. Said of vegetables and pasta.
Allemande (1) German
style. (2) A sauce made of velouté (usually veal), a liaison, and lemon juice.
Allumette Cut into
matchstick shapes usually refers to potatoes.
Anthocyanins Red or purple pigments
in vegetables and fruits.
Antipasto Italian hors
d’oeuvre.
AP Weight As purchased the
weight of an item before trimming.
Arborio Rice A variety of
short-grain rice from Italy.
Argenteuil (ar zhawn toy)
Garnished with asparagus.
Au Gratin (oh gra tan)
Having a browned or crusted top, often made by topping with bread crumbs, cheese,
and/or a rich sauce and passing under the broiler or salamander.
Au Jus (oh zhoo) Served
with its natural juices, usually unthickened pan drippings.
Au Sec (oh seck) Until
dry.
Avgolemono Greek soup made
of chicken stock, egg, and lemon juice.
Bain-Marie A container of
hot water used for keeping foods hot.
Bake To cook foods by
surrounding them with hot, dry air. Similar to roast, but the term bake usually
applies to breads, pastries, vegetables, and fish.
Barbecue To cook with dry
heat created by the burning of hardwood or by the hot coals of this wood.
Bard To tie thin
slices of fat, such as pork fatback, over meats with no natural fat cover to
protect them while roasting.
Basmati Rice A variety of
long-grain rice from India.
Batonnet Cut into sticks,
about 1⁄4 × 1⁄4 × 21⁄3–3 inches (6 mm
× 6 mm ×6–7.5 cm).
Batter Semi liquid
mixture containing flour or other starch, used for the production of such products
as cakes and breads and for coating products to be deep-fried.
Bavarian Cream A dessert made
of custard sauce, gelatin, and whipped cream.
Béarnaise (bare nez) A
sauce made of butter and egg yolks and flavored with a reduction of vinegar,
shallots, tarragon, and peppercorns.
Béchamel A sauce made by
thickening milk with a roux.
Beignet Fritter.
Beurre Manié (burr mahn yay)
A mixture of equal parts raw butter and flour mixed together into a smooth
paste.
Beurre Noir (burr nwahr)
Butter heated until it is dark brown, then flavored with vinegar.
Beurre Noisette (burr nwah zett)
Whole butter heated until it is light brown.
Bisque A cream soup
made from shellfish.
Bivalve A mollusk with a
pair of hinged shells, such as clam and oyster.
Blanch To cook an item
partially and briefly in boiling water or in hot fat. Usually a pre-preparation
technique, as to loosen peels from vegetables, fruits, and nuts, to partially
cook French fries or other foods before service, to prepare for freezing, or to
remove undesirable flavors.
Blanquette A white stew
made of white meat or poultry simmered without preliminary browning and served
with a white sauce.
Boar Wild pig, or the
meat from this animal.
Boeuf à la Mode A classic French
dish of braised beef.
Boil To cook in water
or other liquid that is bubbling rapidly, about 212°F (100°C) at sea level and
at normal pressure.
Bordelaise A brown sauce
flavored with a reduction of red wine, shallots, pepper, and herbs and
garnished with marrow.
Botulism A deadly
food-borne intoxication usually associated with improperly canned foods.
Bouquet Garni A combination of
fresh herbs tied together, used for flavoring.
Bouquetière (book tyair)
Garnished with an assortment or bouquet of fresh vegetables, such as artichokes,
carrots, turnips, green beans, peas, cauliflower, and potatoes.
Braise (1) To cook
covered in a small amount of liquid, usually after preliminary browning. (2) To
cook (certain vegetables) slowly in a small amount of liquid without
preliminary browning.
Broil To cook with
radiant heat from above.
Broth A flavorful
liquid obtained from the simmering of meats and/or vegetables.
Brunoise (broon wahz) (1)
Cut into very small (1⁄8 inch/3 mm) dice. (2) Garnished with
vegetables cut in this manner.
Butterflied Cut partially
through and spread open to increase the surface area.
Calamari Italian for
“squid”(plural).
Canapé (can ah pay)
Tiny open-faced sandwich, served as an hors d’oeuvre.
Capon A castrated male
chicken.
Caramelization The browning of
sugars caused by heat.
Carotenoids Yellow or orange
pigments in vegetables and fruits.
Carpaccio Very thin slices
of meat or fish, served raw.
Carry-over
Cooking The
rise in temperature inside roast meat after it is removed from the oven.
Caviar (1) The salted
roe or eggs of sturgeon. (2) The salted roe of another fish, such as salmon or
whitefish, if that fish is designated in the name, e.g .whitefish caviar.
Cephalopod A member of the
class of mollusks that includes octopus and squid.
Charcuterie (shar koo tree)
The art of preparing fresh and cured pork products, including sausages and
pâtés.
Charcutier (shar koo tyay)
One who prepares and sells pork products, including sausages and pâtés.
Chasseur (sha sur)
“Hunter style,” usually referring to items served with a brown sauce containing
mushrooms,tomato,and white wine.
Chef The person in
charge of a kitchen or of a department of a kitchen.
Chèvre A cheese made
from goat’s milk.
Chiffonade Cut into fine
shreds; usually said of leafy vegetables and herbs.
China Cap A cone-shaped
strainer.
Chitterlings Pork intestines.
Chlorophyll Green pigment in
vegetables and fruits.
Chop To cut into
irregularly shaped pieces.
Chowder A hearty
American soup made from fish, shellfish, and/or vegetables, usually containing
milk and potatoes.
Chutney Any of several
types of spicy condiments or relishes.
Cilantro The fresh
coriander plant, used as an herb.
Clamart Garnished with
or containing peas.
Clarified Butter
Purified
butter fat, with water and milk solids removed.
Clearmeat A mixture of
ground meat, egg whites, and flavoring ingredients, used to clarify consommés.
Coagulation The process by
which proteins become firm, usually when heated.
Compound Butter A mixture of raw
butter and various flavoring ingredients.
Concasser To chop
coarsely.
Consommé A rich,
flavorful seasoned stock or broth that has been clarified to make it perfectly
clear and transparent.
Convection Oven An oven in which
hot air is circulated by a fan.
Coq au Vin (coke oh van) A
French dish of chicken braised in wine.
Coral The roe or eggs
of certain shellfish.
Coulis A vegetable or
fruit purée, used as a sauce.
Course A food or group
of foods served at one time or intended to be eaten at the same time.
Court Bouillon (koor bwee yohn)
Water containing seasonings, herbs, and, usually, an acid used for cooking
fish.
Cream Soup A soup thickened
with roux or another thickening agent and containing milk and/or cream.
Crècy (kray see)
Garnished with or containing carrots.
Crème Anglaise (krem awng lezz)
A light vanilla-flavored custard sauce made of milk, sugar, and egg yolks.
Critical Control
Point (CCP) An
action that can be taken to eliminate or minimize a food safety hazard.
Croissant A
crescent-shaped roll made from a rich, rolled-in yeast dough.
Cross-contamination
The
transfer of bacteria to food from another food or from equipment or work
surfaces.
Crudité (croo dee tay) A
raw vegetable served as a relish.
Crustacean A sea animal
with a segmented shell and jointed legs, such as lobster and shrimp.
Custard A liquid that is
thickened or set firm by the coagulation of egg protein.
Cuttlefish A cephalopod
similar to squid, but with a chalky interior bone and a squatter body shape.
Deep-fry To cook
submerged in hot fat.
Deglaze To swirl a
liquid in a sauté pan or other pan to dissolve cooked particles or food
remaining on the bottom.
Demi-glace A rich brown sauce
that has been reduced by half.
Doria Garnished with cucumbers
cooked in butter.
Drawn With entrails
removed.
Dressed (1) Poultry
market form: killed, bled, and plucked. (2) Fish market form: viscera, scales, head,
tail, and fins removed.
Dry-heat Cooking
Method A
method in which heat is conducted to foods without the use of moisture.
Dubarry Garnished with
or containing cauliflower.
Duchesse
Potatoes (doo
shess) Potato purée mixed with butter and egg yolks.
Dumpling Any of a variety
of small starch products made from soft dough or batter and cooked by simmering
or steaming.
Duxelles A coarse paste
or hash made of finely chopped mushrooms sautéed with shallots.
Elastin A type of
connective tissue in meats that does not dissolve when cooked.
Emulsion A uniform
mixture of two unmixable liquids.
Entremetier (awn truh met
yay) The cook who prepares vegetables, starches, soups, and eggs.
Espagnole A sauce made of
brown stock and flavoring ingredients and thickened with a brown roux.
Étuver (ay too vay) To
cook or steam an item in its own juices; to sweat.
Executive Chef The manager of a
large kitchen or food production department.
Expediter Kitchen worker
who accepts and transmits orders from waiters, calls for orders to be finished,
inspects finished dishes, and passes them to the dining room staff.
Fermentation The process by
which yeast acts on carbohydrates to change them into carbon dioxide gas and
alcohol.
Fermière (fair myair)
Garnished with carrots, turnips, onions, and celery cut into uniform slices.
Fillet, Filet (1) Meat :Boneless
tenderloin.(2) Fish Boneless side of fish.
Flavones White pigments
in vegetables and fruits.
Flavor Profile The combination
of flavors and aromas that make up the total taste impression of a dish.
Florentine Garnished with
or containing spinach.
Foie Gras (fwah grah)
Liver of specially fattened geese and ducks.
Fondue, Swiss A dish
consisting of melted Gruyère and Emmenthaler cheeses and white wine into which
cubes of bread are dipped and eaten. From the French word meaning “melted.”
Food Danger Zone
The
temperature range of 41° to 135°F (5° to57°C),in which bacteria grow rapidly.
Forestière Garnished with
mushrooms.
Four-hour Rule The sanitary
practice of permitting foods to remain in the food danger zone for a cumulative
total of no more than four hours between receiving and serving.
Free-range Referring to
animals, usually poultry that are allowed to move relatively freely outdoors as
they are raised for market.
French Dressing Salad dressing
made of oil, vinegar, and seasonings.
French-style Ice
Cream Ice
cream containing egg yolks.
Fricassée A white stew in
which the meat is cooked in fat without browning before liquid is added.
Frisée A variety of
curly endive or chicory that is more tender and lighter in color than curly
endive.
Frittata A flat, unfolded
omelet.
Fry To cook in hot
fat.
Fumet (foo may) A
flavorful stock, usually fish stock.
Game Meat from
animals and birds normally found in the wild; many game animals are now
farm-raised.
Garde Manger (gard mawn zhay)
(1) The cook in charge of cold food production, including salads and buffet
items.(2) The department of a kitchen in which these foods are prepared.
Garnish (1) Decorative
edible item used to ornament or enhance the eye appeal of another food item.
(2) To add such a decorative item to food.
Gazpacho A cold Spanish
soup made of puréed raw vegetables.
Gelatinization The process by
which starch granules absorb water and swell in size.
Glace de Viande (glahss duh vee
awnd) Meat glaze; a reduction of brown stock.
Glaze (1) A stock that
is reduced until it coats the back of a spoon.(2) A shiny coating, such as a
syrup, applied to a food. (3) To make a food shiny or glossy by coating it with
a glaze or by browning it under a broiler or in a hot oven.
Gluten A substance made
of proteins present in wheat flour that gives structure and strength to baked
goods.
Goulash A Hungarian stew
flavored with paprika.
Gram The basic unit
of weight in the metric system; equal to about one-thirtieth of an ounce.
Gras Double (grah doo bl’) A
type of beef tripe that is smooth rather than honeycombed.
Green Meat Meat that has
not had enough time after slaughter to develop tenderness and flavor.
Griddle To cook on a
flat, solid cooking surface called a griddle.
Grill To cook on an
open grid over a heat source.
Grillardin (gree ar dan)
Broiler cook.
Guinea A domestically
raised relative of the pheasant.
HACCP Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point; a food safety system of self-inspection designed to
highlight hazardous foods and to control food handling to avoid hazards.
Hare A game animal
similar to rabbit, with dark red, lean meat.
Hash (1) To chop.(2)
A dish made of chopped foods.
Hazard A potentially
dangerous food condition due to contamination, growth of pathogens, survival of
pathogens, or presence of toxins.
Herbs The leaves of
certain plants, used in flavoring.
Hollandaise A sauce made of
butter, egg yolks, and flavorings (especially lemon juice).
Homogenized Milk
Milk
that has been processed so the cream doesn’t separate out.
Hongroise (ong grwahz)
Hungarian style.
Hygroscopic Readily
absorbing moisture.
Induction
Cooktop A
type of cook top that works by using magnetic energy to make pots hot without
getting hot itself.
Jardinière (zhar din yair)
Garnished with fresh garden vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, green beans, peas,
and cauliflower.
Jasmine Rice A type of
aromatic rice from Southeast Asia.
Julienne (1) Cut into
small, thin strips, about 1⁄8 × 1⁄8 × 21⁄2
inches (3 mm × 3 mm × 6.5 cm).(2) Garnished with foods cut in this manner.
Jus (zhoo)
Unthickened juices from a roast.
Jus Lié Thickened juices
from a roast.
Lacto-vegetarian
Referring
to a vegetarian diet that includes milk and other dairy products.
Lard (1) The rendered
fat of hogs. (2) To insert strips of fat into meats low in marbling.
Leading Sauce A basic sauce
used in the production of other sauces. The five leading hot sauces are
béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato, and hollandaise. Mayonnaise and
vinaigrette are often considered leading cold sauces.
Leavening The production
or incorporation of gases in a baked product to increase volume and to produce
shape and texture.
Liaison A binding agent,
usually made of cream and egg yolks, used to thicken sauces and soups.
Lyonnaise (lee oh nez)
Containing or garnished with onions.
Mâche A small, tender
leafy green with a delicate taste.
Maître d’Hôtel
Butter (may
truh doh tell) Compound butter containing parsley and lemon juice.
Marbling The fat
deposited within muscle tissue.
Marinate To soak a food
in a seasoned liquid.
Mayonnaise A semisolid cold
sauce or dressing consisting of oil and vinegar emulsified with egg yolks.
Mesclun A mixture of
tender baby lettuces.
Meunière Referring to
fish prepared by dredging in flour and sautéing, served with brown butter, lemon
juice, and parsley.
Mince To chop into
very fine pieces.
Minestrone Italian
vegetable soup.
Minimum Safe
Internal Temperature The
lowest temperature to which a food item must be heated and at which it must be
held for a given time in order to be considered safe.
Mirepoix (meer pwah) A
mixture of rough-cut or diced vegetables, herbs, and spices, used for
flavoring.
Mise en Place (meez on plahss)
French term meaning “everything in place.” The setup for food production. All
the preparations and organization that must be made before actual production
can begin.
Moist-heat
Cooking Methods Methods
in which heat is conducted to foods by water or other liquid or by steam.
Mollusk A soft-bodied
sea animal, usually inside a pair of hinged shells, such as clam and oyster.
Monter au Beurre
(mohn
tay oh burr) To finish a sauce or soup by swirling in raw butter until it is
melted.
Mornay A sauce made of
béchamel and Gruyère cheese.
Mousse A soft, creamy
food, either sweet or savory, made light by the addition of whipped cream, beaten
egg whites, or both.
Mozzarella A mild unripened
cheese, used in pizzas and many other Italian-style dishes.
Navarin A brown lamb
stew.
Niçoise (nee swahz) (1)
Prepared in the style of Nice, France.(2) Garnished with or containing tomato
concassé cooked with garlic.
Nouvelle Cuisine
A
modern style of cooking that emphasizes lightness of sauces and seasonings,
shortened cooking times, and new and sometimes startling combinations of foods.
Pan Gravy A type of sauce
made with the pan drippings of the meat or poultry it is served with.
Pan-Broil To cook
uncovered in a sauté pan or skillet without fat.
Pan-Fry To cook in a
moderate amount of fat in an uncovered pan.
Panko Coarse,
Japanese-style breadcrumbs.
(en) Papillote (on poppy yote)
Wrapped in paper or foil for cooking so that the food is steamed in its own
moisture.
Parboil To cook
partially in a boiling or simmering liquid.
Parcook To partially
cook by any method.
Parmentier (par mawn tyay)
Garnished with or containing potatoes.
Pasteurized Heat-treated to
kill bacteria that might cause disease or spoilage.
Pesco-vegetarian
Referring
to a vegetarian diet that includes fish.
Pilaf Rice or other
grain product that is first cooked in fat, then simmered in a stock or other
liquid, usually with onions, seasonings, or other ingredients.
Poach To cook gently
in water or another liquid that is hot but not actually bubbling, about 160° to
180°F (71° to 82°C).
Poissonier (pwah so nyay)
Fish cook.
Poussin A young chicken
weighing 1 pound (500 g) or less.
Primal Cut One of the
primary divisions of meat quarters, foresaddles, hindsaddles, and carcasses as
they are broken down into smaller cuts.
Princesse Garnished with asparagus.
Printanière (pran tawn yair)
Garnished with fresh spring vegetables such as carrots, turnips, pearl onions, peas,
green beans, and asparagus.
Process Cheese A product made
by grinding and melting one or more cheeses, blending them with other ingredients,
and pouring the mixture into molds to solidify.
Provençale (pro vawn sal)
Garnished with or containing tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and, sometimes, mushrooms
and olives.
Purée (1) A food
product that has been mashed or strained to a smooth
pulp.(2) To make
such a pulp by mashing or straining a food.
Quail A small game
bird, now domestically raised, usually weighing 6 ounces (175 g) or less.
Quiche A savory tart or
pie consisting of custard baked in a pastry shell.
Raft The coagulated
clear meat that forms when stock is clarified.
Ratatouille (ra ta twee) A
Southern French vegetable stew of onions, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and
green bell peppers.
Recipe A set of
instructions for producing a certain dish.
Reduce To cook by
simmering or boiling until quantity is decreased; often done to concentrate
flavors.
Reduction (1) A liquid
concentrated by cooking it to evaporate part of the water. (2) The process of
making such a liquid.
Relish (1) A type of
appetizer consisting of raw or pickled vegetables. (2) A mixture of chopped
vegetables and sometimes fruits, at least one of which has been pickled in
vinegar or a salt solution.
Ricotta An Italian-style
cheese similar to cottage cheese but smoother, moister, and sweeter in flavor.
Risotto A moist Italian
dish of rice cooked in butter and stock.
Roast To cook foods by
surrounding them with hot, dry air, in an oven or on a spit over an open fire.
Roe Fish eggs.
Roesti Potatoes Boiled potatoes
that are grated, formed into small cakes, and pan-fried until crisp.
Roquefort A blue-veined
cheese made in Roquefort, France, from sheep’s milk.
Rotisserie An item of
cooking equipment that slowly rotates meat or other foods in front of a heating
element.
Rôtisseur (ro tee sur)
Cook who prepares roasted, braised, and broiled meats.
Roux A cooked mixture
of equal parts flour and fat.
Sachet (sa shay) A
mixture of herbs and spices tied in a cheesecloth bag.
Salamander Small broiler
used primarily for browning or glazing the tops of certain items.
Sauce A flavorful
liquid, usually thickened, used to season, flavor, andenhance other foods.
Saucier (so see ay)
Sauce cook prepares sauces and stews and sautés foods to order.
Sauté To cook quickly
in a small amount of fat.
Sear To brown the
surface of a food quickly at high temperature.
Shirred Egg Egg baked in a
shallow, buttered dish.
Shred To cut into thin
but irregular strips, either with the coarse blade
of a grater or
with a knife.
Simmer To cook in water
or other liquid that is bubbling gently, about 185° to 200°F (85° to 93°C).
Slurry A mixture of raw
starch and cold liquid, used for thickening.
Small Sauce A sauce made by
adding one or more ingredients to a leading sauce.
Solanine A poisonous
substance found in potatoes that have turned green.
Sous Chef (soo shef) Cook
who supervises food production and who reports to the executive chef.
Spaetzle Small dumplings
or noodles made from a thin egg and flour batter.
Squab Young,domestically
raised pigeon.
Standard
Breading Procedure The
procedure for coating a food product with bread crumbs (or other crumbs or
meal) by passing it through flour, then egg wash, then crumbs.
Steam To cook by
direct contact with steam.
Stew (1) To simmer a
food or foods in a small amount of liquid that is usually served with the food
as a sauce. (2) A dish cooked by stewing, usually one in which the main
ingredients are cut in small pieces.
Stock A clear, thin—that
is, un thickened—liquid flavored with soluble substances extracted from meat,
poultry, and fish, and their bones, and from vegetables and seasonings.
Suprême Sauce A sauce made of
chicken velouté and heavy cream.
Sweat To cook in a
small amount of fat over low heat, sometimes covered.
Sweetbreads The thymus
glands of calves and young animals, used as food.
Temper To raise the
temperature of a cold liquid gradually by slowly stirring in a hot liquid.
Tomalley The liver of
lobsters and some other shellfish.
Tournant (toor nawn) Cook
who replaces other station cooks; relief cook or swing cook.
Tournedos (toor nuh doe) A
small beef steak cut from the tenderloin.
Trichinosis A food-borne
disease caused by a parasite, sometimes found in undercooked pork.
Tripe The muscular
stomach lining of beef or other meat animals.
Truit au Bleu Poached trout
that was alive until cooking time and that turns blue when cooked in court
bouillon.
Truss To tie poultry
into a compact shape for cooking.
Univalve A mollusk with a
single shell, such as abalone.
Vegan Referring to a
vegetarian diet that omits all animal products, including dairy products and
eggs.
Velouté A sauce made by
thickening white stock with a roux.
Viande (vee awnd)
French for “meat.”
Vichyssoise (vee she swahz)
Cold purée of leek and potato soup with
cream.
Vin Wine.
Vin Blanc White wine.
Vin Rouge Red wine.
Vinaigrette Dressing or
sauce made of oil, vinegar, and flavoring ingredients.
Wash (1) To brush or
coat a food item with a liquid such as egg wash or milk.(2) The liquid used in
this procedure.
Weak Flour Flour with a low
protein or gluten content.
Welsh Rabbit A dish made of
melted cheddar cheese and, usually, ale or beer. Sometimes called Welsh
rarebit.
Whitewash A thin mixture
or slurry of flour and cold water.
Zest The colored part
of the peel of citrus fruits.
Aging (meat) Hanging.
All-Purpose
Flour Plain
flour.
Arugula Rocket.
Bake Includes oven
cooking with steam.
Beef Tenderloin Fillet of beef.
Beurre Manié Kneaded butter.
Braid Plait.
Celery Root Celeriac.
Cheesecloth Muslin.
Chickpea Flour Gram flour.
Cilantro Coriander.
Clarification Refers to the
process of clearing stocks or to the mixture
(raft).
Cornstarch Cornflour.
Croutes Small slices of
bread may be toasted.
Daikon Radish Mooli.
Doneness Degree of
cooking.
Eggplant Aubergine.
Hard Flour (high
gluten) Strong
flour.
Heavy Cream Double cream.
Jus, Simple
Gravy Roast
gravy.
Legumes (dried) Pulses.
Liaison Thickener;mixture
to thicken sauces.
Light Cream Single cream.
Peanut Oil Groundnut oil.
Pit To stone.
Porcini Ceps.
Prosciutto Ham Parma ham.
Romaine Lettuce Cos lettuce.
Scallion Green onion.
Strainer Sieve.
Tomato Paste Tomato purée.
Weak Flour Soft flour.
Whole Wheat
Flour Whole
meal flour.
Zucchini Courgette.
