CULINARY TERMS

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.