Cooking Terms Glossary
Al Dente - Pasta cooked tender, but with a slight bite in the center.
Baste - To spoon or pour liquid over food while cooking or grilling to keep it moist.
Blanch - Boil food for a few minutes, then plunge it into ice water to preserve its color and crisp texture.
Caramelize - When the sugar in food is heated to temperatures of 300°F or higher then turns brown.
Chop - To cut food into odd-shaped squares, usually ¼ to ½-inch in size.
Compote - Fruit (sometimes vegetables) cooked slowly or stewed in syrup.
Confit - Meat (often duck) that's cooked and stored in its own fat.
Deglaze - Adding stock, wine or another liquid to a pan to loosen food particles that are stuck at the bottom.
Demi-glace - A rich brown sauce used as a base for many sauces.
Dice - To cut food into odd-shaped squares that are a little smaller than chopped pieces.
GBD - Golden brown and delicious.
Julienne - To cut food into thin, match-like strips.
Macerate - To let food (typically fruit) sit in a liquid to absorb flavor.
Marinate - To let food sit in a seasoned liquid to tenderize or add flavor.
Mince - To cut food into very fine pieces, smaller than chopped or diced but not pureed.
Mirepoix - A combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions that's often used to add flavor to soups, stocks and other dishes.
Mis en place - A term describing organized kitchen ingredients.
Poach - To cook foods, usually eggs or fish, in liquid at near boiling temperatures.
Purée - Blending food in a blender or food processor until it turns into liquid form.
Rest - To let meat sit before serving.
Sauté - To fry food briefly over high heat,
Score - Using a knife to cut shallow slits in the surface of foods, usually meat or fish.
Sear - To brown meat quickly over high heat.
Shock - To stop the cooking process after food has been blanched.
Simmer - To cook food slowly in hot liquid that is nearly boiling.
Stock - Flavored liquids made from a combination of bones, seasonings, vegetables and liquids.
Trinity - A Louisiana Cajun/Creole vegetable combination of equal parts onion, green pepper and celery.
Zest - Outside colored part of a citrus fruit peel.