Glossary

GENERAL TERMS
Sl. No	Term	Meaning
1	Al Dente	Italian term used to describe pasta that is cooked until it offers a slight resistance to the bite.
2	Appetizers	Small tasty bits of food which are served before meals
3	Bake	To cook by dry heat, usually in the oven.
4	Barbecue	Usually used generally to refer to grilling done outdoors or over an open charcoal or wood fire.
5	Baste	Tu brush the food with some fat during cooking in the oven, which helps in keeping the dish moist and soft
6	Batter	Any mixture of flour and a liquid which is breaten or stirred to make a pouring consistency
7	Beat	To mix rapidly in order to make a mixture smooth and light by incorporating as much air as possible.
8	Blanch	To remove skin by dipping in hot water for a couple of minutes (ex: blanch tomato)
9	Boil	To heat a liquid until bubbles break continually on the surface.
10	Broil	To cook on a grill under strong, direct heat.
11	Caramelize	To heat sugar in order to turn it brown and give it a special taste.
12	Clarify	To separate and remove solids from a liquid, thus making it clear
13	Deglaze	To dissolve the thin glaze of juices and brown bits on the surface of a pan in which food has been fried, sauteed or roasted. To do this, add liquid and stir and scrape over high heat, thereby adding flavor to the liquid for use as a sauce.
14	Degrease	To remove fat from the surface of stews, soups, or stock. Usually cooled in the refrigerator so that fat hardens and is easily removed.
15	Dice	To cut into small neat cubes (1/4 inch or less)
16	Dissolve	To cause a dry substance to pass into solution in a liquid.
17	Dough	A mixture of flour liquid etc, kneaded together into a stiff paste or roll (used in chapati, roti, paratha, tortilla, pastry etc
18	Drain	To remove liquid from food
19	Dredge	To sprinkle or coat with flour or other fine substance.
20	Drizzle	To sprinkle drops of liquid lightly over food in a casual manner
21	Dust	To sprinkle food with dry ingredients. Use a strainer or a jar with a perforated cover, or try the good, old-fashioned way of shaking things together in a paper bag.
22	Flake	To break lightly into small pieces.
23	Fold	To incorporate a delicate substance, such as whipped cream into another substance without releasing air bubbles.
24	Fry	To cook in hot fat.
25	Garnish	To decorate a dish both to enhance its appearance and to provide a flavorful foil. Parsley, lemon slices, raw vegetables, chopped chives, and other herbs are all forms of garnishes.
26	Glaze	To cook with a thin sugar syrup cooked to crack stage; mixture may be thickened slightly.
27	Grate	To rub on a grater that separates the food in various sizes of bits or shreds.
28	Gratin	From the French word for “crust.” Term used to describe any oven-baked dish–usually cooked in a shallow oval gratin dish–on which a golden brown crust of bread crumbs, cheese or creamy sauce is form.
29	Grill	To cook on a grill over intense heat.
30	Grind	To process solids by hand or mechanically to reduce them to tiny particles.
31	Knead	To work and press dough with the palms of the hands or mechanically, to develop the gluten in the flour.
32	Lukewarm	Neither cool nor warm; approximately body temperature.
33	Marinate	To soak food in a mixture for sometime so that the flavour of the mixture penetrates into the food.
34	Meuniere	Dredged with flour and sauteed in butter.
35	Minced	Very finely chopped
36	Mix	To combine ingredients usually by stirring.
37	Pan-Broil	To cook uncovered in a hot fry pan, pouring off fat as it accumulates.
38	Pan-Fry	To cook in small amounts of fat.
39	Parboil	To boil until partially cooked; to blanch. Usually this procedure is followed by final cooking in a seasoned sauce.
40	Pare	To remove the outermost skin of a fruit or vegetable.
41	Peel	To remove the peels from vegetables or fruits.
42	Pickle	To preserve vegetables, and fruits in brine.
43	Pinch	A pinch is the trifling amount you can hold between your thumb and forefinger.
44	Pit	To remove pits from fruits.
45	Planked	Cooked on a thick hardwood plank.
46	Plump	To soak dried fruits in liquid until they swell.
47	Poach	To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below the boiling point.
48	Puree	A smooth mixture obtained by rubbing cooked vegetable (ex spinach) or blanched tomatoes through sieve
49	Reduce	To boil down to reduce the volume.
50	Refresh	To run cold water over food that has been parboiled, to stop the cooking process quickly.
51	Render	To make solid fat into liquid by melting it slowly.
52	Roast	To cook by dry heat in an oven.
53	Saute	To toss and make light brown in shallow fat (oil, butter, clarifiedd butter etc)
54	Scald	To bring to a temperature just below the boiling point.
55	Scallop	To bake a food, usually in a casserole, with sauce or other liquid. Crumbs often are sprinkled over.
56	Score	To cut narrow grooves or gashes partway through the outer surface of food.
57	Sear	To brown very quickly by intense heat. This method increases shrinkage but develops flavor and improves appearance.
58	Sift	To put one or more dry ingredients through a sieve or sifter.
59	Simmer	To cook slowly in liquid over low heat at a temperature of about 180°. The surface of the liquid should be barely moving, broken from time to time by slowly rising bubbles.
60	Skim	To remove impurities, whether scum or fat, from the surface of a liquid during cooking, thereby resulting in a clear, cleaner-tasting final produce.
61	Steam	To cook in steam in a pressure cooker, deep well cooker, double boiler, or a steamer made by fitting a rack in a kettle with a tight cover. A small amount of boiling water is used, more water being added during steaming process, if necessary.
62	Steep	To extract color, flavor, or other qualities from a substance by leaving it in water just below the boiling point.
63	Sterilize	To destroy micro organisms by boiling, dry heat, or steam.
64	Stew	To simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time.
65	Stir	To mix ingredients with a circular motion until well blended or of uniform consistency.
66	Toss	To combine ingredients with a lifting motion.
67	Truss	To secure poultry with string or skewers, to hold its shape while cooking.
68	Whip	To beat rapidly to incorporate air and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or egg whites.

 

VEGETABLE CUTTING METHODS
Chopping	To cut into small pieces Ex: Potato, tomato etc
Shredding	To cut into thin, long pieces Ex: Cabbage etc
Dicing	To cut into very small squares
Diagonal Slices	To cut in a slanting manner
Slicing	To cut completely through the vegetable to get slices
Julienne	To cut into thin matchstick like pieces Ex: Carrot and Cucumber etc
Rings and Half rings	To cut vegetable widthwise into rounds Ex: Onion, Capsicum etc