Cooking Key word List

Cooking Term Definition

Aerate To incorporate (include) air into a mixture
Al Dente Italian term used to describe pasta that is cooked until it
offers a slight resistance to the bite.
Bake To cook in the oven with dry heat
Bake Blind To bake a pastry case without a filling. The pastry is
normally weighed down with foil or greaseproof paper
and baking beans to keep the pastry in place.
Barbeque Usually used to refer to grilling of food done outdoors or
over an open charcoal or wood fire.
Baste To spoon fat and juices from the roasting tin over a joint
of meat whilst it is being cooked to prevent drying out.
Batter A mixture containing flour and liquid, thin enough to
pour.
Beat To incorporate air into a mixture by using a spoon or fork

Béchamel A basic white sauce

Bind To combine ingredients together. Normally using Egg.
Blanch a) To prepare fruit and vegetables for freezing by placing
in boiling water for a set time to inhibit enzyme activity
b) to put food into cold water and bring to the boil to
reduce a strong flavour
c) to loosen skins of tomatoes or nuts for easy removal
Blend a) To combine starch e.g. in arrowroot or cornflour with a
little liquid and mix to a smooth paste before adding the
rest of the liquid
b) to use a hand blender or food processor to make
mixtures smooth
Boil To heat a liquid until bubbles break continually on the
surface
Brine A strong solution of salt and water used for preservation
Browning Uses fats, eggs, sugar, milk, flour or oil, which darken a
food when heated.
Buffet A table on which a variety of cold dishes (sweet or
savoury) are served for people to help themselves.
Sometimes hot dishes are also served.
Bulking Forms the main structure of a food product, such as flour
in biscuits and cakes
Caramelise/caramelize To boil sugar and water syrup to approximately 190C
until it changes to a golden brown colour. It then sets
when removed from heat and is used for puddings or for
decoration of sweets.
Chill To make food cold by placing it in a refrigerator or in a
bowl over crushed iced
Chop To cut into small pieces
Coagulation When proteins are heated, their structure is changed. A
protein coagulates (sets) and become less soluble. For
example, raw eggs are clear and runny but become white
and solid when heated.
Coat To cover food with a layer of thick liquid e.g. beaten egg,
batter, or egg and breadcrumbs to protect it when
cooking.
Coating sauce A sauce that will coat the back of a wooden spoon
Colloid Is a general term for when two substances are mixed
together. For example milk has a colloidal structure,
because it is made from microscopic drops of fat
dispersed in a water-based liquid.
Cool To let a food stand until it no longer feels warm to the
touch
Core To remove the centre part of the fruit such as an apple
Cream To beat fat and sugar together in order to incorporate air
as a raising agent in cakes and similar mixtures.
Croquette A mixture of meat, eggs or vegetables coated in egg and
breadcrumbs then fried.
Croutons Cubes or triangles of toast or fried bread used as a
garnish for soups, salads or dishes with a sauce.
Cure To preserve meats by drying, salting and/or smoking
Deglaze To dissolve the thin glaze of juices and brown bits on the
surface of a pan in which food has been fried, sautéed or
roasted. To this liquid is added and the pan is stirred and
 scraped thereby adding flavour to the liquid to use as a
sauce.
Dice Small cubes of vegetables or meat.
Dissolve To cause a solod food to turn into or become part of a
liquid
Dredge To sprinkle with a powder e.g. sugar, flour or seasoning
Dripping The fat that runs off a roasted joint of meat and may also
contain some of the juices
Drizzle To sprinkle drops of liquid lightly over food in a casual
manner
Dust To sprinkle food with dry ingredients
Emulsion A mixture of fat and liquid which is prevented from
separating out by the presence of another ingredient e.g.
oil and vinegar are emulsified by lecithin in egg yolk,
mayonnaise
Enriching An addition of an ingredient to improve the quality.
Nutrients are sometimes added to increase nutritional
value
Enrobing Coating a food with another ingredient for example
dipping fish in beaten egg and breadcrumbs
Fermentation Uses yeast to convert carbohydrates into alcohol and
carbon dioxide. In bread making, yeast is added to flour
and water causing the dough to rise.
Flake To break lightly into small pieces. Example, flaking fish
Flambe To flame foods by dousing in some form of alcohol and
setting alight
Flavouring Can be savoury, like adding herbs and spices or can be
sweet like adding sugar or sweetners.
Foam Is when air bubbles are incorporated into a liquid, such as
in whipped cream and meringue
Fold To incorporate a delicate substance such as whipped
cream or beaten eggs into another mixture without
releasing air bubbles
Fry To cook in hot fat.
Garnish A brightly coloured, edible trimming to a savoury dish
Gel Contains a small amount of a solid in a large amount of
liquid. Example A small amount of gelatine can set a large
 amount of liquid.
Glace a) A type of icing
b) Fruit dipped in boiled syrup
Glazing Adds a shiny coating, for example, pastry brushed with
beaten egg before cooking.
Grate To rub on a grater that seperates the food in various sizes
of bits or shreds
Grilling The cooking of food by radiation under a gas or electric
grill.
Grind To process solids by hand or mechanically to reduce
them into tiny particles
Julienne To cut vegetables, fruits or cheeses into thin strips
Knead To work and press a dough with the palms of the hands
or mechanically to develop the gluten in the flour.
Lukewarm Neither cool nor warm but somewhere in between.
Approx body temperature.
Marinate To flavour and moisturise (tenderise) pieces of meat,
seafood or vegetables by soaking them in or brushing
them with a liquid mixture of seasonings. Dry marinades
can also be applied and rubbed into meat etc
Mince To cut or chop into very fine pieces
Mix To combine two or more ingredients into one mass
Parboiling Is the part cooking of certain foods which are then
cooked by another method e.g ptatoes are par boiled
before being roasted in fat in the oven.
Pasteurisation Heat treatment applied to food to destroy bacteria
Peel To remove the outer layer
Pickle To preserve meats, vegetables and fruits in brine
Pit To remove pits from fruits
Poaching Is the cooking of food in water at just below the
temperature used for simmering. A gentle method of
cooking.
Puree To mash foods until perfectly smooth
Preheat To heat an appliance to a desired temperature 5 to 10
minutes before it is to be used
Preserving helps food to last longer through freezing, canning, jam-
making, or pickling. Fats, sugar and oil are used in
 preserving.
Rancidity Fats and oils and foods containing them can develop ‘off’
flavours and odours due to the fat becoming rancid.
Reduce To boil down to reduce the volume
Ripening Enzymes are involved in the process that causes ripening
in foods. Fruits and vegetables become more edible. For
example the ripening of a banana (the flavour becomes
more sweet and the skin colour changes from green to
yellow)
Roasting The cooking of meat or vegetables in the oven (a dry
heat).
Saute To cook in a small amount of fat
Score To cut narrow grooves or gashes partway through the
outer surface of food
Sear To brown very quickly by intense heat. This method
increases shrinkage but develops flavour and improves
appearance
Season To add herbs, spices, or other ingredients to a food to
increase the flavor of the food
Shred To cut or break into thin pieces
Shortening Uses of oils and fats to reduce the development of gluten
in pastry to make the dough less stretchy
Sift To put though a sieve to reduce to finer particles
Simmer To cook in liquid that is barely at the boiling point

Skim To remove impurities, whether scum or fat from the

surface of a liquid during cooking.
Solution Is when one substance is dissolve in another one, for
example when sugar is dissolved in water we get a sugar
solution.
Setting Means using ingredients to make foods firm, such as
gelatine to set cold desserts.
Stabilising Helps food keep its structure. Eggs and flour are used for
stabilising
Steam To cook with vapor produced by a boiling liquid
Sterilise To destroy micro organisms by boiling, dry heat or steam
Stewing A slow and moist method of cooking which involves
cooking the food to below boiling point. It can either be
carried out on a hob or in the oven (casserole). The dish
will contain lots of liquid.
Suspension Is when a solid is held in a liquid. The solid may sink if the
mixture is not stirred. Flour (solid) is suspended in milk
(liquid) when making a cheese sauce.

Tenderising Is the process of making tough meat more tender

(softer). Lemon juice, vinegar or wine can be used as a
marinade, or meat can be tenderised with mechanical
action using a meat mallet or slow cooking

Thickening uses eggs, pulses, cereals and fruit to thicken liquids such
as milk, and heat is usually applied. Egg custard is made
like this.
Toss To mix lightly
Whip To beat quickly and steadily by hand with a whisk or
beater