B
Bake: Cook in an oven
Baste: Keep foods moist while cooking (by either pouring liquid over or brushing liquid over the food with a brush)
Beat: Mix together in a fast circular movement (Just beat it, beat it)
Blanch: (not to be confused with Blanche from the Golden Girls) Precooking food by briefly cooking it in boiling liquid (typically resulting in the loosening of the skin, and retaining of the original color of the food)
Boil: Heat it up until little bubbles break the surface (this is around 212 F)
Braise: Brown meat quickly in a fat then cooking it in a covered pan on the stove or in the oven
Breading: Coat a raw food that has been coated in a liquid (like eggs, buttermilk, ranch, or with some bread crumbs, crushed cereal or cracker crumbs)
Broil: Cook under direct heat (placed on a rack in the oven that is directly under the heat source)
C
Chop: Cut into small pieces (not necessarily small cubes like when you dice)
Cream: Mix one or more foods together until soft and cream-like
Cut In: Using a pastry blender or fork to add shortening or butter to dry ingredients.
D
Dice: Cut food into small little cubes of equal size and shape (typically a centimeter or so)
F
Fold In: Gently add in another ingredient to an already mixed or beaten mixture( This can be done by adding the new ingredient on top of the mixture and then gently bringing it down through the middle and brought back through and around the mixture)
Fricassee: Braise small pieces of meat in a small amount of liquid
Fry: Cook food in a fat (like vegetable oil or shortening)
G
Grease: Lightly coat with an oil, butter or non-stick spray
K
Knead: stretch dough out by pressing and folding until it is nice and smooth
M
Marinate: Soak in a liquid for several hours or overnight
Mince: Chop food into very tiny pieces (smallest you can chop by hand, smaller than chopped or diced)
P
Parboil: Cook food in a boiling liquid until it is only partially cooked
Poach: Slowly simmer in a hot liquid
Puree: Blend a cooked vegetable or fruit until is is smooth
S
Saute: Cook a food quickly in melted butter until tender
Sear: Brown meat rapidly by using extremely high heat
Simmer: Cook a food in a hot liquid just below boiling point such that bubbles will form slowly but will not reach the surface
Steep: Simmer food in a liquid just below boiling point over a long period of time so that the flavor is extracted into the water.
Stew: Simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid, usually for several hours.
W
Whip (a.k.a. 'hhhwip'): Beat (mix together in fast circular motion) a food rapidly so as to add air to it
Abbreviations
- teaspoon tsp. or t.
- Tablespoon Tbsp. or T.
- Cup C.
- Pint pt.
- Quart qt.
- Ounce oz.
- Pound lb.
