A Brief List of Culinary Terms
..And short definitions related to culinary terms. It’s easy to forget specific words that you don’t use very often in your cooking and baking endeavors, so here is a concise reference. This compilation isn’t exhaustive, but I’ve included many common terms along with some less common ones that you might find helpful or interesting.
A
Al dente: (Italian for "to the tooth") Pasta or vegetables cooked to be firm to the bite, not soft or mushy.
Au gratin: A dish topped with cheese or breadcrumbs and browned in the oven or under a broiler.
Au jus: (French for "with juice") Served with its own natural juices from cooking, usually referring to roasted meat.
Au sec: (French for "dry") Reduced until nearly dry, often used to describe sauces.
B
Barding: Wrapping a lean cut of meat with fat (like bacon) before cooking to keep it moist.
Baste: To spoon or brush pan juices, melted fat, or another liquid over food while cooking to keep it moist and add flavor.
Blanch: To briefly cook food in boiling water, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Often used for vegetables to preserve color and texture.
Blend: To combine two or more ingredients until smooth and uniform.
Bone: To remove the bones from meat, poultry, or fish.
Butterfly: To cut a piece of meat almost in half lengthwise, then open it flat like a book.
Braise: To cook food slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot on the stovetop or in the oven.
Brining: Soaking food (usually meat) in a saltwater solution to add moisture and flavor before cooking.
Broil: To cook food directly under high heat in an oven or broiler.
C
Cartouche: A circle of parchment paper used to cover a pot or simmering food.
Clarify: To remove impurities from a liquid, such as butter or stock, to make it clear.
Coddle: To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point. Often used for eggs.
Confit: To cook something slowly in fat, usually its own fat, over a long period of time. This technique is often used to preserve meat.
Consommé: A clear soup made from richly flavored stock.
Coring: To remove the core from fruits like apples or pears.
Cure: To preserve food by salting, smoking, drying, or pickling.
Curdle: When milk or egg yolks separate into curds and whey due to heat or acidity.
Cut in: To combine solid fat (like butter or shortening) with dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, usually done with a pastry blender or two knives.
D
Deep fry: To cook food by submerging it in hot oil.
Deglaze: To add liquid to a hot pan after cooking to loosen and dissolve the fond (browned bits) to make a sauce.
Dice: To cut food into small, even cubes.
Dollop: A small, spoon-shaped amount of a soft food, like whipped cream or mashed potatoes.
Dredge: To coat food in a dry ingredient like flour or breadcrumbs before cooking.
Dress: (1) To coat food, usually salad greens, with a sauce. (2) To prepare poultry, fish, or game for cooking by cleaning and sometimes removing parts.
E
Effiler: To remove the strings from green beans or other vegetables.
F
Flambé: To ignite a sauce or dish with liquor, usually for a dramatic tableside presentation.
Fillet: (1) A boneless, skinless cut of meat, poultry, or fish. (2) To remove the bones from meat, poultry, or fish.
Flake: To break food into small pieces, often with a fork.
Frenching: To remove the meat and cartilage from the end of rib bones, usually on a rack of lamb, beef, or pork.
G
Glaze: A thin, glossy coating applied to food, often made from reduced stock, sugar, or fruit juice.
Gratin: See "Au gratin."
Grease: To coat a pan or baking dish with fat to prevent food from sticking.
Grill: To cook food over direct heat, usually on a grill grate or under a broiler.
Grind: To reduce food to small particles using a grinder, food processor, or mortar and pestle.
H
Hull: To remove the outer covering of a fruit or seed, such as the hull of a strawberry.
I
Infuse: To steep an ingredient in a liquid to extract its flavor.
J
Jacquarding: To pierce meat with a needle or sharp tool to tenderize it and allow marinades to penetrate.
Jus lie: (French for "thickened juice") Meat juice that has been lightly thickened with a starch.
Julienne: To cut food into thin, matchstick-like strips.
K
Knead: To work dough by hand to develop gluten and create a smooth, elastic texture.
L
Larding: Inserting strips of fat into lean meat before cooking to add moisture.
Liaison: A mixture of egg yolks and cream used to thicken sauces and soups.
M
Macerate: To soak fruit or other ingredients in a liquid to soften them and absorb flavor.
Marinate: To soak food in a seasoned liquid (a marinade) to add flavor and sometimes tenderize it.
Mince: To chop food into very fine pieces.
Mise en place: (French for "putting in place") The preparation and organization of ingredients before cooking.
N
Nappe: (French for "to coat") When a sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
Needling: Injecting fat or flavorings into meat to enhance its flavor and tenderness.
P
Pané: (French for "breaded") To coat food with breadcrumbs.
Panade: A mixture of bread crumbs and liquid used to bind ground meat or poultry.
Parboil: To partially cook food in boiling water, often before another cooking method.
Par-cooking: Partially cooking food, often to be finished later.
Paupiette: A thin slice of meat rolled around a filling and then cooked.
Poach: To cook food gently in simmering liquid.
Purée: To process food into a smooth paste or thick liquid.
Pickle: To preserve food in a brine (saltwater solution) or vinegar.
R
Reduce: To simmer a liquid until its volume decreases and its flavor intensifies.
Render: To melt solid fat from meat or poultry.
Roast: To cook food in an oven or over an open fire using dry heat.
Roux: A cooked mixture of fat and flour used to thicken sauces and soups.
Reconstitute: To restore a dried food to its original state by adding liquid.
Refresh: To plunge blanched vegetables into ice water to stop the cooking process.
S
Sauté: To cook food quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat.
Scald: To heat a liquid to just below the boiling point.
Score: To make shallow cuts on the surface of food.
Sear: To brown food quickly over high heat to develop flavor and color.
Shallow fry: To cook food in a small amount of hot oil.
Simmer: To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point.
Skim: To remove fat or foam from the surface of a liquid.
Steam: To cook food with steam generated by boiling water.
Steep: To soak dry ingredients in a liquid to extract their flavor.
Sweat: To cook vegetables slowly over low heat in a covered pan until they soften and release moisture.
T
Temper: To gradually raise the temperature of a cold ingredient by adding a small amount of a hot ingredient.
Tourner: To cut vegetables into a football shape with seven even sides.
Truss: To tie poultry or meat with string to help it hold its shape during cooking.
U
Ultra-pasteurization: A process of heating milk to a high temperature for a short time to kill bacteria and extend shelf life.
V
Vandyke: To cut a zigzag pattern around the circumference of a fruit or vegetable.
Velouté: A classic French sauce made with white stock and a roux.
W
Whip: To beat ingredients vigorously to incorporate air and increase volume.
Whisk: To beat ingredients with a whisk to combine them or incorporate air.
Z
Zest: The colorful outer part of citrus fruit peel, used for
