..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