Cooking involves many terms that aren’t used in other field and they may be hard to understand at times. Here are some of the most common terms:
- Al dente An Italian expression meaning “by the tooth”, describing pasta cooked in a shorter time so that it has a slight resistance when chewed.
- Bake To cook in an oven
- Beat To mix ingredients together using a fast, circular movement using a spoon, fork, whisk or mixer.
- Blend To mix ingredients together gently with a spoon, fork or until combined.
- Boil To heat so that the liquid gets hot enough for bubbles to rise and break the surface.
- Braise To cook by sautéing in fat and then simmering slowly in very little liquid.
- Broil To cook under direct heat.
- Brown To cook over medium or high heat until surface of food browns or darkens
- Fry To cook in fat or oil.
- Grate To grate food against the holes of a grater making thin pieces
- Grease To lightly coat with oil, butter, margarine, or non-stick spray so food does not stick when cooking or baking
- Knead To press, fold and stretch dough until it is smooth and uniform, usually done by pressing with the heels of the hands
- Marinate To soak food in a liquid to tenderize or add flavor to it ( the liquid is called a “marinade”.
- Mash To squash food with a fork, spoon or masher.
- Mince To cut into very small pieces, smaller than chopped or diced pieces
- Mix To stir ingredients together with a spoon, fork, or electric mixer until well combined
- Poach To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below the boiling point
- Pre-heat To turn the oven on ahead of time so that it is at the desired temperature when needed (usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes)
- Roast To cook by dry heat in an oven an open fire, or other heat source.
- Saute To cook quickly in a little oil, butter or margarine
- Simmer To cook in liquid over low heat (low boil) so that bubbles just begin to break the surface.
- Steam To cook food over steam without putting the food directly in water (usually done with a steamer)
- Stew To simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time.
- Stir fry To quickly cook small pieces of food over high heat while constantly stirring the food until it is crispy tender (usually done with a wok.)
0 comments:
Post a Comment