Cooking terms |
AAlbumen - egg white Al dente - an Italian expression for pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left in it to be felt "by the tooth". The expression is also applied to vegetables Antipasta - Italian for "before meal", usually a selection of various cold vegetables, meat, fish or cheese BBain-Marie - a shallow hot water bath into which another container is placed to cook. Also used to keep food warm without boiling or over-cooking Bechamel - a white sauce used as a base for other sauces Blind Bake - to bake a pastry crust without any filling Bouillon - the French word for Broth Braising - a slow, moist cooking technique for cooking meat, poultry, game or vegetables using a small amount of liquid and a tight-fitting lid. Used for less tender cuts CCapsicum - A bell pepper. What we call red, green and yellow peppers Caramelise - to heat sugar until it forms caramel Cilantro - the leaves of the coriander plant Clarified Butter - to heat butter until the milk solids rise to the top. These are then skimmed off, and the butter is thus much less prone to burning Compote - fruit stewed with sugar or syrup Corn Flour - a starch used to thicken sauces Corn Syrup - a very sweet syrup not available in South Africa. May be replaced with maple syrup or molasses Coulis - a sauce made of pureed fruit, vegetables or seafood. Creme Anglaise - French word for custard Creme Fraiche - French term for a slightly thinner and milder form of sour cream Crudites - raw vegetables or fruit served with dips as a starter Curing - a method of preserving meat, by pickling, drying, smoking or salting DDauphinoise - to bake slowly with garlic and cream. Mainly used to cook potatoes Deglaze - to create a base for a sauce by heating wine or another liquid with the remaining cooking juices and sediment left in pan after roasting meat Demerara Sugar - light brown cane sugar Double Boiler - see Bain Marie Dutch Oven - a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid EEggplant - another name for aubergines/brinjals Eggwash - To coat pastry or bread with a mixture of egg and milk before baking Emulsify - to mix together two ingredients which usually do not combine easily Essence - A concentrated flavoring extracted from a ingredient F
Fettuccine – +-2cm wide ribbon noodles Fish sauce – Clear, yellowish liquid that is drained from salted, fermented fish. An important flavoring in Thai cuisine Flambe – To set fire to a sauce or other liquid. Flambeing for the most part serves little purpose other than to entertain your guests. If you are going to flambe a dish keep in mind that it is impossible to flambe a cold dish by sprinkling it with spirits and trying to light it—the spirits only release their flammable fumes when hot. Do not pour flaming spirits Flan – A liquid or semi- liquid bound and held together with whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks, that is baked in a mold or pastry shell. Quiches, creme caramel, and creme brulee are examples of sweet flans. Any puree, or pureed soup, can be converted to a flan with the addition of egg. One whole egg, 2 egg whites, or 2 egg yolks will bind 3/4 cup of liquid Fold – To incorporate a light mixture into a heavy mixture by means of a spatula. Where you cut down through the light mixture into the heavy and up again until the two are mixed. Frittata – A flat Italian omelet baked or sometimes half-fried/half-baked Fritter – Any deep-fried food coated with a batter or crumbs Fry – To cook in hot oil GGanache – A mixture of scalded heavy cream, and grated or finely chopped chocolate, black or white, whisked until completely cool Garnish – To add any edible yet entirely decorative finish to the dish Gherkin – A small pickled cucumber Giblets – The heart, neck, gizzard, and liver of poultry Glaze – To give food a shiny surface by brushing it with sauce, aspic, icing, or another appariel. For meat, to coat with sauce and then brown in an oven Grand sauce – (or Mother sauce). One of several basic sauces that are used in the preparation of many other small sauces. The grand sauces are: demi-glace, veloute, bechamel, hollandaise, and tomato Gratin – A way of binding together, or combining, cooked or raw foods (usually vegetables or pasta—baked macaroni and cheese is a gratin) with a liquid such as cream, milk, bechamel sauce, or tomato sauce, in a shallow dish and baking until cooked and set. Typically the gratin is sprinkled with cheese or bread crumbs so a crunchy, savory crust forms on top. A gratin is really the same thing as a casserole, except a gratin is usually baked in a special oval, shallow dish Gravy – A gravy is an American-style jus that has been thickened with a roux. This roux can be made using butter and flour or by cooking flour into some of the fat skimmed off the jus. Cornstarch mixed with a little water can also be whisked into the jus and the jus brought to a simmer to get the cornstarch to thicken Grill – To cook above the heat source (traditionally over wood coals) in the open air Grind – To pass meats or nuts through a grinder or a food processor to reduce to small pieces HHaloumi – Firm white cheese made from sheep’s milk. It has a stringy texture and is usually sold in brine Haricot – French for bean Harissa – A hot paste of red chilies, garlic and olive oil. Available in tubes or jars Hash – Chopped, cooked meat, usually with potatoes and/or other vegetables, which is seasoned, bound with a sauce, and sauteed. Also, to chop Hoisin sauce – A thick, sweet-tasting Chinese sauce made from fermented soy beans, sugar, salt, and red rice. Used as a dipping sauce or glaze Hollandaise – One of the Grand or Mother sauces. It is made with a vinegar reduction, egg yolks, and melted butter flavored with lemon juice JJambalaya – A Cajun and Creole composition of rice, smoke sausage, cubed ham, aromatics, and any meat that interests the cook. Jeera - another name for cumin. Julienne – To cut into long thin matchstick size strips. Jus – The natural juices released by roasting meats and poultry. KKale - a type of cabbage Kebab - cubed vegetables, meat or seafood on a skewer, known in South Africa as a sosatie. Kirsch - a type of cherry liqueur Knead - to mix dough with your hands and fists, by stretching, pushing and folding LLard - solid white animal fat used in cooking Leavening - an agent that produces fermentation in batter, such as yeast or baking powder Loin - a cut of meat - pork or lamb - taken from the back MMacaroon - an almond flavoured biscuit Madeira - a popular Portugese wine used in cooking Mandolin - a handheld slicer used to cut or julienne fruit or vegetables Marinate - to soak in a mixture which adds flavour or tenderises. Usually meat is marinated in a marinade Marzipan - an almond flavoured paste used in desserts Mascarpone cheese - an Italian cheese-like cream, used in savoury sauces and desserts such as tiramisu Mince - to chop into very small pieces Mulled wine - wine that has been flavoured with spices and heated NNaan - an Indian flat bread, usually served with curries and stews Nacho's - a Mexican dish consisting of tortilla chips with melted cheese and a variety of other toppings Nasturtium - an edible flower used as a garnish in salads Nougat - a candy made from almonds, sugar or honey, nuts and egg. OOffal - the parts of an animal other than the meat, including heart, brain etc. Olive - a small round fruit. When maturing it is green and once ripe, it turns black. Used to make olive oil Organic - fruit and vegetables grown without any chemicals, including fertilizers and pesticides Orzo - small grain pasta that resembles rice PPaella - a Spanish rice, chicken and seafood dish Parboil - to partially cook food in boiling water, before continuing to cook it using some other method Pancetta - an Italian cured meat, similar to bacon. It can be eaten raw Pare - to slice away the outer skin of a fruit or vegetable using a vegetable peeler Parma Ham - a sweet Italian ham which has been cured and pressed. Eaten raw, usually accompanied by fruit Passata - a smooth tomato flavoured sauce Pectin - a substance found in fruit that makes the pulp set - used in jam making Petit Four - a dainty biscuit or cake Pestle and Mortar - a cooking instrument consisting of a pestle - or club shaped utensil - and a mortar - a round bowl. Together, they are used to crush herbs, spices etc. Poach - to cook food in water which is kept at just below boiling Preheat - to turn the oven or grill on 15-30 minutes before baking/grilling to allow it time to heat to the correct temperature Prosciutto - the Italian word for ham. The true proscuitto is considered to be parma ham Profiterole - a french dessert consisting of small choux pastry buns, sometimes filled with cream Puree - to process in a blender or mash until smooth QQuesadillas - a Mexican dish consisting of tortillas, filled with cheese, salsa and a variety of other fillings, and then served cut into squares Quiche - an open pastry pie with a savoury egg filling Quinoa - (KEEN wa) a healthy whole grain used as a substitute for rice RRamekin - a small dish used to make individual portions of desserts etc. Ras el Hanout - a spice mixture used in Moroccan dishes. Consists of: 1 teaspoon each of fennel, cumin and coriander seeds toasted and ground. 1 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and cinnamon, 2 teaspoons each of sweet paprika and ginger, 1/2 teaspoon each of cayenne, ground nutmeg, cloves, all spice and cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Reduce - to thicken a liquid/sauce by boiling Render - to let the fat drain from meat by slow cooking Roux - to mix flour and butter/fat, and then cook over a slow heat. Used to thicken sauces/gravy SSaffron - a very expensive spice, used to flavour and give a yellow colour to foods Sangria - a Spanish punch, consisting of red wine and fruit Saute - To saute means to cook food,using butter, oil or margarine, in a shallow pan over a relatively high heat Score - to make small cuts on the surface of food. Allows heat to penetrate while cooking Sear - to brown the surface of meat quickly over a high heat Shred - to cut up roughly yet finely Skillet - another name for a frying pan Stir-fry - a method of cooking in a skillet/wok in which thin strips of vegetables/meat/fruit are cooked whilst being constantly stirred Suet - a dry animal fat used in cooking and baking. It differs from lard as it is made from beef or mutton fat (lard is rendered from pork fat). Vegetarian options are available TTagine - a spicy meat or vegetable stew originating from North Africa. Cooked in an earthenware dish with a conical shaped lid (also known as a tagine/tajine) Tapenade - a Provencal paste made with olives, capers and anchovies Tartare - a white sauce made with mayonaise, gerkhins and capers Treacle - a thick dark syrup Tripe - the stomach of a sheep, pig or cow Trussing - to tie up the wings and legs of poultry or game during cooking to retain its shape UUnsaturated fat - usually derived from plant sources and in liquid form - eg olive oil VVanilla pod - A dried variety of bean which is split open. The seeds are then scraped out and used to add flavour to baked goods Vinaigrette - This is an acid (eg lemon juice) mixed with an oil (eg olive) to create what is commonly known as a salad dressing Verjus - a slightly sour grape juice used in cooking WWater bath - To place the baking dish into a roasting pan half filled with water Whip - to beat rapidly with a spoon, fork or whisk Wok - a type of pan commonly used in Asian cooking YYam - an edible tuber which comes in many different varieties Yeast - a raising agent which is most commonly used when baking bread ZZest - the outer skin of citrus fruits. Used to add flavour or as a garnish. Be careful to avoid the fleshy white pith as it is quite bitter. To zest is to peel off this outer skin and grate it into small pieces Zucchini - another name for a Courgette |
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