Culinary Terms

A: Aerate - To mix or incorporate air into ingredients to make them puffier and lighter, for example, aerating egg whites. A La - A French culinary term which translates to \"in the manner of' A La Carte - A menu at a restaurant, where each food item is separately priced and is not part of a mealplan. Al Dente - Literal translation of the French cooking phrase means \"to the tooth\". Refers to pastas in general to define their cooked state which has a bite; not too soft. Acidulation - Adding lime juice to make something sour or acidic. Au gratin -A French culinary term for a cheese or bread crumb topping and browned by baking. Au jus - A French term of cooking which refers to steaks and meats cooked in their own natural juices. A Point - Gourmet term for cooking something, mostly meat, tillits correct state of doneness; cooking a piece of meat till it is medium rare. Aioli - A mayonnaise made with garlic popular in French cuisine, often used as an accompaniment. Antipasto - Italian term for an appetizer, frequently served before main pasta dishes. B: Bain Marie - Two containers or kitchen utensils being used as a double boiler or a hot water bath for slow cooking ingredients. Bisque - A smooth, creamy crustacean soup made especially with seafood like shellfish. Braising -A method used to prepare meats by slowly cooking them in a sealed pan over very little liquid after searing it at high temperature. Blanching - Plunging in hot, boiling water, followed by plungi·ng into iced cold water, usually done with vegetables. Beurre blanc - French sauce made out of butter, shallots, wine or vinegar and usually accompanied with seafood. Ballontine - A cooking procedure for poultry wherein a leg piece is stuffed with meat and slowly braised with the bone removed. Bechamel - A classic French white sauce made with roux and milk. Bordelaise -A classic French mother sauce, brown in color, prepared with brown stock and red wine reduction.

Brine -A natural preservative for soaking meat, made out of salt and water. C: Concasse - A French culinary term referring to chopping of ingredients like tomatoes and herbs to prepare them to be served with other ingredients. Consomme -A clarified, clear broth, served hot or cold, which is clarified using egg whites. Confit - Usually refers to a preparation of duck, wherein, the meat is slowly prepared in its own fat and juices. Coulis - Generally refers to fruit purees and sauces that are served as garnish with desserts. Croquette - Small balls of vegetables or meat coated with egg whites or breadcrumbs or both. Canape - Tiny open sandwiches, famous in Italian cuisine. Chiffonade - Finely shredded or chopped leaves and herbs used as garnish in soups. Coring - The process of removing the core or center of fruits for certain food preparations. D: Debone - Removing the bones from meats before cooking. Deglaze - Removal of \"glaze\" or caramelized residues from a pan to flavor meats and steaks. Dress - To prepare a cut of meat for cooking by trimming it and applying oil or salt on it. Dredging - Coating moist food ingredients with dry ingredients like breadcrumbs before frying them. Degrease - Trimming off excess fat from the surface of sauces and soups. E: Emulsion - A combination of two wet ingredients that do not generally mix together, like oil and water. Egg Wash - Egg mixed with water, coated over pastries before baking to add gloss and color. Essence- Liquids with strong aromas that are used for enhancing flavor of cakes, desserts, etc. Espagnole -A classic French brown sauce made with Mirepoix, tomatoes and brown stock.

Emincer - Thinly sliced ingredients, though not as long as julienne. Entree - The third course of a full French menu. F: Fillet - Removing the bones of a side cut of fish. Frenching - Refers to the trimming and cleaning of bones of lamb racks and poultry. Flambe - Creating flames by addition of brandy or other alcohol, adds depth of flavor. Foie Gras - French cooking term for liver of geese, duck or other poultry flattened out. Fondant - A sugar coat made for decorating cakes, pastries. G: Gazpacho -A cold soup made out of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions. Gelato - The Italian word for Ice Cream, and is much denser in consistency. Glaze -A substance obtained by reducing stock which has a thick, viscous consistency. H: Harissa - Popular in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cooking, it is a spicy chili paste. I: Infusion - A process of imbuing a substance with another's flavor and aroma. Icing - Made out of egg whites and sugar to frost cakes. J: Jus lie - French culinary term for thickened meat juice or fat. Jacquarding -A French cooking verb, it is also called needling and refers to poking holes in meat in order to tenderize it. Julienne - Cutting vegetables in thin slices - 1 inch long and a quarter-inch wide. K: Kirsch - An un-aged,aromatic brandy which is made from fermented cherries. L: Larding - Insertion of fat slices into a piece of meat to keep it from drying out.

M: Marinate - Seasoning food ingredients by soaki1:1g them in aromatic ingredients to prepare them for cooking by adding flavor. Mince - Chopping up meat or vegetables into very fine pieces. Mise en place - French gourmet term, for preparing or readying ingredients, before one starts cooking with them. N: Nappe - The consistency of a liquid which coats the back of a spoon, like in the case of a demi-glace. Neige- A French culinary term for egg whites which have been whipped to form soft peaks. Needling - Poking into ingredients to inject fat or flavors into them Nutraceutical - Food of nutritional value that provides medical and health benefits. 0: Ouef- The French word for \"egg\". Oignon Brule - Translated to \"burnt onion\", charring or searing halves ofonions. Oignon Pique - Stuffing onions with bay leaves and cloves. Ouzo - Liquor from Greece that has a special anise flavor and aroma. P: Parboiling - Process of blanching and boiling dense foods like carrots in water to partially cook them. Parcooking - Partially cooking food ingredients so that they may be cooked to perfection by heating later. Polenta - An Italian porridge made from cornmeal. Praline - A sweet or savory shard of nuts cooked in caramelized, boiling sugar which is crispy and brown. Paupiette - A thin meat slice, generally fish or poultry, which is stuffed and rolled and is cooked by poaching. Q: Quenelle - Forming an elegant, oval scoop or spoonful of mousse, cream or ice cream.

R: Remouillage - The process of using meat bones a second time for preparing a weak flavored stock. Render - To extract liquid fat out of solid meat pieces. Roulade - French term for a slice of meat, usually skin, stuffed with meat or vegetable stuffing and rolled. Ragu - An Italian red sauce usually served with pasta. Roux - A thickening mixture made out of equal portions of flour and butter, used in sauces and soups. S: Saute -A cooking method in which food is quickly cooked over direct heat with some butter and oil. Searing - Directly cooking food over heat while forming a crust by cooking at high temperatures. Sachet- Cheesecloth containing spices and herbs used for flavoring stocks. Scald - To heat milk or similar liquids just below their boiling points. Steep - To soak dry ingredients in hot liquids until the liquid completely absorbs the flavor. Staling - The process of becoming stale due to lack of moisture. Sweat - Extracting flavors from ingredients by cooking them over low heat in covered pans without browning. T: Tempering - Slowly adding hot liquids into eggs while continuously stirring while keeping the eggs from curdling. Tourner - Shaping vegetables by and while peeling them. Trussing - Tying parts of meat before cooking with the help of a string. Tapas - Spanish tradition of serving hors d'oeuvres with wine. U: Unleavened - Culinary term used for describing bread made without leavening agents like yeast.

V: Veloute -A classic French sauce made with chicken stock. Vinaigrette - A very basic seasoning and flavoring agent generally used with salads and made out of oil and vinegar. Vandyke -A decorative, zigzag patterned cut on vegetables. W: Whisk - A kitchen utensil used for whipping food ingredients. Whip - To beat food ingredients in order to incorporate volume and air into them. Whetstone -A grained, dense stone which is used to sharpen knives. X: Xanthum gum - A water-soluble food additive that is used as athickening agent. Y: Yoke -A basic cooking term for a binding substance. Z: Zest- Shredding or cutting the outermost covering of citrus fruits like oranges or lemons which have aromatic oils.