THE LANGUAGE OF COOKING
Cooking
Glossary
A dictionary for the curious home cook. Get to know the techniques, ingredients, and coffee terms that turn a recipe into something delicious.
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Americano
An Americano is a single or double shot of espresso with hot water added to it. The hot water dilutes the strength of the espresso to create a similar, but different, flavor as traditional drip/brewed coffee.
Arroser
Arroser is a French verb meaning “to baste”. It is a finishing technique involving the spooning of melted butter or fat over a piece of protein in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Often times, an herb is added to the butter/fat (e.g. thyme) in order to incorporate aromatics into the food.
Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter)
In French, the term ‘beurre noisette’ loosely translates to ‘brown butter’ (literally, it’s hazelnut butter). It is unsalted butter that has been gently heated until the milk solids separate from the butterfat, and the milk solids reach a hazelnut color.
Cappuccino
A cappuccino is a single shot of espresso with textured milk. The ratio is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foamed milk.
Caramelize
Caramelization is the browning of sugar to affect its flavor and appearance. Caramelization isn’t limited to granulated sugar.
Deglazing
Deglazing is a cooking method that involves adding liquid (e.g. wine or stock) to a hot pan to remove browned food residue (fond) from the bottom of a pan. This food residue is then incorporated into the mixture to create sauces and gravies.
Espresso
Espresso is a drink of Italian origin, and it is created by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. It is more intense and aromatic than drip coffee.
Flavor
What’s the difference between flavor and taste? Flavor is a combination of taste and other senses (primarily, but not limited to, smell/aroma) that’s responsible for the pleasure we get out of eating.
Fond
Fond is the brown bits that stick to the bottom of your pan when you are cooking. You can easily create a pan sauce by adding liquid (e.g. wine or stock) to your pan at the end of cooking, scraping up the fond, and reducing it into a sauce–a technique known as deglazing.
Gratin
A gratin is a dish finished with a golden, crisp surface, often made with cheese, buttered breadcrumbs, or both.
Herbs
Culinary herbs are aromatic plants used to season food, usually through their leaves. Familiar examples include basil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
Induction Cooking
Induction cooking technology differs from traditional cooking methods because it uses the direct induction heating of the cooking pan instead of radiation, convection, or thermal conduction. Induction accomplishes this through a magnetic field that directly heats up the pot and not the cooktop itself.
Knead
Kneading is a step in bread and pasta making where dough ingredients (flour and water) are mixed in order to strengthen the end product. Kneading stretches the gluten contained in the flour, resulting in elasticity that allows CO2 from the leavening agent to give the dough lift.
Latté
A latté is a single shot of espresso with textured milk. The ratio is 1/6 espresso, 4/6 steamed milk, 1/6 foamed milk.
Macchiato
An espresso drink that can be served either short or long. Of all the drinks made from milk and espresso, the macchiato has the highest ratio of espresso to milk.
Mince
Mincing is a knife technique where ingredients are cut into fine uniform pieces. Mincing can be accomplished with a chef’s knife and is a finer cut than dicing or chopping.
Mirepoix
A mixture of diced vegetables (usually two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery). This mixture is sautéed over medium-low heat in order to sweeten the vegetables, and it provides a flavor base for many dishes.
Nappe
Nappe describes a sauce or custard thick enough to coat a spoon. It is a consistency cue, rather than the name of a particular sauce.
Oven Spring
Oven spring is the quick expansion of bread dough during the early part of baking, before the crust and crumb set.
Poach
Poaching is a cooking method where you cover your food in moderately hot liquid (160–180 °F). Poaching liquids include water, milk, wine, and broth. technique that involves cooking by submerging food in a liquid, such as water, milk, stock or wine or in a tray.
Quenelle
A quenelle is a smooth oval portion shaped with spoons. The term also refers to a traditional oval dumpling made from a finely ground mixture.
Ristretto
A ristretto is an extremely short espresso. When pulling the shot, the same amount of coffee beans are used as a normal shot; however, they are ground more finely.
Sauté
Sautéing is a cooking method where one quickly cooks small cuts of food in a small amount of oil or fat in a pan over moderate heat. The oil or fat choosen should have a high enough smoke point to avoid burning (peanut oil is an excellent choice, while non-clarified butter would be a poor choice).
Simmer
Lots of recipes ask you to simmer your food, but what exactly is a simmer? You can think of simmering as being between a boil (212°F) and a poach (160-180°F).
Sous Vide
Sous vide is French for “under vacuum”. It is a method of cooking that involves sealing food in a plastic bag and submerging the sealed food in a temperature controlled water bath.
Spatchcock
Spatchcocking is the removal of the backbone of poultry in order to open it up and allow it to lay flat for more even cooking. This is a useful technique for frying and grilling poultry.
Tempering Eggs
Tempering eggs means gradually whisking hot liquid into them before combining them with the rest of a hot mixture. This helps prevent curdling.
Umami
Umami is one of the five basic tastes (along with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It’s often described as being “savory” or “mouth-watering”. The taste is activated by glutamate taste receptors in the mouth.
Vinaigrette
A vinaigrette is a dressing made by combining oil with vinegar or another acidic ingredient, plus seasonings such as mustard, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Whisk
To whisk is to mix ingredients with a rapid beating motion, often to blend them smoothly or incorporate air. A whisk is also the looped-wire tool used for the job.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is a thickener and stabilizer used in sauces, dressings, and gluten-free baking. Small amounts can change a mixture’s texture significantly.
Yeast
Yeast is a living microorganism that ferments sugars and produces carbon dioxide. In bread dough, trapped gas helps the dough expand and rise.
Zest
Zest is the outer colorful peel of a citrus fruit. It can be removed with a Microplane grater, pairing knife, or vegetable peeler, and it is often added to food to add flavor.