Cooking Definitions Made Easy: A Comprehensive Glossary for Home Cooks

To acidulate is to make a dish slightly sour or acidic in order to bring out other flavours, or to make the dish more tender.

Al Dente means to cook foods to a tender but slightly firm state, but not hard.

The term is used to describe the doneness of foods, mostly pasta and risotto.

An appetizer is a small portion of food, usually savoury, as the first course in a meal.

It should stimulate the appetite, or a bit of something that excites a desire for more.

Asparagus are slim green spears, often tinged with a bit of purple at the tip.

Learn here how to cook your asparagus 3 different ways.

Au jus is a French culinary term meaning, with juice. It refers to meat dishes prepared or served together with a light gravy,

Learn here how to make an au jus.

Baking is a type of dry heat cooking that’s done in an enclosed space such as an oven. Baking is not done over a direct flame.

See also our essential baking ingredients list and what their job is.

Barbecue is a cooking method, a style of food, and a name for a meal or gathering of people at which this style.

Basting is a cooking technique that involves cooking meat with either its own juices or some other preparation such as sauces.

Beat means to mix foods thoroughly to blend to a smooth consistency to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients along with air. For example, egg.

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle. It is categorised as red meat.

Blanching is a process wherein the food, usually a vegetable or fruit, is scalded in boiling water. It is removed after a brief time, and finally plunged into iced water.

Blind-baking is to bake an empty pie, tart or flan shell so the pastry is partially cooked before the filling is added, or to cook completely.

Boil Cooking method, Foods suitable for boiling include vegetables, starchy foods such as rice, noodles and potatoes, eggs, meats, sauces, stocks, and soups.

The meaning of braise is to slow cook foods gently in a small amount of liquid.

This is done in a covered pan at a braising temperature in the lower heat

To brine is to treat food with a brine solution or coarse salt which preserves and seasons the food.

The process enhances tenderness and flavour with additions such as herbs, spices, sugar, caramel

Broiling is a cooking method that involves exposing food to high heat from a direct source, such as a broiler or grill.
The heat source is usually located at the top of the oven, and the food is placed on a rack below it.

Bruising is a food preparation technique that means to partially crush an ingredient in order to release its flavours and aromatics.

Caramelise is a cooking technique that is the process of browning sugars, fruit and vegetables.

Foods can be caramelised in a pan until it turns golden brown and takes on a nutty flavour.

Cauliflower is a variety of cabbage, whose white flower head is eaten.

This vegetable is very nutritious, and may be eaten cooked, raw or pickled. It is a popular vegetable world wide.

Chicken is a beloved meat that can be used in countless dishes, from stir-fries to soups to salads.

But not all chicken cuts are created equal. Each cut has its own unique texture and flavor profile, from the lean and tender breast meat to the juicy and flavorful thighs and drumsticks.

With this guide, you'll learn about the different cuts of chicken and how to cook them to perfection, so you can enjoy delicious and satisfying meals every time.

Chopping is a food preparation technique of cutting foods into large non-uniform pieces.

Onions, carrots, sweet peppers, celery, tomatoes, and potatoes are all examples of foods that are coarsely chopped.

Over 100 tips and techniques for cooking like a chef. General Cooking Tips, Sauces and Seasonings, Meat and Poultry, Barbecuing, Fruits and Vegetables,

Measurements of cooking from different parts of the world differ. You should also be aware that standard measuring utensils vary greatly.

Find the correct cooking measurements in these conversion charts.

Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenisation.

This should not to be mistaken for Creaming.

Creaming is the process of thoroughly mixing and whipping butter with eggs or sugar that are to be combined with various dry ingredients.

The term crumbing also known as breading is to coat uncooked food in breadcrumbs or other crumbs such as crushed breakfast cereals.

This is done before broiling, frying or baking to give it a crisp coating.

To deglaze means to pour some cold liquid into a very hot pan to get up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

This is done after sautéing and removing the food

Deseed means to take the seeds out of a fruit or vegetable, some examples are chilli, pomegranate, grapes or tomatoes.

Devein or deveining is the process of removing the black thread-like tract from the back of a prawn, shrimp, crayfish, or lobster with a small knife.

Although it is called deveining, it is actually not a vein at all.

Dice cutting or to dice cut is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into small blocks or cubes.

Dicing may be done cutting uniformly sized pieces.

Dredge in cooking or to dredge is a cooking technique used to coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient prior to cooking.

A dry rub is a mixture of herbs, spices and similar dry ingredients that are rubbed onto the surface of food, most often meat, to add flavour.

It also creates a crust or bark on the surface of food.

Cake dusting is to top or decorate a dessert by lightly sprinkling a fine layer of a powdered or granulated ingredient onto food.

Cake pan dusting is the process of dusting a baking pan with flour in preparation for cooking.

Eggs bring a unique set of characteristics to the table, providing both structure and moisture to baked goods, while also contributing to the texture and flavour of savoury dishes.

They are natural emulsifiers, helping to create smooth and creamy sauces and dressings.
In addition, eggs serve as leavening agents, giving rise to cakes, soufflés, and other baked treats.

To emulsify means putting two or more liquids together that do not usually mix into one another. The process to emulsify commonly involves whisking one liquid very slowly into the other.

These substances will not mix or stay mixed with each other without the help of an emulsifier.

Finger food is food meant to be eaten directly using the hands, in contrast to food eaten with a knife and fork, spoon, chopsticks, or other utensils.

They are commonly served at social events, formal events and celebrations, but are often served as appetisers (hors d’œuvres).

To fold in is the method of mixing light ingredients together without altering the consistency.

Folding is process of combining ingredients together gently without stirring.

Frying is a cooking method that involves cooking food in hot oil.
This causes the outside of the food to become crispy and the inside to become cooked through.

Frying can be used to cook a variety of foods, including meats, vegetables, and desserts.

A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods fast and then bring the heat down quickly

It can be used for poaching. sautéing or frying or steam-frying as well, but not for deep-frying or stir-frying.

ease cooking definition refers to the process of applying grease to cooking vessels so that food will not stick when it is cooked.

For example the term grease a pan means to coat it in some sort of protective shortening or fat, usually butter, to prevent whatever you are cooking from sticking.

Julienning is a French culinary knife cut in which food items are cut into long thin strips resembling matchsticks.

Ketogenic diets are one of the most effective ways to lose weight fast.

The main part of the keto diet is keeping carbohydrate levels low.

Kneading is a process in the making of bread, scones or pasta dough, and is used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product.

Its importance lies in the mixing of flour with water.

Lamb is a sheep that is typically less than 1 year old.There is little fat on lamb, and the meat can vary in colour from a tender pink to a pale red.

Lamb less than 3 months of age is called spring lamb. Spring lamb is extremely tender and has a milder flavour than lamb.

The low glycemic index (GI) diet is a popular eating plan that focuses on consuming foods that have a low GI score.

This diet has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including improved blood sugar control, weight loss, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Marinating is to soak meat, chicken or fish in a flavoured liquid mixture called a marinade.

It intensifies the flavour of food, usually meat or vegetables.

Pasta is a type of food created from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes.

It is cooked by boiling and serving with a sauce (eg. Macaroni Cheese) or baking in a sauce (eg. Lasagne).

Poaching is a type of moist-heat cooking technique that involves cooking by submerging food in a liquid, such as water, milk, stock or wine.

The term pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved.

Curing extends the shelf life of the pork products such as ham, smoked pork and bacon.

A puree is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid.

Reduction or to reduce in cooking means to thicken and intensify the flavour of a liquid by simmering until the liquid reduces in volume, so the flavour is concentrated.

Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza Sativa (Asian rice) and fit in to the grains family.
All natural forms of rice — white, brown, or wild are gluten-free.

It is used in lots of delicious food, from cereals to smallgoods to desserts.

Roasting is a dry-heat cooking method that uses hot air to cook food evenly on all sides.
It is typically done in an oven at a temperature of at least 150°C (300°F).
Roasting can be used to cook a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and fruits.

So much variety of salads and ingredients exists amongst salad recipes that it is somewhat difficult to give a comprehensive definition of this class of foods.

Salads may be considered as a dish of vegetables, sometimes cooked and usually chopped or sliced.

Sautéing is a cooking technique that uses a small amount of fat in a hot pan to cook food quickly over high heat.

Sautéing is a versatile cooking method that can be used to cook a variety of foods, including meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and tofu.
It is a good way to preserve the flavour and nutrients of food, and it can also be used to create a crispy browned exterior.

Scalding means to heat a liquid until just below the boiling point, 82°C (180°F) by gently bringing the temperature up and stopping before it actually starts to boil.

Scalding tomatoes, fruits and vegetables for instance will help in removing the skin.

Searing is a cooking technique that involves browning the surface of food at high temperatures to develop rich flavours and impart a beautiful caramelisation.

Steaming is a versatile cooking method that not only preserves the nutritional value of ingredients but also enhances their natural flavours.

Vegetables, meats, seafood and desserts can all be steamed.