Plain-English dictionary
Glossary
17 everyday terms explained simply, no jargon.
A
- Al dente
- Pasta or vegetables cooked until just tender with a slight firmness left at the center.
B
- Blanch
- To briefly boil food, then plunge it into ice water to stop cooking, setting color and texture.
- Braise
- To cook food slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot until tender.
C
- Caramelize
- To cook the natural sugars in food (often onions or vegetables) until browned, sweet, and deeply flavored.
D
- Deglaze
- To add liquid to a hot pan to loosen the browned bits stuck to the bottom, forming the base of a sauce.
- Dice
- To cut food into small, even cubes so it cooks at the same rate.
E
- Emulsion
- A stable mix of two liquids that don't usually combine, such as oil and vinegar in a dressing.
F
- Fond
- The flavorful browned residue left in the pan after searing meat or vegetables.
J
- Julienne
- To cut food into thin, matchstick-shaped strips.
M
- Marinate
- To soak food in a seasoned liquid before cooking to add flavor and, sometimes, tenderness.
- Mise en place
- "Everything in its place" — prepping and measuring all ingredients before you start cooking.
R
- Reduce
- To simmer a liquid so water evaporates, concentrating its flavor and thickening it.
- Roux
- A cooked paste of fat and flour used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies.
S
- Sauté
- To cook food quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, stirring or tossing often.
- Sear
- To brown the surface of food quickly over high heat to build flavor and color.
- Simmer
- To cook in liquid held just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently.
Z
- Zest
- The thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, grated to add bright flavor without bitterness.
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