Common French Culinary Terms

Question 1

Mise En Place

Answer 1

Mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs) is a French term for having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking

Question 2

Mirepoix

Answer 2

Mirepoix (pronunciation: meer-PWAH) is the aromatic flavor base made by lightly cooking onions, celery, and carrots. The vegetables are cooked slowly in butter or oil in order to coax out the flavors without browning or caramelizing them

Question 3

Saute

Answer 3

from French sauté [saw-tay] ‘jumped, bounced’ in reference to tossing while cooking)[2] is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat.

Question 4

Roux

Answer 4

/ro͞o/ a mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces in order to thicken the consistency.

Question 5

Bain-marie

Answer 5

(ban-mah-REE) A hot water bath used in cooking food, such as custard and crème brulée. It’s a gentle cooking process that creates gradual and uniform heat around the food

Question 6

Chiffonade

Answer 6

(shif-oh-NOD) A cutting technique used to cut herbs and leaf vegetables into fine strips or ribbons.

Question 7

Chinois

Answer 7

(SHIN-wah) A cone-shaped sieve/strainer with an extremely fine metal mesh. It is used to strain custards, purées, soups and sauces that require a very smooth consistency