Cooking Terms Flashcards
Start with the building blocks of cuisine. Learn the ingredients, techniques, and styles that every chef or connoisseur should know.
Define the following cooking term:
al dente
pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left to be felt “by the tooth” – never overcooked and too soft
Define the following cooking term:
aromatics
herbs and spices that are added to enhance the flavor and fragrance of food, e.g., bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns
Define the following cooking term:
au jus
a dish (such as beef) served in the juices that result from its cooking
Define the following cooking term:
to bake
to cook food inside a temperature-controlled oven for a set period of time
Define the following cooking term:
to baste
to moisten food during cooking with pan drippings or other fat (by spooning or brushing) to prevent the food from drying out and to facilitate browning
Define the following cooking term:
batter
a mixture of flour and liquid with the addition of eggs and sometimes fat to prepare cakes, muffins, and pancakes
Note: dough holds its shape whereas this does not
Define the following cooking term:
to beat
to effortfully stir and mix to smooth and/or add air into a mixture
Define the following cooking term:
binder
an ingredient (such as mustard or egg yolk) that assists in the “binding” of an emulsified sauce (like herb vinaigrette)
Define the following cooking term:
to blacken
a Cajun style of pan searing where meat or fish is seasoned with spices then cooked in an intensely heated pan until charred and very crispy on the outside
Define the following cooking term:
to blanch
to quickly cook vegetables, fruits, nuts, or grains in rapidly boiling water for a short period of time, then place them in ice water to stop the cooking process
Define the following cooking term:
to blend
to mix two or more ingredients together until smooth and uniform
Define the following cooking term:
to blind bake
to bake a pie crust without any filling, in order to have desired crust texture and color that would have been impossible upon cooking with a filling
Define the following cooking term:
to boil
to heat up and maintain a liquid at the temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit
Define the following cooking term:
to braise
to slowly cook tough cuts of meat or hearty fish and vegetables with a small amount of liquid at a low, even temperature
Define the following cooking term:
to bread
to coat foods that are going to be fried or baked with a bread crumb mixture to create a crust
Define the following cooking term:
brine
a solution of water and salt along with (usually) sugar, aromatics, and spices used to preserve, tenderize, and flavor foods
Define the following cooking term:
to broil
to cook food directly under a very high heat source such as a gas flame
Define the following cooking term:
to brown
to briefly apply high heat to the exterior of meat to improve flavor, texture, and color – similar to searing
This process initiates what is known as the Maillard reaction.
Define the following cooking term:
to brush
to use a pastry brush to coat food with liquid, glaze, or fat
Define the following cooking term:
to butterfly
to slice open food (like a chicken breast) horizontally, almost all the way through, so that it can be opened; this creates more surface area for faster cooking
Which cooking term is defined below:
pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left to be felt “by the tooth” – never overcooked and too soft
al dente
Which cooking term is defined below:
herbs and spices that are added to enhance the flavor and fragrance of food, e.g., bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns
aromatics
Which cooking term is defined below:
a dish (such as beef) served in the juices that result from its cooking
au jus
Which cooking term is defined below:
to cook food inside a temperature-controlled oven for a set period of time
to bake