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Adjust.- In cooking, the term means the cook must taste before serving, and add seasonings to suit his or her own sense of what the right flavor is.
Albondigas.- A Spanish name for meat balls. Also found in Spanish, Brazilian, and Scottish recipes.
Al dente.- The pasta should be cooked to an "al dente" state, which is Italian for "to the tooth." This means the pasta should be tender but still have a slightly firm bite. Do not let the pasta become too soft. The amount of time it takes pasta to cook depends on the ingredients of the pasta, its size, its shape, and its thickness.
All-Purpose Flour.- Is made from a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat. It's a fine-textured flour milled from the inner part of the wheat kernel and contains neither the germ (the sprouting part) nor the bran (the outer coating). U.S. law requires that all flours not containing wheat germ must have niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and iron added. These flours are labeled "enriched." All-purpose flour comes in two basic forms — bleached and unbleached — that can be used interchangeably. Flour can be bleached either naturally, as it ages, or chemically. Most flour on the market today is presifted, requiring only that it be stirred, then spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off.
Antipasti.- Antipasto literally means “before the meal” and it is a dish created to open the appetite.
Appetizer.- A small serving of food or beverage served before or as the first course of a meal.
Aroma.- Describes flavor and fragrance, both closely related.
Asian Noodless.- When Asian noodles are referred to as Lo-Mein or Chow Mein, the noodles used can actually be the same type of noodle. The difference between Lo-Mein and Chow Mein noodles is the way in which it is prepared and served. The Lo-Mein noodles are boiled and added to the other ingredients in the dish at the end of the cooking process. The Chow-Mein noodles are boiled and then served with stir-fry ingredients on tops, which have been cooked separately from the noodles.
Au Gratin.- A French term referring to a dish with a browned topping of bread crumbs and/or grated cheese; also known as gratiné.
Au Naturel.- Dishes cooked as simply as possible and served with a minimum of accompaniments.
B
Bake.- To cook in an oven, surrounding the food with dry heat of a specific temperature.Béchamel.-
Boil.- To cook in a liquid which has reached a temperature of 212*F (100*C), or where bubbles are rising continually and are breaking the surface.
Boiling-Water-Bath Canning Method.- Used for processing acid foods, such as fruit, tomatoes, pickled vegetables, and sauerkraut. These acid foods are canned safely at boiling temperatures in a water-bath canner.
Bologna.- A large, highly seasoned sausage made from pork, beef and veal; named for Bologna, Italy (although the Italian sausage associated with that city is mortadella), available cooked and usually served cold; also known as baloney.
Bowl.- A round vessel used for preparing and serving foods, especially those with a liquid or semiliquid texture.
C
Caramelize.- To cook white sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar forms a golden-brown syrup.Casserole.- An ovenproof baking dish, usually with a cover; also the food cooked inside it.
Cheese.- Dairy products made from milk curds separated from the whey; numerous varieties are found worldwide.
Chiffonade.- Finely cut vegetable strips used to garnish soups, raw, or simmered in butter. Lettuce and sorrel often are used in this manner.
Chili (Chile) Powder.- Pure ground dried chiles; depending on the variety used, its flavor can range from sweet and mild to pungent and extremely hot and its color from yellow-orange to red to dark brown; used as a flavoring.
Chilled.- A food that has been refrigerated, usually at temperatures of 30 to 40*F(-1 to +4*C).
Chop.- To cut into pieces of roughly the same size, either small (finely chopped) or larger (coarsely chopped). Also, rib section of beef, lamb, pork, or other animals.
Clarify.- To make a liquid clear and free of sediment. Clarification heightens the smoke point of butter. Clarified butter will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least 2 months.
Clove.- A segment of a bulb, such as garlic.
Coarsely Chop.- To cut food into small pieces, about 3/16 inches (1/2 cm) square.
Coat.- To cover a food completely with an outer "coating" of another food or ingredient.
Combine.- To mix two or more ingredients together.
Condiments.- Seasonings that enhance the flavor of foods with which they are served.
Cool.- To allow a food to sit until it is no longer warm to the touch.
Cooling rack.- A flat grid of closely spaced metal wires resting on small feet; used for cooling baked goods by allowing air to circulate around the food.
Corned.- Meat that has been cured in a brine solution.
Couscous.- small, spherical bits of semolina dough that are rolled, dampened and coated with a finer wheat flour; a staple of the North African diet.
Cream.- A component of milk with a milkfat content of at least 18%; has a slight yellow to ivory color, is more viscous and richer tasting than milk and can be whipped to a foam; rises to the top of raw milk; as a commercial product it may be pasteurized or ultrapasteurized and may be homogenized.
Cream, to.- To blend together, as sugar and butter (or shortening), until mixtures takes on a smooth, creamy texture.
Cube.- To cut food into small cube shapes, larger than diced, usually about 1/2 inch.
Cup.- A unit of measure in the U.S. system equal to 8 fluid ounces.
Curing.- To preserve meat, fish, or cheese with salt or by drying and or smoking.
Custard.- A cooked or baked mixture mainly of eggs and milk. It may be sweetened to use as a dessert or flavored with cheese, fish, etc., as an entrée.
Cut.- To divide a food into smaller portions, usually with a knife or scissors.
Cutlet.- A small piece of meat cut from the leg or rib of veal or pork, or a croquette mixture made into the shape of a cutlet.
D
Dash.- A seasoning measure indicating a scant 1/8 teaspoon or less.Deep-Fat-Frying.- To cook in hot fat (about 360 degrees) that is deep enough for food to float - usually a minimum of 3 inches.
Degrease.- To skim the fat from the top of a liquid such as a sauce or stock.
Dice.- To cut food into tiny cubes, usually about 1/4 inch.
Dilute.- To make a food less concentrated or strong by adding liquid.
Dissolve.- To mix a dry substance with liquid until the dry substance becomes a part of the solution.
Dolci.- Italian for sweet dishes.
Dough.- A mixture of flour and other ingredients used in baking and often stiff enough to cut into shapes; has a low moisture content and gluten forms the continuous medium into which other ingredients are embedded; generally has less fat, sugar and liquid than a batter.
Drain.- To allow a liquid to withdraw from, pour out of, or pour off an item, sometimes with the use of a strainer or colander.
Dress.- To draw and clean a fowl for cooking. Also, to add dressing to a salad; to garnish.
Durum Wheat.- A variety of hard wheat used for making pasta.
Dust.- To lightly sprinkle with a dry ingredient, such as flour.
F
Fahrenheit.- A temperature scale with 32*F as the freezing point of water and 212*F as its boiling point (to convert to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit, multiply by 5 and divide by 9).Farfalle.- Italian for butterfly; used to describe bow-shaped pasta.
Feta.-
Fettuccine.- Italian for small ribbons; used to describe thin, flat ribbons of pasta; sold as straight ribbons or loosely bent and curled.
Finely.- Very small, as in finely chopped, but not as small as minced.
Fines Herbes.-
Flavor.- To add seasoning or other ingredients to a food or beverage to improve change or add to the taste.
Flavoring.- An item that adds a new flavor to a food and alters its natural flavors; flavorings include herbs, spices, vinegars and other condiments.
Flour.-
Food Chopper.- A knife created for efficiency. It is double-handled and crescent-shaped, used with a rocking motion to rapidly chop and dice. In Italy it is known as a mezzaluna. Less useful today, since food processors do much of this work.
Food Mill.- A kitchen utensil best described as a mechanical sieve. It has a hand-turned paddle that forces food through a strainer plate at the bottom, thereby removing skin, seeds and fiber. Some food mills come equipped with several interchangeable plates with small, medium and large holes.
Food Processor.- This kitchen appliance was brought to the United States from France in the 1970s and has since revolutionized a majority of home kitchens. It consists of a sturdy plastic work bowl that sits on a motorized drive shaft. The cover of the bowl has a feed tube through which foods can be added. An expanded feed tube — large enough for some whole items such as a tomato or onion — is available with some machines. The food processor is efficient and speedy and can easily chop, dice, slice, shred, grind and puree most food. The larger machines can also knead dough. Most processors come with a standard set of attachments including an S-shaped chopping blade and several disks for slicing and shredding. There are special attachments including juicers and pasta makers, as well as accessories such as French-fry cutters, julienne disks and beaters. Food processors range from large to small in motor size and bowl capacity.
Freeze.- to subject food to a temperature below 32*F (0*C) so that the moisture in the food solidifies; used as a preservation method.
Fresh.-
Frosting.- A cooked or uncooked sugar mixture used to cover and decorate cakes, cookies and other foods.
Fry.- To cook in fat (a) Pan-Fry - To cook in small amount of fat. (b) Deep-Fat Fry - To cook in enough fat to completely cover food while cooking.
Fumet.- A concentrated stock used to give body to sauces.
G
Garnish.- To enhance a dish before serving with an edible decoration or accompaniment, which is appealing to the eye and complements the flavors of the dish.Gluten.- A water-soluble protein found in flour. Kneading flour in bread-making brings out the smooth elastic qualities of the gluten content.
Gnocchi.- Dumplings made from a paste of flour or potatoes and egg.
Graham Flour.- A wheat flour similar to wholemeal flour, ground from the whole grain.
Gram (g).- The basic measure of weight in the metric system; 28.35 grams = 1 ounce, and 1000 grams ( a kilogram) = 2.2 U.S. pounds
Gravy.- A sauce made from meat or poultry juices combined with a liquid (ex. milk, broth or wine) and a thickening agent (ex. flour or cornstarch).
Grease.- To cover the cooking surface of a pan or dish with a fat to keep foods from sticking to it.
Grill.-
Grind.- To reduce food to particles by using a food chopper.
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