DIFFERENT COOKING METHODS

AL DENTE- Generally, this cooking term is used when referring to the cooking of pasta and
rice, but technically includes vegetables and beans too. Al dente is translated as ‘to the tooth’
meaning something cooked but left with a bite of firmness.
AU GRATIN - Sprinkled with breadcrumbs and cheese, or both, and browned. The phrase ‘au
gratin’ literally means “by grating” in French, or “with a crust”.
BARDING - To cover a meat with a layer of fat before cooking, it maintains the moisture of the
meat while it cooks to avoid overcooking.
BRAISE- Braising is an old French method of cooking meat. It uses a combination of dry and
moist heat, dry being when the meat is seared at a high heat and moist when it’s gently cooked in
a liquid. This cooking method is ideal with sinewy, tougher cuts of meat.
BUTTERFLY- Butterflying food refers to splitting it through the centre to thin it out, but not
cutting through it entirely.
CARTOUCHE- A cartouche refers to a piece of greaseproof or baking paper that is used to
create a lid over a pot or saucepan. Usually cut in a circle and placed over a dish with a small
amount of liquid. In the instance of poaching, it stops steam from escaping, it can also prevent
skins from developing on sauces.
CODDLE- To coddle something is to cook it in water just below boiling point. More recently,
the term specifically applies to eggs using a device called a coddler. The low cooking
temperature produces a much softer egg than if you were to boil it. Coddling… definitely one of
our favorite sounding cooking terms.
DOLLOP- A small amount of soft food that has been formed into a round-ish shape. Yoghurt,
whipped cream and mashed potatoes are all examples of foods that can be dolloped.
DEGLAZE- To loosen bits of food that have stuck on the bottom of a pan by adding liquid such
as stock or wine.
EFFILER- To remove the ends and the string from green beans.
FLAMBÉ- The process of cooking off alcohol that’s been added to a hot pan by creating a burst
of flames. The fumes are set alight and the flame goes out when the alcohol has burnt off.
FLAKE- Refers to the process of gently breaking off small pieces of food, often for combining
with other foods. For example, you would flake cooked fish to combine with cooked, mashed
potatoes to make fish cakes.
GRIND- To break something down into much smaller pieces, for example, coffee beans or
whole spices
GLAZE- A glaze is a sticky substance coated on top of food. It is usually used in terms of
baking or cooking meats where a marinade will be brushed over the food continuously to form a
glaze
HULL- Refers to the husk, shell or external covering of a fruit. More specifically, it is the leafy
green part of a strawberry.
INFUSE- To allow the flavour of an ingredient to soak into a liquid until the liquid takes on the
flavour of the ingredient.
JACQUARDIN- This cooking term means the process of poking holes into the muscle of meat
in order to tenderise it, also known as needling.
JUS LIE- Meat juice that has been lightly thickened with either cornflour or any binding
thickener.
KNEAD- To work dough into a soft, uniform and malleable texture by pressing, folding and
stretching with the heel of your hand.
LARDING- The process of inserting strips of fat into a piece of meat that doesn’t have as much
fat, to melt and keep the meat from drying out.
LIAISON- A binding agent of cream and egg yolks used to thicken soups or sauces.
MACERATE- The soaking of an ingredient, usually fruit, in a liquid so that it takes on the
flavour of the liquid. Can also be used to soften dried fruit.
MISE EN PLACE- This is the OG of kitchen cooking terms and means the preparation of
ingredients, such as dicing onions, chopping veggies or measuring spices, before starting to
cook.
NAPPE- The act of coating a food with a thin, even layer.
NEEDLIN- Injecting fat or flavours into an ingredient to enhance its flavour.
PAR COOKING- The process of not fully cooking food, so that it can be finished or reheated
later.
PAUPIETTE- A thin, flattened piece of meat, rolled with a stuffing of ingredients i.e,
vegetables, which is then cooked before served.
PANÉ- This cooking term refers to coating in breadcrumbs.
ROUX- A roux is a flour and fat mixture cooked together, which acts as a thickener in soups,
stews and sauces
RECONSTITUTE- To restore a dried food to its original consistency, or to change its texture,
by letting it soak in warm water.
RENDER- Using a low heat to melt the fat away from a food item, usually a piece of meat. This
rendered fat can then be used to cook with.
SCALD- To heat a liquid so it’s right about to reach the boiling point, where small bubbles start
to appear around the edges.
STEEP- Similar to infuse, steeping is the process of allowing dried ingredients to soak in a
liquid until the liquid has taken on the flavour of the ingredient.
SHALLOW FRY- To cook food in a shallow layer of preheated oil.
TEMPER- To temper is the process of adding a small quantity of a hot liquid to a cold liquid in
order to warm the cold liquid slightly. This is often be done before adding delicate ingredients to
a hot mixture, where their format may be affected. An example of this would be adding eggs to a
hot mixture – in order to prevent them curdling or scrambling you would add a little of the hot
mix to the eggs and incorporate before adding the eggs into the heated mixture. Another example
would be adding a corn flour slurry to a hot mixture; a little of the hot mixture is added to the
slurry to temper the temperature before adding the mix back to the main mixture.
TOURNER-To cut and peel ingredients such as parsnips or potatoes into a barrel-like shape. For
aesthetic purposes but also to ensure that they cook properly.
ULTRA-PASTEURIZATION- The process of heating up milk products to 137 degrees Celsius
for a few seconds and chilling it down rapidly, resulting in milk that’s 99.9% free from bacteria
and extending its shelf-life.
VANDYKE- To cut a zig-zag or decorative pattern around fruit or vegetables to create
decorative garnishes for food presentation.
VELOUTÉ- A type of savory sauce in which a light stock, such as chicken or fish, is thickened
with a flour that is cooked and then allowed to turn light brown, thickened with a blond roux.
ULTRA-PASTEURIZATION- The process of heating up milk products to 137 degrees Celsius
for a few seconds and chilling it down rapidly, resulting in milk that’s 99.9% free from bacteria
and extending its shelf-life.
VANDYKE- To cut a zig-zag or decorative pattern around fruit or vegetables to create
decorative garnishes for food presentation.
VELOUTÉ- A type of savory sauce in which a light stock, such as chicken or fish, is thickened
with a flour that is cooked and then allowed to turn light brown, thickened with a blond roux.
WHIP- The process of beating food with a whisk to incorporate air and to increase volume.
WHISK- The process of using a whisk to incorporate air into food or to blend ingredients
together smoothly.
ZEST- Refers to removing the outer part of citrus (called the zest) either by using a grater, a
peeler or a knife-