..And short definitions related to culinary terms. It’s easy to forget specific words that you don’t use very often in your cooking and baking endeavors, so here is a concise reference. This compilation isn’t exhaustive, but I’ve included many common terms along with some less common ones that you might find helpful or interesting.
A
Al dente: (Italian for "to the tooth") Pasta or vegetables cooked to be firm to the bite, not soft or mushy.
Au gratin: A dish topped with cheese or breadcrumbs and browned in the oven or under a broiler.
Au jus: (French for "with juice") Served with its own natural juices from cooking, usually referring to roasted meat.
Au sec: (French for "dry") Reduced until nearly dry, often used to describe sauces.
B
Barding: Wrapping a lean cut of meat with fat (like bacon) before cooking to keep it moist.
Baste: To spoon or brush pan juices, melted fat, or another liquid over food while cooking to keep it moist and add flavor.
Blanch: To briefly cook food in boiling water, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Often used for vegetables to preserve color and texture.
Blend: To combine two or more ingredients until smooth and uniform.
Bone: To remove the bones from meat, poultry, or fish.
Butterfly: To cut a piece of meat almost in half lengthwise, then open it flat like a book.
Braise: To cook food slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot on the stovetop or in the oven.
Brining: Soaking food (usually meat) in a saltwater solution to add moisture and flavor before cooking.
Broil: To cook food directly under high heat in an oven or broiler.
C
Cartouche: A circle of parchment paper used to cover a pot or simmering food.
Clarify: To remove impurities from a liquid, such as butter or stock, to make it clear.
Coddle: To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point. Often used for eggs.
Confit: To cook something slowly in fat, usually its own fat, over a long period of time. This technique is often used to preserve meat.
Consommé: A clear soup made from richly flavored stock.
Coring: To remove the core from fruits like apples or pears.
Cure: To preserve food by salting, smoking, drying, or pickling.
Curdle: When milk or egg yolks separate into curds and whey due to heat or acidity.
Cut in: To combine solid fat (like butter or shortening) with dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, usually done with a pastry blender or two knives.
D
Deep fry: To cook food by submerging it in hot oil.
Deglaze: To add liquid to a hot pan after cooking to loosen and dissolve the fond (browned bits) to make a sauce.
Dice: To cut food into small, even cubes.
Dollop: A small, spoon-shaped amount of a soft food, like whipped cream or mashed potatoes.
Dredge: To coat food in a dry ingredient like flour or breadcrumbs before cooking.
Dress: (1) To coat food, usually salad greens, with a sauce. (2) To prepare poultry, fish, or game for cooking by cleaning and sometimes removing parts.
E
Effiler: To remove the strings from green beans or other vegetables.
F
Flambé: To ignite a sauce or dish with liquor, usually for a dramatic tableside presentation.
Fillet: (1) A boneless, skinless cut of meat, poultry, or fish. (2) To remove the bones from meat, poultry, or fish.
Flake: To break food into small pieces, often with a fork.
Frenching: To remove the meat and cartilage from the end of rib bones, usually on a rack of lamb, beef, or pork.
G
Glaze: A thin, glossy coating applied to food, often made from reduced stock, sugar, or fruit juice.
Gratin: See "Au gratin."
Grease: To coat a pan or baking dish with fat to prevent food from sticking.
Grill: To cook food over direct heat, usually on a grill grate or under a broiler.
Grind: To reduce food to small particles using a grinder, food processor, or mortar and pestle.
H
Hull: To remove the outer covering of a fruit or seed, such as the hull of a strawberry.
I
Infuse: To steep an ingredient in a liquid to extract its flavor.
J
Jacquarding: To pierce meat with a needle or sharp tool to tenderize it and allow marinades to penetrate.
Jus lie: (French for "thickened juice") Meat juice that has been lightly thickened with a starch.
Julienne: To cut food into thin, matchstick-like strips.
K
Knead: To work dough by hand to develop gluten and create a smooth, elastic texture.
L
Larding: Inserting strips of fat into lean meat before cooking to add moisture.
Liaison: A mixture of egg yolks and cream used to thicken sauces and soups.
M
Macerate: To soak fruit or other ingredients in a liquid to soften them and absorb flavor.
Marinate: To soak food in a seasoned liquid (a marinade) to add flavor and sometimes tenderize it.
Mince: To chop food into very fine pieces.
Mise en place: (French for "putting in place") The preparation and organization of ingredients before cooking.
N
Nappe: (French for "to coat") When a sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
Needling: Injecting fat or flavorings into meat to enhance its flavor and tenderness.
P
Pané: (French for "breaded") To coat food with breadcrumbs.
Panade: A mixture of bread crumbs and liquid used to bind ground meat or poultry.
Parboil: To partially cook food in boiling water, often before another cooking method.
Par-cooking: Partially cooking food, often to be finished later.
Paupiette: A thin slice of meat rolled around a filling and then cooked.
Poach: To cook food gently in simmering liquid.
Purée: To process food into a smooth paste or thick liquid.
Pickle: To preserve food in a brine (saltwater solution) or vinegar.
R
Reduce: To simmer a liquid until its volume decreases and its flavor intensifies.
Render: To melt solid fat from meat or poultry.
Roast: To cook food in an oven or over an open fire using dry heat.
Roux: A cooked mixture of fat and flour used to thicken sauces and soups.
Reconstitute: To restore a dried food to its original state by adding liquid.
Refresh: To plunge blanched vegetables into ice water to stop the cooking process.
S
Sauté: To cook food quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat.
Scald: To heat a liquid to just below the boiling point.
Score: To make shallow cuts on the surface of food.
Sear: To brown food quickly over high heat to develop flavor and color.
Shallow fry: To cook food in a small amount of hot oil.
Simmer: To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point.
Skim: To remove fat or foam from the surface of a liquid.
Steam: To cook food with steam generated by boiling water.
Steep: To soak dry ingredients in a liquid to extract their flavor.
Sweat: To cook vegetables slowly over low heat in a covered pan until they soften and release moisture.
T
Temper: To gradually raise the temperature of a cold ingredient by adding a small amount of a hot ingredient.
Tourner: To cut vegetables into a football shape with seven even sides.
Truss: To tie poultry or meat with string to help it hold its shape during cooking.
U
Ultra-pasteurization: A process of heating milk to a high temperature for a short time to kill bacteria and extend shelf life.
V
Vandyke: To cut a zigzag pattern around the circumference of a fruit or vegetable.
Velouté: A classic French sauce made with white stock and a roux.
W
Whip: To beat ingredients vigorously to incorporate air and increase volume.
Whisk: To beat ingredients with a whisk to combine them or incorporate air.
Z
Zest: The colorful outer part of citrus fruit peel, used for
