Terms

  • Beat. To stir rapidly in a circular motion
  • Blanch. To submerge a food briefly in boiling water
  • Boil. To heat a liquid over high heat until bubbles form and rise rapidly to the surface
  • Broil. To cook food under a direct flame
  • Brown. To cook food quickly over high heat so that the surface browns evenly
  • Bruise. To crush food slightly, enabling more of the flavor to be released while cooking
  • Core. To remove the core (the inedible central part) from a fruit
  • Dice. To chop food into small, square pieces
  • Garnish. To decorate a dish with small pieces of food, such as chopped parsley or slices of lime
  • Grate. To shred food into tiny pieces by rubbing it against a grater
  • Marinate.To soak food in a seasoned liquid in order to add flavor and tenderize it
  • Mince. To chop food into very small pieces
  • Preheat.To allow an oven to warm up to a certain temperature before putting food in it
  • Saute. To fry quickly in oil or fat, over high heat, stirring or turning the food to prevent burning
  • Simmer. To cook over low heat in liquid kept just below its boiling point. Bubbles may occasionally rise to the surface
  • Steam. To cook food with the steam from boiling water
  • Stir-fry. To quickly cook bite-sized pieces of food in a small amount of oil over high heat
  • Zest. To scrape the peel from a lemon, lime, orange, or other citrus fruit using a cheese grater or a special utensil called a zester