When reading menus it can be tough to keep all those terms straight. And if you’re cooking your way through a cookbook at home, you’re likely to run into some words you haven’t seen before. Keep this glossary on hand to guarantee a tasty, memorable meal. Blacken. A popular Cajun cooking method in which seasoned foods are cooked over high heat in a super-heated heavy skillet until charred on the outside. Blanch. To briefly boil a fruit or vegetable in order to loosen its skin. After 30 seconds in boiling water, the fruit or vegetable should be plunged into ice water to stop the cooking action and then the skin easily slices or peels off. Braise. A cooking technique that requires browning meat in oil or other fat and then cooking slowly in liquid. This tenderizes the meat. Broil. To cook directly under the heat source. Dash. A measure approximately equal to 1/16 teaspoon. Dice. To cut into cubes. Julienne. To cut into ultra-thin strips. Poach. To simmer in liquid. Reduce. To cook liquids down so that some of the water evaporates. Saute. To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet or frying pan over direct heat. Scald. Cooking a liquid such as milk to just below the point of boiling; also to loosen the skin of fruits or vegetables by dipping them in boiling water. Sear. Sealing in a meat's juices by cooking it quickly under very high heat. Simmer. Cooking food in a liquid at a low enough temperature so that small bubbles begin to break the surface. A very low boil. Zest. The thin, brightly colored outer part of citrus fruit rinds. They contain volatile oils used as a flavoring.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 18:31:14 +0000
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