100 Words Every Cook Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Acidulate	Add acid to prevent discoloration.
2.	Aging	Resting meat to improve tenderness and flavor.
3.	Aioli	Garlic mayonnaise, often olive-oil based.
4.	Al dente	Cooked firm to the bite.
5.	Alkaline	Basic; opposite of acidic.
6.	Amuse-bouche	Small complimentary appetizer from the chef.
7.	Aromatics	Flavorful ingredients used to build aroma.
8.	Au jus	Served with natural meat juices.
9.	Bain-marie	Hot water bath for gentle heating.
10.	Bake	Cook with dry heat in an oven.
11.	Baste	Spoon fat or juices over food.
12.	Batter	Pourable mixture of flour, liquid, and eggs.
13.	Béarnaise	Hollandaise with tarragon and shallots.
14.	Beurre blanc	Emulsified butter sauce with wine and shallots.
15.	Beurre manié	Raw butter-flour paste for thickening.
16.	Bias cut	Slice diagonally across the grain.
17.	Bind	Hold ingredients together with a binder.
18.	Blanch	Briefly boil, then shock in ice water.
19.	Blend	Mix until smooth and uniform.
20.	Bloom	Hydrate gelatin; or awaken spices in fat.
21.	Boil	Cook in bubbling liquid at 100°C.
22.	Braise	Slow-cook in covered pan with little liquid.
23.	Brine	Saltwater solution to season and moisten.
24.	Broil	Cook with intense heat from above.
25.	Brown	Develop color and flavor via Maillard reaction.
26.	Brunoise	Very small, uniform dice.
27.	Butterfly	Split food to open flat for even cooking.
28.	Caramelize	Brown sugars to create deep, sweet flavors.
29.	Carryover cooking	Food continues cooking after heat is off.
30.	Chiffonade	Thin ribbons of leafy herbs or greens.
31.	Chill	Cool quickly to safe storage temperature.
32.	Chop	Cut into irregular pieces.
33.	Clarify	Remove impurities; or separate butterfat from milk solids.
34.	Coat	Cover evenly with batter, crumbs, or sauce.
35.	Concassé	Peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes.
36.	Confit	Slow-cooked in fat, then stored in it.
37.	Core	Remove central seeds or tough center.
38.	Cream	Beat fat and sugar until light.
39.	Crimp	Pinch dough edges to seal decoratively.
40.	Crisp	Cook until firm, brittle, and dry.
41.	Cross-contamination	Transfer of harmful microbes between foods.
42.	Crouton	Toasted bread cubes for garnish.
43.	Cure	Preserve with salt, sugar, smoke, or nitrates.
44.	Deglaze	Dissolve browned bits with liquid for sauce.
45.	Demi-glace	Reduced brown stock sauce base.
46.	Dice	Cut into small, even cubes.
47.	Dock	Prick dough to prevent bubbling.
48.	Dredge	Lightly coat food with dry flour or crumbs.
49.	Dress	Add sauce or seasoning to a dish.
50.	Drippings	Rendered juices and fat from cooked meat.
51.	Dry rub	Spice-salt mix applied before cooking.
52.	Emulsify	Combine liquids that normally separate.
53.	En papillote	Cook sealed in paper or foil packet.
54.	Entrée	Main course; sometimes first course, regionally.
55.	Evaporate	Reduce liquid by simmering off water.
56.	Ferment	Transform foods using microbes for flavor and preservation.
57.	Fillet	Boneless cut of meat or fish.
58.	Fold	Gently combine to retain air.
59.	Fond	Caramelized bits; or a basic stock.
60.	Food safety	Practices preventing foodborne illness.
61.	Fry	Cook in hot fat or oil.
62.	Garnish	Edible finishing touch for appearance and flavor.
63.	Glaze	Shiny coating of sauce, sugar, or fat.
64.	Grate	Shred into fine pieces using a grater.
65.	Grill	Cook over direct radiant heat.
66.	Grind	Reduce to small particles using a mill.
67.	Hollandaise	Warm emulsified egg yolk and butter sauce.
68.	Homogenize	Make mixture uniform; prevent separation.
69.	Julienne	Thin matchstick-shaped cuts.
70.	Knead	Work dough to develop gluten structure.
71.	Kosher salt	Coarse salt favored for seasoning control.
72.	Lard	Rendered pork fat used for cooking.
73.	Leaven	Make dough rise using gas-producing agents.
74.	Liaison	Egg-yolk and cream thickening mixture.
75.	Marinate	Soak in seasoned liquid for flavor and tenderness.
76.	Mince	Cut into very small pieces.
77.	Mirepoix	Onion, carrot, celery flavor base.
78.	Mise en place	Prep and organize ingredients before cooking.
79.	Mount with butter	Whisk in cold butter to finish sauce.
80.	Nappe	Sauce coats the back of a spoon.
81.	Neutral oil	Mild-flavored oil for cooking.
82.	Parboil	Partially boil to shorten final cooking.
83.	Pasteurize	Heat to reduce pathogens in food.
84.	Peel	Remove outer skin or rind.
85.	Pickle	Preserve in vinegar or brine.
86.	Pinch	Small amount held between fingers.
87.	Poach	Cook gently in barely simmering liquid.
88.	Proof	Let dough rise; or test yeast activity.
89.	Purée	Blend until completely smooth.
90.	Reduce	Simmer to concentrate flavors and thicken.
91.	Render	Melt fat out of tissue by heating.
92.	Rest	Pause cooking to redistribute juices.
93.	Roast	Cook with dry heat, usually uncovered.
94.	Roux	Cooked flour and fat thickener.
95.	Sauté	Cook quickly in small amount of fat.
96.	Score	Shallow cuts to aid cooking or decoration.
97.	Sear	Brown surface quickly over high heat.
98.	Season	Add salt, spices, and flavorings.
99.	Shuck	Remove shells from oysters, corn, or beans.
100.	Simmer	Cook in liquid just below boiling.