Cooking Term of the Week (G)

Garnish
A decorative piece of an edible ingredient such as parsley, lemon wedges, croutons, or chocolate curls placed as a finishing touch to dishes or drinks.

Glaze
A liquid that gives an item a shiny surface. Examples are fruit jams that have been heated or chocolate thinned with melted vegetable shortening. Also, to cover a food with such a liquid.

Grate
To shred or cut down a food into fine pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface.

Grease
To coat a pan or skillet with a thin layer of oil.

Grill
To cook over the heat source (traditionally over wood coals) in the open air.

Grind
To mechanically cut a food into small pieces.

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Cooking Terms of the Week (E-F)

Egg wash
A mixture of beaten eggs (yolks, whites, or whole eggs) with either milk or water. Used to coat cookies and other baked goods to give them a shine when baked.

Fillet
To remove the bones from meat or fish for cooking.

Filter
To remove lumps, excess liquid, or impurities by passing through paper or cheesecloth.

Flan
An open pie filled with sweet or savory ingredients; also, a Spanish dessert of baked custard covered with caramel.

Fold
To cut and mix lightly with a spoon to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Fry
To cook food in hot cooking oil, usually until a crisp brown crust forms.

Cooking Terms of the Week (D)

Dash
A measure approximately equal to 1/16 teaspoon.

Deep-fry
To completely submerge the food in hot oil.

Dice
To cut into cubes.

Direct heat
A cooking method that allows heat to meet food directly, such as grilling, broiling, or toasting

Dredge
To sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar or flour. A dredger has holes pierced on the lid to sprinkle evenly.

Drizzle
To pour a liquid such as a sweet glaze or melted butter in a slow, light trickle over food.

Drippings
Used for gravies and sauces, drippings are the liquids left in the bottom of a roasting or frying pan after meat is cooked.

Dust
To sprinkle food lightly with spices, sugar, or flour for a light coating.

Cooking Terms of the Week (C)

Caramelization

Browning sugar over a flame, with or without the addition of some water to aid the process. The temperature range in which sugar caramelizes is approximately 320º F to 360º F (160º C to 182º C).

Chop

To cut into irregular pieces.

Coat

To evenly cover food with flour, crumbs, or a batter.

Combine

To blend two or more ingredients into a single mixture.

Cream

To beat vegetable shortening, butter, or margarine, with or without sugar, until light and fluffy. This process traps in air bubbles, later used to create height in cookies and cakes.

Crisp

To restore the crunch to foods; vegetables such as celery and carrots can be crisped with an ice water bath, and foods such as stale crackers can be heated in a medium oven.

Crush

To condense a food to its smallest particles, usually using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin.

Crystallize

To form sugar- or honey-based syrups into crystals. The term also describes the coating.

--CookingSisters--

Cooking Terms of the Week

Boil
To cook food in heated water or other liquid that is bubbling vigorously.

Braise
A cooking technique that requires browning meat in oil or other fat and then cooking slowly in liquid. The effect of braising is to tenderize the meat.

Bread
To coat the food with crumbs (usually with soft or dry bread crumbs), sometimes seasoned.

Brine
A salt, water, and seasoning solution used to preserve foods.

Broil
To cook food directly under the heat source.

Broth or stock
A flavorful liquid made by gently cooking meat, seafood, or vegetables (and/or their by-products, such as bones and trimming) often with herbs, in liquid, usually water.

Brown
A quick sautéing, pan/oven broiling, or grilling method done either at the beginning or end of meal preparation, often to enhance flavor, texture, or eye appeal.

Brush
Using a pastry brush, to coat a food such as meat or bread with melted butter, glaze, or other liquids