| à point |
Perfectly cooked (for the French at least). Commonly used with steaks which are usually less rare than the French prefer.
Other expressions used in France when ordering steaks the way you like them are:
Bleu: VERY rare
Saignant: rare
À point: perfectly cooked, medium-rare
Bien cuit (& sometimes rosé): medium to well-done
Très bien cuit: very well-done steak
If all else fails, try carbonisé – carbonized! = exceptionally well done (but you’ll break the chef’s heart!) |
| Al dente |
Italian for “to the tooth“. It describes pasta and other foods cooked so they still have some resistance when bitten. |
| Amuse-gueule / amuse-bouche |
French for mouth-amuser. Small appetizers usually provided free by the chef. |
| Antipasti |
Italian for “appetizer”. |
| Aperitif |
Alcohol served as an appetizer before dinner. |
| Au gratin |
Dish sprinkled with cheese and browned in the oven before serving. |
| Au jus |
The meat juice or gravy which forms the basis for a sauce, typically for beef.
|
| Blanch |
Plunging raw vegetables, mushrooms or meat for 10 to 30 seconds first in boiling water then in cold water to stop the cooking process. |
| Braise |
Initially cook using hot dry heat then cover in liquid and finish in a covered pot. |
| Bread / coat with breadcrumbs |
Rolling food in flour, moistening with egg wash (egg with milk or water) and then coating in breadcrumbs. |
| Carving |
Cutting meat, fish or poultry into slices to get the optimum number of slices or portions. |
| Chill |
Quickly cooling with ice cubes and/or cold water. |
| Chop |
Cut into irregular pieces. |
| Coat |
Covering food with crumbs, flour etc. |
| Colander |
Perforated container for draining liquid. |
| Compote |
Dessert made of fruit cooked with sugar and served cold. |
| Coulis |
Brown or white thick sauce made from vegetables or fruit. |
| Crystallize |
Preservation method for fresh fruit. The water content is reduced and the sugar content increased to at least 70%. |
| Deglazing |
Pouring water into a pan to soak up cooked residue from the bottom of a pan as the basis of a fond. |
| Dégraisser |
To skim the fat off soups and other dishes. |
| En papillote |
Dish wrapped and served in paper or foil. |
| Flambé |
To douse food with a spirit and light it. The food then takes on the flavor of the alcohol. |
| Gratinate |
Coat with buttered crumbs or grated cheese and grill until there is a brown crust. |
| Halal |
Meat slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. Also what foods are permitted. |
| Hors d’oeuvre |
French for “appetizer”. |
| Jelly |
Pickled meat or fish in aspic jelly. |
| Kosher |
Food or ingredients prepared according to Jewish dietary laws. |
| Macerate |
Soaking food in a liquid to instill its flavor. |
| Marinade |
A liquid with herbs and spices in which foods are soaked before cooking. |
| Marinate |
To soak foods, usually raw fish or meat in a spicy, often an acidic liquid is used to add flavor and/or tenderize meat. |
| Mincing |
To chop meat very small or put it through a grinder (mincer). |
| Organic |
Foodstuffs from living organisms grown exclusively with “natural” fertilizers and pesticides. |
| Panade |
Mixture of starch and liquid added to e.g. ground meat to keep it moist during cooking. |
| Pickle |
Method of preserving foodstuffs with vinegar and salt. |
| Pinch |
Small amount that fits between two fingers. |
| Poach |
Gentle cooking method in hot (not boiling) water (75-95°). Used with vegetables, eggs and fish. |
| Reduce |
To cook a stock or sauce until water evaporates and leaves behind a concentrated liquid (reduction). |
| Roast |
Dry heat cooking on an open flame or oven used for slow cooking of larger food items. |
| Sauté |
Sautéing is dry-heat cooking done in a very hot pan with little oil to cook the food very quickly and brown the food’s surface. Only as much food is added to the pan as can move about freely and it must stay hot to avoid boiling the food. The food is kept moving throughout. |
| Scald |
To heat a liquid just under the boiling point. |
| Sear |
Browning food quickly on all sides with high heat. |
| Season |
Adding salt, pepper, herbs, spices etc. to food to improve the flavor. |
| Shred |
Cutting or tearing into thin strips. |
| Simmer |
Gently cooking without boiling. |
| Steam |
Cooking food in a sealed container over hot water. |
| Stew |
Meat and vegetables are usually sautéed then slow cooked (80°-100°) and served in their own liquid. |
| Stir-fry |
Cook food briefly with constant stirring, usually in a wok at a high heat and with a little oil. |
| Strain |
Pour food through a sieve to remove or separate larger pieces. |
| Tallow |
Fat from bovine animals, sheep, goats or deer. |
| Thicken |
Make a thin liquid thicker with the help of binders (flour or similar). Especially for preparing sauces. |
| Vinaigrette |
French salad dressing. Mixture of oil, vinegar, herbs and spices. |
| Wok |
A round-bottomed cooking pan from Asia popular for stir-frying. |
