Understand and Use Basic Cooking Terms and Skills

Stumped over what different cooking terms mean? Can't figure out the difference between boil and broil? Below are some commonly used cooking terms explained. Happy cooking!

Steps

 * 1)  al dente: Means to the tooth. Pasta is cooked al dente and has a slight bite to it.
 * 2)  Bake: To cook food using dry heat usually inside a gas or electric oven. Solar and camp ovens can also bake food. Foods commonly baked include casseroles, cakes and cookies.
 * 3) Blend: To thoroughly mix ingredients.
 * 4) Boil: To boil means to cook something in liquid where you can see bubbles breaking the surface. For example pasta is normally cooked in boiling water.
 * 5) Broil: To cook something under direct heat. Common foods broiled include steak, fish steaks, chicken breasts or open-faced cheese sandwiches.
 * 6) Braise: Braised food is first browned in a small amount of fat and then simmered over low heat in a small amount of liquid. The liquid should partially cover the food but not totally cover it. Cooking a pot roast or pork chops are two examples of braising.
 * 7) Brown: Heat a small amount of fat in a skillet or pan. Add the food and cook on both sides until brown in color. Browning adds color and flavor to the dish. Common foods that are browned during cooking include fried chicken, steaks, pot roast and fried potatoes. To fry or saute  are other terms used for browning.
 * 8)  Cook: To apply heat to food.
 * 9) Chop: To cut food into pieces. The food can be cut into fine or coarse pieces.
 * 10) Cream: This term is normally used in baking. It means to combine butter, sugar, egg and flavoring until light and fluffy.
 * 11) Cube: Food is cut into even pieces resembling small squares. Cheese and vegetables are both commonly cubed.
 * 12) Deep Fry: Food is submerged into hot fat. Doughuts and fried chicken are commonly cooked this way.
 * 13) Evaporated Milk: Sold in cans and can be purchased in full fat or low-fat versions. The milk is unsweetened. May be used diluted in any recipe calling for milk, used in candy making, and poured into coffee or tea as a creamer.
 * 14) Fillet: A thin boneless piece of meat, poultry or fish.
 * 15) Fold: To gently incorporate ingredients. Combining flour into a beaten egg whites or adding sugar to egg whites are two examples of having ingredients folded into them.
 * 16) Fry: To cook food in a small amount of hot oil.
 * 17) Grate: Food that is chopped coarsely using a food grater. Food can be grated by using a food grater or a grating disk on a food processor. Cheese and nuts are commonly grated.
 * 18)  Julienne: To cut food into even-sized matchsticks. Vegetables are typically cut in this fashion.
 * 19) Marinate: Food is placed in a seasoned liquid for a set amount of time. The food is usually allowed to marinate in the refrigerator. Common foods placed in marinade include chicken breasts, beef, pork or turkey.
 * 20) Mix: To combine ingredients using a spoon or mixer.
 * 21)  Powdered Sugar: Also known as icing sugar, 10X sugar and confectioner's sugar. It is a powdery white sugar, with a small crystal and mixed with a bit of cornstarch, which is mainly used to make frosting or icing.
 * 22)  Proof: Proofing means to allow yeast bread to rise. It also means to test to see if yeast is still viable. To proof yeast, add a teaspoon yeast to a bit of water and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes and if the mixture bubbles, smells yeasty, it is good to use for baking. Check a baking book for specifics on how to proof yeast.
 * 23)  Roast: Large, tender cuts of meat are placed in an oven and baked, uncovered, until cooking is finished.
 * 24)  Simmer: Liquid that has small bubbles that gently come to the surface. They do not "break" as in boiling but gently rise to the top.
 * 25) Stew: Food that is cooked gently in liquid. Beef or chicken stew and stewed fruits are examples of foods commonly cooked using this method.
 * 26) Sweetened Condensed Milk: Milk that has sugar added and is condensed. Used in candy making, baked goods and desserts. Some people like to eat it poured over cereal or straight from the can.
 * 27) Whip: To incorporate air into an ingredient. Common foods that are whipped include cream and egg whites.
 * 28)  Zest: The outer part of citrus fruit.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Learn Cooking Basics
 * How to Make Quick Cooking Taste Nice
 * How to Select Unbroken Eggs at the Store
 * How to Separate an Egg
 * How to Survive Without Cooking

Sources and Citations

 * Terms collected from various cookbooks including Betty Crocker and from personal cooking experience.