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Mastering advanced culinary terms is an essential part of becoming a skilled chef or a knowledgeable food enthusiast. This comprehensive glossary of more than 163 terms provides a solid foundation for navigating the complex and ever-evolving world of haute cuisine.
Combine cooking information, facts and recipes. The blending of two or more food ingredients to create a mixture. This can be accomplished by mixing the ingredients manually or through the use of an electric blender or food processor.
- Overview
- Prepping
- Measurements
- Oven Cooking
- Stovetop Cooking
- Frying
- Braising
- Moist Cooking
From browning to braising, learn the basic terminology of cooking with our handy guide.
If you're an enthusiastic home cook — you read the latest
, watch television shows centered on culinary endeavors, and peruse cookbooks for fun — you've likely picked up oodles of basic cooking terms and are nearly conversant in all the techniques. But there may still be some terminology that you're not quite sure about. Is sautéing the same as braising? Can I broil something instead of browning it? And what exactly is a "pinch" of salt?
If you're stumped by a recipe, or just want to expand your culinary knowledge, we've gathered up 25 common cooking terms to help you become a better cook. From charring to blanching, we break down the basic cooking terminology that will give you more confidence in the kitchen.
Before you start cooking, you need to prepare – or prep – your ingredients. If cut ingredients are needed, the recipe will state the exact size that's needed.
is when a large ingredient — such as potatoes or onions — is cut into large, flat pieces of a similar size. Depending on your recipe, the slices can be thin or thick. For example, you'd want thinner slices for
, but thicker slices for homemade
The most common prepping direction by far is to
This fairly generic term doesn't always refer to a size, so unless otherwise directed you can assume that "chop" means to cut similar sized square pieces that are roughly half an inch in diameter. When chopping a more tender food, such as greens or herbs, directions will often add a modifier such as "finely chop" which means to make the pieces super small, or "roughly chop" which indicates to leave the food in larger pieces.
means to cut ingredients into small, square-shaped pieces. This is done to ensure even cooking and allow for equal distribution of flavor and texture in the final dish. If a specific size isn't mentioned, a good rule of thumb to follow is that small dice is 1/8-inch, medium dice is 1/4-inch, and large dice is 1/2-inch.
Some recipes are precise, while others leave adjusting the seasonings up to the cook. These hazy terms can often lead to confusion.
, based on the amount of spice you can literally "pinch" between your fingers, is around 1/16 teaspoon.
is approximately 1/32 teaspoon. It's often used when the recipe creator is trying to add the tiniest note of flavor to a dish.
leaves the home cook in control of the final dish. This term commonly refers to salt and pepper since everyone's palates differ on how salty a dish tastes or whether it needs a little zing from black pepper. Be light-handed with these additions; you can always add more later.
Most cooking in the oven is done with dry heat. This is when fat or air is used to transfer heat, instead of moisture (see Moist Cooking below).
refer to the same process, but with the latter at higher temperatures. When preheating your oven, the air inside warms to a temperature of your setting. This hot air cooks your food at an even rate by surrounding the roasting pan or baking dish on all sides. When cooking savory foods, such as cuts of
, it's often called roasting. But if you're making
, it's commonly referred to as baking.
is similar to bake, but it cooks the food only on one side (the top) at a very high heat. This high temperature is used to create a golden brown top crust on
It's very easy to burn dishes when broiling, so keep a watchful eye on your dish.
These dry-heat cooking methods take place on the stovetop instead of the oven.
means to quickly cook food over high heat. This cooking method often includes oil or fat to evenly transfer the heat from the pan into the food. You'll need to occasionally stir or shake the pan you're cooking in to avoid burning the food and to promote even browning. Once food becomes fully cooked through and has a light browning on the exterior, you're done sautéing.
an ingredient, it's cooked for a brief period of time over high heat. This technique is also called
The food is cooked in a pan — often one piece at a time to avoid overcrowding — until fully browned on each side, with no stirring (unlike sautéing above). This technique is typically used on
to seal in flavor and natural juices while giving each piece a crispy exterior.
is the most extreme type of stovetop heat. A charred ingredient walks the line between being burnt and delightfully blackened. It's often used on
Despite seeming oxymoronic, frying is considered a dry heat cooking method. Oil is the heat conductor, not water, so it's considered "dry."
is when your ingredient is fully submerged in hot oil. This creates an irresistibly crispy exterior on all sides. Your recipe should tell you what temperature to aim for when heating the oil, which can be monitored by using a
stands in its own category, since it's a pairing of both dry and moist cooking techniques.
is primarily used to prepare
In a large pot, the meat is browned on all sides. Then it's covered with liquid and cooked low and slow until fall-off-the-bone tender. By searing the meat beforehand, you'll have all that caramelized taste but with a very succulent texture.
is another name for braising - the main difference is size. For a larger cut of meat, it's referred to as braising. When the meat is cut into smaller pieces before being covered in liquid, it's called stewing.
Since all of these techniques include water, they've earned the label of "moist cooking."
, a common introduction to moist cooking, is when water is heated to 212 degrees F. This makes the water produce bubbles and movement, which is why some recipes will instruct you to bring your water to a "rolling boil." Boiling is often used for cooking
describes when water, or other cooking liquids such as broth, are just below the boiling point. There won't be nearly as much movement as when boiling, but there should still be a small amount of bubbling. Simmering is typically utilized when cooking vegetables,
is all about gently cooking ingredients in water. The surface tension should only gently ripple with no bubbles. This technique is often used for delicate foods that would be torn apart by boiling, such as
- Hayley Sugg
Nov 11, 2010 · Simply means that you want to get the ingredient that you are mixing to incorporate (or set of ingredients) evenly distributed with everything you've added already.
- Bake: To cook uncovered by dry heat, usually in an oven or oven-like appliance.
- Baste: To moisten foods with pan drippings or sauces during cooking to add flavor and prevent drying.
- Batter: A mixture of flour and liquid that is thin enough to pour.
- Beat: To mix rapidly in order to make a mixture smooth and light by incorporating air.
Common culinary terms range from ways to prepare food and sauces to kitchen items to dishes themselves. These cooking definitions often come from other languages like French and Italian and can be challenging to understand.
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Combine - Stir ingredients together at low speed with a spoon, spatula, stand mixer, or hand mixer. Convection Oven - An oven that circulates air around the inside of the oven to cook foods quickly and encourage browning and crisping.
