Glossary

I find that whenever you're discussing a topic with or trying to explain something to others, it's best to have a common vocabulary. This is true in the kitchen as much as it is in the professional world. Here is my kitchen dictionary, compiled from the top of my head, the internet, and various cookbooks.

Term	Definition
Al dente	Pasta that is fully cooked on the outside and slightly underdone on the inside. The pasta should give slight resistance when bitten into, but not hard or overly soft.
Bake	To cook food in an oven. Baking large or whole pieces of food is generally referred to as roasting.
Barbeque	To slowly cook food on a covered grill. Barbeque is a grilling style.
Blanch	To plunge food into boiling water briefly, then into cold or ice water to halt the cooking process.
Boil	To cook food in a liquid heated to the point where large bubbles break the surface. A rolling boil is when the bubbles cannot be dissipated by stirring. At sea level, 212°F
Broil	To cook food directly under the heat source. Typically refers to placing food immediately under an oven broiler.
Broth	The liquid resulting from boiling vegetables or meat in water.
Burnoise	To cut into cubes of 1/8 inch. Usually, begin with a julienne and cut the strips into small cubes.
Chef's knife	The main knife of the French kitchen. A versatile cutting instrument capable of fine control (capable of cutting a vegetable into a brunoise) and with enough strength to hack through bones.
Chiffonade	To cut into thin shreds. Usually applied to leafy vegetables or herbs.
Chop	A cutting motion that involves pressing the edge of the blade straight through the object. In a recipe, this refers to cutting into rough chunks.
Core	The center of a fruit or the removal of the center of a fruit.
Cut	The act of seperating a large object into small parts. Usually performed with a knife or other sharp object (blades of a food processor).
Dash	About 1/16 teaspoon or 1/2 pinch.
Deep fry	To cook food by submerging it completely in hot fat.
Deglaze	To heat a small amount of liquid with the intention of removing browned bits of food left from pan frying. This step is performed after the food and excess fat has been removed. The liquid is often wine or stock and the resulting mixture is used as a base for a sauce to accompany the pan fried food.
Dice	To cut into equal sized cubes. Depending on the application, the cubes can be as small as 1/4 inch or as large as 3/4 inch. Usually performed by cutting into the object parallel to the board, then cutting length wise along the object, and finished by cutting across the previous cuts to form cubes. This technique keeps the object together as long as possible to minimize cuts.
Fat	In cooking, usually refers to oil or butter. In food preparation, refers to, well, fat.
Fold	To gently combine an aerated mixture with a heavier mixture. A rubber spatula is used to cut through the mixture and up the side of the bowl to bring the mixture on the bottom to the top. The bowl is rotated 90° and the motion repeated.
Fond	The browned pieces of meat left on a traditional pan after pan frying.
Fry	To cook food in hot fat over moderate to high heat. See deep fry and pan fry.
Grill	To cook food on a metal grate set over a heat source. Commonly referred to incorrectly as barbeque.
Julienne	Food is cut into strips about 1 to 2 inches long and 1/8 in. by 1/8 in.
Mince	To chop very finely. Usually performed with a rocking motion with a chef's knife.
Nonstick cookware	Pots and pans coated with a chemical layer that reduces or eliminates bonding between the metal and the food. Requires that non-metal utensils are used in cantact with the cookware.
Pan	Cookware that has at minimum one long handle (may have additional handles). Typically, it is shallow. A lid is optional.
Pan fry	To cook food in hot fat in a skillet or fry pan over moderate to heat heat. Usually uses more fat than a saute. Typically the objective of a pan fry is searing or fond.
Parboil	To cook food partially by boiling it briefly in water. Typically, you would use a blanch to parboil food. The technique is used to prepare dense foods for cooking with more delicate foods so that all the ingredients are done cooking at the same time.
Pare	To remove the skin or outer layer of fruits or vegetables. Usually performed with a paring knife or vegetable peeler.
Paring knife	A small knife usually constructed in the same shape as a chef's knife but dimensionally reduced. Used for paring, cutting small objects, or activities that need more precision than a chef's knife is capable of.
Pinch	To squeeze together tightly with fingertips. Measurement: about 1/8 teaspoon.
Poach	To gently cook food in liquid just below the boiling point. The surface of the liquid should be moving, but not producing bubbles yet. Between 160190°F to 180190°F.
Pot	Cookware that has two handles and a lid. If it has a long handle then it may be referred to as a pan. Typically, it is deep.
Preheat	To increase the temperature of an oven to the desired baking temperature prior to the insertion of food.
Reduce	To boil a liquid until the volume is reduced. The final product is referred to as a reduction.
Roast	Generally, to cook food in an oven in an uncovered pan. This term is usually used for whole or large pieces of food. Oven cooking chopped pieces of food is usually referred to as baking.
Saucepan	A round pan with a long handle, tight fitting cover, and relatively deep. Extremely versitle, but used best for making soups and sauces, boiling, and braising.
Saute	To cook food in a saute pan over direct heat with a little fat. The objective is to cook the food quickly and with enough space and movement to allow most of the excess moisture to evaporate. It's not a saute if the food is simmering in its own juices. By the way, saute means "jump" in French and is named for the tossing technique used to keep the food moving and evenly cooked.
Scald	To heat a liquid until just below its boiling point. When referring to non-liquids, to plunge vegetables into boiling water to loosen the skin. See also blanch.
Sieve	Also called a strainer, this device has a mesh or perforated bottom and is used to sift dry ingredients or strain liquids.
Simmer	To cook gently in a liquid at a temperature low enough to just barely produce tiny bubbles that break the surface. About 185-195°F.
Slice	A cutting motion that involves drawing the edge of the blade, with pressure, along and through the object. This is an efficient cut.
Smoke point	The temperature at which a fat begins to break down and produce smoke and harsh smells. The fat should not be used once its smoke point has been reached. Smoke point lowers for a fat everytime it is heated.
Steam	To cook over boiling water such that the food is cooked by the vapors.
Stir fry	To cook food in a large pan over very high heat while constantly stirring the food. Traditionally the pan used is a wok.
Stock	The strained liquid from cooking vegetables or meat and seasonings in water.
Strain	To pour liquid through a filter with the intention of removing particles in the liquid. A sieve or cheesecloth is often used as the filter. Also, this term refers to pressing solid matter through a sieve to produce a pureed texture (as in baby food).
Traditional cookware	Refers to any pot or pan that is not non-stick. The preferred traditional pan has a stainless steel interior and either an aluminum core or is aluminum clad. Proper preheating of the cookware and using a little oil before adding food will have a non-stick result. However, eggs and fish will probably stick no matter what - use a non-stick pan for those.
Wok	A multipurpose pan with round bottom and sloping sides. Non-stick woks with flat bottoms are popular for use in America because of the flat stovetop. With American stoves, it is often difficult to produce good stir fry with a wok because the sloping sides cool too quickly.
Zest	The aromatic outermost layer of skin on a citrus fruit. The white pith is not part of the zest. Can be removed from fruit with a paring knife, but is easiest removed by a Microplane Zester (or a woodworking rasp).