Aerate To incorporate air into something, usually a batter.

Also known as a hot water bath, it is usually used to melt chocolate and
Bain-marie
butter gently and gradually over a pot of simmering water.

Baking the crust of a pie/tart without the filling. It can be done with a
Bake blind variety of methods. One would be to prick the bottom of the crust
before filling it with pie weights, rice, pulses, or beans prior to baking.

Batch Amount of bread, cookies, etc made from one bake.

A mixture of dry and liquid ingredients such as eggs, flour, and milk or
Batter water. Similar to dough but it has a much thinner consistency and
cannot be kneaded.

Mixing a mixture rapidly and intensely to combine ingredients and

Beat
incorporate air into the mixture. Typically done with a whisk or mixer.

Mixing two substances together so that they become incorporated

Blend
together.

For gelatin: softening gelatin using a liquid before use. Typically done
by sprinkling the gelatin onto the surface of a liquid and letting it sit for
about 5 minutes.
Bloom For cocoa powder: Mixing cocoa powder with hot water and stirring to
remove any lumps before letting it sit for a minute or two. This will
release the flavour in the cocoa particles, increasing the intensity of the
chocolate flavour.

For liquids: to heat the liquid until it reaches its boiling point.
Boil
For a subject: to place the thing into boiling liquid.

Butter (verb) To spread/add butter onto something.

A type of icing used to fill, top, coat, and decorate cakes or cupcakes.
Buttercream Typically made by creaming butter with powdered sugar and adding
any extra colourings and flavourings.

Process of cooking sugar until it turns brown. When sugar is heated to

high temperatures, it undergoes chemical changes and breaks down.
Caramelize
Cooking can also caramelise the natural sugars found in various fruits
and vegetables such as onions.

Using a knife or sharp object to repeatedly cut something into small

Chop
pieces.

To cover something with a wet or dry substance. For example, after

Coat
baking, bread loaves are usually coated with a layer of butter.
Combine To mix two ingredients together.

Consistency The texture and thickness of a substance.

Cool Allowing something to reduce in temperature.

Softening butter or other solid fats such as lard and mixing them
Cream with other ingredients. This technique is commonly used for butter and
sugar.

Crimp Technique of pinching the sides and tops of pie or tart crusts.

Used to describe the small particles of cakes or bread. Usually

Crumb
described as tight, loose, moist, dense, etc.

Crust The outer skin of a bread or pie. Typically hard in texture.

Happens when a liquid separates and forms curds and lumps. Typically
Curdle
used to describe things like eggs, batter, and milk.

To remove the ice or frost from something frozen by increasing its

Defrost
temperature.

Dilute Thinning a liquid by adding in water or another solvent.

Dip (verb) to immerse something into a dry or liquid mixture.

To incorporate a solid ingredient/food to a liquid to form a solution or

Dissolve
mixture.

Double Boil See bain-marie.

A thick mixture made by combining flour/meal with a liquid. Usually

Dough refers to bread or pastry dough and it is stiff enough to be kneaded and
rolled.

The process of pouring a thin stream of liquid such as glaze or butter

Drizzle
over food.

The process of sprinkling a thin layer of powdered ingredient such as

Dust
cocoa powder, flour and confectioners’ sugar over food.

(noun) Beaten eggs. Sometimes additional liquid such as milk and

water are added.
Egg Wash
(verb) To brush a layer of beaten egg mixture over the surface of food,
typically to add colour after it is baked.
Emulsion A mixture containing liquids that are immiscible such as oil and water.

For baking flavourings: an artificial substance. For example, vanilla

Essence essence is made synthetically unlike vanilla extract. Hence, it is cheaper
and less fragrant.

Refers to the natural substance that has been extracted straight from its
Extract source. For example, vanilla extract is the substance that has been
retrieved straight from vanilla pods.

A technique used to describe the gentle incorporation of dry to liquid

Fold
ingredients. It is typically done using a whisk or rubber spatula.

To make the surface of a food shiny by coating with a layer of sugar,

Glaze
butter, or any other glossy liquid.

Name for the proteins found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. It
Gluten
gives food their structure and helps to maintain their shape.

Grain The seed(s) from a food plant such as grass and cereal crops.

Grainy Refers to the texture of a substance - not smooth/fine, has granular bits.

(verb) To lubricate or oil something (usually a pan) with a fat, usually

Grease
butter.

A sweet glaze used to cover or decorate food such as cakes, pastries,

Icing/Frosting
and cookies.

To add one substance to another and mix them together such that they
Incorporate
are evenly distributed.

Infuse To immerse/steep/soak something into a liquid to extract its flavours.

To work dough (usually for bread) by massaging, stretching, pulling

Knead
and folding it.

The process of alternating layers of dough with butter. The butter

between the thin layers of dough let out steam during baking, helping
Laminate
the pastry puff up and rise, giving pastries such as croissants their
delicate, airy and layered texture.

Light and Typically used to describe the final/optimal state of creaming butter
Fluffy and sugar.

Lumpy Used to describe the texture of a substance - not smooth, has lumps.
Macerate The process of softening a food by soaking it in liquid.

For food: taste has developed fully to produce a strong and rich
Mature
flavour.

Melt Heating a solid product to form a liquid.

Using a knife or sharp object to chop something very finely/into very

Mince
small pieces.

Mix To combine two or more substances together.

Mold To pinch or give shape to something, such as bread or pie dough.

For pan/surface: covered with a substance that prevents food from

Nonstick
sticking.

Oil (verb) See grease.

Parchment Used to line baking pans to prevent food from sticking to them.

(noun) the outer skin or covering of a food such as orange or lemon.

Peel
(verb) Removing the outer layer or skin of something.

Pinch Using your fingers to press something (usually a pie dough) together.

To squeeze a liquid substance (usually a frosting) through a piping bag

Pipe
for decorating purposes.

Turning the oven/pan beforehand to let it come to the desired

Preheat
temperature.

Proof Letting the shaped bread dough have its final rise before baking.

The process of thickening and reducing the amount of liquid in a liquid

Reduce substance through simmering or boiling in order to intensify its flavour.
Opposite of dilute.

Typically used to refer to the process of crumbling and breaking butter

Rubbing in into small pieces rubbing them into flour. Usually used to make food
like crumble topping and shortcrust pastry.

Slashing the surface of food such as bread/pie dough, cakes and meat
Score
using a sharp knife.
Scraggly (adj) Typically used to describe dough which is too dry, hasn’t been fully
kneaded, rough, and irregular in texture.

Using a sharp edged instrument to remove something from a surface.

Scrape
For example, scraping bread dough from a work table.

The length of time that a product is usable, fit for consumption, and can
Shelf Life
be kept.

Putting a food through a sieve to separate solids from liquids, or lumps

Sieve
from powdered material.

The process of bringing a liquid to a temperature that is slightly below

Simmer
its boiling point, and letting it bubble gently.

(noun) the outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, or meat.

Skin
(verb) to remove the outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, or meat.

Refers to the sponge and dough method for making bread, consisting of
two steps. The first step is the making of a yeast starter or yeast pre-
Sponge
ferment (aka sponge). After the sponge is left to ferment, it will be
added to the final dough.

Sprinkle To lightly scatter something (sugar, toppings etc) over a food.

Mixing a substance by moving a kitchen utensil/tool in circular

Stir motions.

A technique used to raise the temperature of a substance gradually.

Typically used for eggs and chocolate. When tempering eggs, a hot
Temper
liquid is slowly added to the mixture in small amounts to prevent the
eggs from scrambling.

Turntable A cake stand with a rotating base that is used for decorating cakes.

Whisk A kitchen tool used to blend, beat, and incorporate air into a mixture.

The amount of baked goods one can get from one recipe. Similar
Yield
to batch.

Made by scraping the outer layer of the skin of citrus fruits using a
Zest
grater. Used to add flavour to food.