CHAPTER 4 : CULINARY TERMS

1. Abats (ah bah) Offal; internal organs of butchered animals sold mainly by stores called triperies
that specialize in this. White offal are sweet breads, feet, brains. Red offal are heart, lungs, liver.
2. Allumettes (al loo met) Very thin French fries; pommes allumettes.
3. Anglaise (on glez) A mixture of whole eggs, oil, water, salt, and pepper, used to help coat food
with flour and bread crumbs.
4. Al Dente Firm, not soft or mushy, to the bite. Used for the doneness of vegetables and pasta.
5. Arborio Rice A variety of short-grain rice from Italy.
6. Au Gratin (oh gra tan) Having a browned or crusted top, often made by topping with bread
crumbs, cheese, and/or a rich sauce and passing under the broiler or salamander.
7. Bake To cook foods by surrounding them with hot, dry air. Similar to roast, but the term bake
usually applies to breads, pastries, vegetables, and fish.
8. Barbecue To cook with dry heat created by the burning of hardwood or by the hot coals of this
wood.
9. Bard To tie thin slices of fat, such as pork fatback, over meats with no natural fat cover to
protect them while roasting.
10. Batter Semi liquid mixture containing flour or other starch, used for the production of such
products as cakes and breads and for coating products to be deep-fried.
11. Béarnaise (bare nez) A sauce made of butter and egg yolks and flavored with a reduction of
vinegar, shallots, tarragon, and peppercorns.
12. Béchamel A sauce made by thickening milk with a roux.
13. Beurre Manié (burr mahn yay) A mixture of equal parts raw butter and flour mixed together
into a smooth paste.
14. Beurre Noisette (burr nwah zett) Whole butter heated until it is light brown.
15. Blanch To cook an item partially and briefly in boiling water or in hot fat. Usually a pre-
preparation technique, as to loosen peels from vegetables, fruits, and nuts, to partially cook
French fries or other foods before service, to prepare for freezing, or to remove undesirable
flavors.
16. Boil To cook in water or other liquid that is bubbling rapidly, about 212°F (100°C) at sea level
and at normal pressure.
17. Braise (1) To cook covered in a small amount of liquid, usually after preliminary browning. (2) To
cook (certain vegetables) slowly in a small amount of liquid without preliminary browning.
18. Broth A flavorful liquid obtained from the simmering of meats and/or vegetables.
19. Bain-marie (ban marie) A hot-water bath; a way of cooking or warming food by placing a
container in a pot of very hot water. Used for preparations that must not cook over direct heat,
for keeping delicate sauces hot, and for melting chocolate.
20. Bouquet Garni (boo kay gar nee) A mixture of herbs - sprig of thyme, bay leaf and celery
enclosed in the green portion of a leek used to flavor dishes during their cooking.
21. Bisque (bisk) Type of soup usually made from a shellfish base and thickened.
22. Boulangere Baker, who works under the Pastry Chef and is responsible for all baked products
such as bread, breakfast rolls, etc.
23. Canapé (can ah pay) Tiny open-faced sandwich, served as an hors d’oeuvre.
24. Consommé (cone so may) Clear bouillon made from meat, fish or vegetables; served hot or
cold.
25. Convection The transfer of heat by the movement of a liquid or gas.
26. Chiffonade (shi foe nod) Leafy herbs and greens that are finely shredded.
27. Chinois (shee nwah) China cap sieve; a fine conical strainer.
28. Clarified Butter Purified butter fat, with water and milk solids removed.
29. Concassé (cone cas say) Peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes.
30. Coagulation The process by which proteins become firm, usually when heated.
31. Clouter (cloo tay) To stud or pierce an onion with a whole clove.
32. Court Bouillon (koor bwee yohn) Water containing seasonings, herbs, and, usually, an acid;
used for cooking fish.
33. Duxelles (duke sell) Finely chopped mushrooms cooked in butter with minced shallots; used as a
garnish or filling.
34. Emulsion A uniform mixture of two unmixable liquids.
35. Entremetier (awn truh met yay) The cook who prepares vegetables, starches, soups, & eggs.
36. Farce (farce) Forcemeat stuffing; a mixture of various ground ingredients (meat, herbs,
vegetables), used to fill poultry, fish, vegetables, etc.
37. Florentine Garnished with or containing spinach.
38. Fumet (few may) Basic stock made from fish and used to make sauces.
39. Galantine (ga lawn teen) Cold poached meat that has been stuffed and larded, served with
gelatin made from the poaching liquid.
40. Gluten A substance made of proteins present in wheat flour that gives structure and strength to
baked goods.
41. Julienne (zhoo lee yen) Cut into very fine strips.
42. Lard (1) The rendered fat of hogs. (2) To insert strips of fat into meats low in marbling.
43. Liaison (lee ay zonh) Thickener; element or mixture used to thicken a liquid or sauce.
44. Leavening The production or incorporation of gases in a baked product to increase volume and
to produce shape and texture.
45. Mirepoix (meer pwah) A certain blend of aromatic vegetables (onions, carrots, and celery).
Standard mire poix 2:1:1 => onion : carrot : celery.
46. Maître d’Hôtel Butter (may truh doh tell) Compound butter containing parsley and lemon juice.
47. Marinate To soak a food in a seasoned liquid.
48. Monter au Beurre (mohn tay oh burr) To finish a sauce or soup by swirling in raw butter until it
is melted.
49. Moist-heat Cooking Methods Methods in which heat is conducted to foods by water or other
liquid or by steam.
50. Monter au Beurre (mohn tay oh burr) To finish a sauce or soup by swirling in raw butter until it
is melted.
51. Mornay A sauce made of béchamel and Gruyère cheese.
52. Mise en Place (meez on plahss) French term meaning “everything in place.”The setup for food
production. All the preparations and organization that must be made before actual production
can begin.
53. Pan Gravy A type of sauce made with the pan drippings of the meat or poultry it is served with.
54. Paner (pan ay) To coat a food with fresh or dry bread crumbs after dipping in an anglaise and
then cook.
55. Parboil To cook partially in a boiling or simmering liquid.
56. Parcook To partially cook by any method.
57. Parmentier (par mawn tyay) Garnished with or containing potatoes.
58. Pasteurized Heat-treated to kill bacteria that might cause disease or spoilage.
59. Pathogen A bacteria that causes disease.
60. Pigment Any substance that gives color to an item.
61. Pilaf Rice or other grain product that is first cooked in fat, then simmered in a stock or other
liquid, usually with onions, seasonings, or other ingredients.
62. Pizza A thin sheet of lean bread dough baked with a topping.
63. Poach To cook gently in water or another liquid that is hot but not actually bubbling, about 160°
to 180°F (71° to 82°C).
64. Poissonier (pwah so nyay) Fish cook.
65. Paysanne (pay yee zahn) Vegetables cut into small, thin triangles or squares.
66. Princesse Garnished with asparagus.
67. Radiation The transfer of energy by waves, such as infrared or light waves.
68. Raft The coagulated clear meat that forms when stock is clarified.
69. Recipe A set of instructions for producing a certain dish.
70. Reduce To cook by simmering or boiling until quantity is decreased; often done to concentrate
flavors. Reduction (1) A liquid concentrated by cooking it to evaporate part of the water.(2) The
process of making such a liquid.
71. Roast To cook foods by surrounding them with hot, dry air, in an oven or on a spit over an open
fire.
72. Roe Fish eggs
73. Rotisserie An item of cooking equipment that slowly rotates meat or other foods in front of a
heating element.
74. Rôtisseur (ro tee sur) Cook who prepares roasted, braised, and broiled meats.
75. Roux (roo) A cooked mixture of equal amounts of flour and fat (usually butter). The three types
of roux—white, blonde, and brown—vary in color depending on how long they cook.
76. Sachet d'epices A mixture of herbs and spices tied in a cheesecloth bag.
77. Salamandre (sal ah mandr) A salamander or broiler; the upper heating element in an oven or a
professional appliance, used to brown foods.
78. Sanitize To kill disease-causing bacteria, usually by heat or by chemical disinfectants.
79. Sauce A flavorful liquid, usually thickened, used to season, flavor, and enhance other foods.
80. Saucier (so see ay) Sauce cook; prepares sauces and stews and sautés foods to order.
81. Sauté To cook quickly in a small amount of fat.
82. Scampi A kind of shellfish similar to large shrimp.
83. Sear To brown the surface of a food quickly at high temperature.
84. Shirred Egg Egg baked in a shallow, buttered dish.
85. Short Having a high fat content, which makes the product (such as a cookie or pastry) crumbly
and tender.
86. Shred To cut into thin but irregular strips, either with the coarse blade of a grater or with a
knife.
87. Slurry A mixture of raw starch and cold liquid, used for thickening.
88. Solanine A poisonous substance found in potatoes that have turned green.
89. Stock A clear, thin—that is, unthickened —liquid flavored with soluble substances extracted
from meat, poultry, and fish, and their bones, and from vegetables and seasonings.
90. Sweat To cook in a small amount of fat over low heat, sometimes covered.
91. Sweetbreads The thymus glands of calves and young animals, used as food.
92. Tournant (toor nawn) Cook who replaces other station cooks; relief cook or swing cook.
93. Trunnion Kettle A steam-jacketed kettle that can be tilted for emptying.
94. Truss To tie poultry into a compact shape for cooking.
95. Vegan Referring to a vegetarian diet that omits all animal products, including dairy products and
eggs. Velouté A sauce made by thickening white stock with a roux.
96. Vichyssoise (vee she swahz) Cold purée of leek and potato soup with cream.
97. Vin Wine.
98. Vin Blanc White wine.
99. Vin Rouge Red wine.
100. Vinaigrette Dressing or sauce made of oil, vinegar, and flavoring ingredients.
101. Zest The colored part of the peel of citrus fruits.