TECHNICAL

WORDS
COMMONLY USED
IN THE WORLD OF
CULINARY FOR
VEGETABLE
COOKERY
CUETO, MARK ANGELO G.
12-RAMSAY
A la carte (adj.) - separately priced items from a menu, not as
part of a set meal.
Al dente (adj.) - cooked so it's still tough when bitten, often
referring to pasta
A la grecque (adj.) - served in the Greek style of cooking, with
olive oil, lemon juice, and several seasonings, often referring to
vegetables
A point (adj.) - cooking until the ideal degree of doneness,
often referring to meat as medium rare
Acidulation (n.) - the process of making something acid or sour
with lemon or lime juice
Aerate (v.) - the process when dry ingredients pass through a
sifter and air is circulated through, changing the composition
of the material, often referring to flour
Aspic (n.) - a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatine
made from a meat stock or consommé
Au gratin (adj.) - sprinkled with breadcrumbs and cheese, or
both, and browned
Au jus (adj.) - with its own juices from cooking, often referring
to steak or other meat
Au poivre (adj.) - coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and
then cooked, often referring to steak
Au sec (adj.) - the descriptor for a liquid which has been
reduced until it is nearly dry, a process often used in sauce
making
Bain Marie (n.) - a container holding hot water into which a
pan is placed for slow cooking, otherwise known as a "water
bath" or "double boiler"
Barding (v.) - to cover a meat with a layer of fat, such as
bacon, before cooking, effectively maintaining the moisture of
the meat while it cooks to avoid overcooking
Baste (v.) - to pour juices or melted fat over meat or other
food while cooking to keep it moist
Beurre blanc (n.) - a sauce made with butter, onions, and
vinegar, usually served with seafood dishes
Bisque (n.) - a thick, creamy soup, with a base of strained
broth (see coulis) of shellfish or game
Blanching (v.) - to plunge into boiling water, remove after
moment, and then plunge into iced water to halt the cooking
process, usually referring to vegetable or fruit
Braising (v.) - a combination-cooking method that first sears
the food at high temperature, then finished it in a covered pot
at low temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid
Brining (v.) - the process of soaking meat in a brine, or heavily
salted water, before cooking, similar to marination
Chiffonade (n.) - shredded or finely cut vegetables and herbs,
usually used as a garnish for soup
Concasse (n.) - to roughly chop raw or cooked food by peeling,
seeding, and chopping to make it ready to be served or combined
with other ingredients, usually referring to tomatoes
Consommé (n.) - a type of clear soup made from richly flavored
stock that has been clarified, a process of using egg whites to
remove fat
Confit (n.) - meat cooked slowly in its own fat, usually referring
to duck
Coring (v.) - to remove the central section of some fruits, which
contain seeds and tougher material that is not usually eaten
Coulis (n.) - a thick sauce made with fruit or vegetable puree,
used as a base or garnish
Croquette (n.) - a small round roll of minced meat, fish, or
vegetable coated with egg and breadcrumbs

Deglaze (v.) - to remove and dissolve the browned food residue, or

"glaze", from a pan to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies
Degrease (v.) - to remove the fat from the surface of a hot liquid
such as a sauce, soup, or stew, also known as defatting or fat
trimming
Dredging (v.) - to coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient
before cooking to provide an even coating
Dress (v.) - to put oil, vinegar, salt, or other toppings on a salad
or other food

Effiler (n.) - to remove the string from a string bean or to

thinly slice almonds
Emincer (n.) - to slice thinly, similar to julienne style, but not
as long
Escabeche (n.) - a dish consisting of fish marinated for
approximately one day in a sauce of olive oil, vinegar, herbs,
vegetables, and spices, and then poached or fried and allowed
to cool

Fillet (n.) - a boneless piece of meat, poultry, or fish; the

French version, spelled as "filet," is also used when referencing
a cut of beef that is boneless, such as filet mignon
Flambe (v.) - the process of adding alcohol such as brandy,
cognac, or rum to a hot pan to create a burst of flames
Frenching (v.) - the process of removing all fat, meat, and
cartilage from rib bones on a rack roast by cutting between the
bones with a sharp paring knife, often referring to lamb, beef,
or pork rib
Galantine (n.) - a Polish dish of de-boned stuffed meat that is
poached in gelatin stock, pressed, and served cold with aspic
or its own jelly
Galette (n.) - flat, round cakes of pastry, often topped with
fruitor a food prepared in served in the shape of a flat round
cake, such as "a galette of potatoes"
Gazpacho (n.) - a Spanish dish of cold, uncooked soup, which
typically contain tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, oil, and
vinegar

Harissa (n.) - a spicy, aromatic chile paste made from a variety

of hot peppers and spices, often used in North African and
Middle Eastern cooking

Infusion (n.) - the process of extracting chemical compounds or

flavors from a vegetable in water, oil, or alcohol, by allowing
the material to remain suspended in the liquid over time, also
known as steeping
Involtini (n.) - food such as meat, poultry, seafood, or
vegetables, wrapped around a filling such as cheese, cured
meats, or nuts
Irradiation (n.) - the process of exposing food to radiation,
designed to eliminate disease-causing germs from foods
Isinglass (n.) - a pure, transparent form of gelatin, obtained
from the bladders of certain fish, used in jellies as a clarifying
agent

Jacquarding (v.) - the process of poking holes into the muscle

of meat in order to tenderize it, also known as needling
Jeroboam (n.) - an oversize wine bottle holding about three
liters
Jus lie (n.) - meat juice that has been lightly thickened with
either arrowroot or cornstarch

Kipper (n.) - a whole herring that has been split into a

butterfly fashion from tail to head, gutted, salted, or pickled
Kirsch (n.) - a fragrant, colorless, unaged brandy distilled from
fermented cherries , used with fondue
Kissing Crust (n.) - the portion of an upper crust of a loaf of
bread which has touched another loaf when baking
Lactobacillus (n.) - a bacterium usually found in fermenting
products, such as yogurts
Larding (v.) - the process of inserting strips of fat into a piece
of meat that doesn't have as much fat, to melt and keep the
meat from drying out
Liaison (v.) - a binding agent of cream and egg yolks used to
thicken soups or sauces

Macerate (v.) - the process of softening or breaking into pieces

using liquid, often referring to fruit or vegetables, in order to
absorb the flavor of the liquid
Marinate (v.) - the process of soaking foods in seasoned and
acidic liquid before cooking for hours or days, adding flavor to
the food
Mesclun (n.) - a salad consisting of tender mixed greens such
as lettuce, arugula, and chicory, herbs, and edible flowers
Mignonette (n.) - roughly cracked or coarsely ground
peppercorns, used for au poivre dishes or for mignonette
sauce, which contains vinegar and shallots as well and is often
used for oysters
Mince (v.) - to finely divide food into uniform pieces smaller
than diced or chopped foods, prepared using a chef's knife or
food processor
Mise en place (v.) -the preparation of ingredients, such as
dicing onions or measuring spices, before starting cooking
Mother (n.) - the base sauce used to make other variations of
the original sauce; there are five variations: brown or
espagnole, velouté, béchamel, tomato sauce, and emulsions

Nappe (n.) - the ability of a liquid to coat the back of a spoon

or the act of coating a food, such as a leg of lamb, with glaze
Needling (v.) - injecting fat or flavors into an ingredient to
enhance its flavor
Nutraceutical (adj.) - used to describe food that provides
health or medical benefits as well as nutritional value, also
known as functional food

Oeuf (n.) - the French term for egg

Oignon brule (n.) - literally meaning "burnt onion," a culinary
term for a half-peeled onion seared on a skillet
Ort (n.) - a scrap or morsel of food left over after a meal
Ouzo (n.) - an anise-flavored, strong, colorless liquor from
Greece
Parboiling (v.) - the process of adding foods to boiling waters,
cooking until they are softened, then removing before they are
fully cooked, usually to partially cook an item which will then
be cooked another way
Parcooking (v.) - the process of not fully cooking food, so that
it can be finished or reheated later
Pâté (n.) - a mixture of seasoned ground meat and fat minced
into a spreadable paste
Paupiette (n.) - a thin, flattened piece of meat, rolled with a
stuffing of vegetables or fruits, which is then cooked before
served
Persillade (n.) - a sauce or seasoning mixture of parsley
chopped with seasonings, often used as part of a saute cook's
mise en place
Polenta (n.) - a mush or porridge made from yellow or cornmeal
which originated in Northern Italy
Praline (n.) - a confection of nuts cooked in boiling sugar until
brown and crisp
Quadriller (v.) - to make criss-cross lines on the surface of
food, as part of food presentation
Quatre-epices (n.) - literally meaning "four spices," a finely
ground mixture of generally pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,
or cloves, used to season vegetables, soups, and stews
Quenelle (n.) - a small quantity of a mixture of creamed fish or
meat with a light egg binding, usually formed into a round
shape, and then cooked

Remouillage (n.) - a stock made from bones that have already

been used once to make a stock, making it weaker
Render (v.) - to cook the fat out of something, such as bacon
Rondeau (n.) - a wide, shallow pan with straight sides and two
loop handles, often used for searing and poaching
Sautéing (v.) - to cook food quickly over relatively high heat,
literally meaning "to jump" as the food does when placed in a
hot pan
Scald (v.) - to heat a liquid so it's right about to reach the
boiling point, where bubbles start to appear around the edges
Sear (v.) - a technique used in grilling, baking, or sautéing in
which the surface of the food is cooked at high temperature
until a crust forms
Staling (v.) - a chemical and physical process in which foods
such as bread become hard, musty, or dry, also known as "going
stale"
Steep (v.) - to allow dry ingredients to soak in a liquid until the
liquid takes on its flavor, often referring to coffee, tea, or
spices
Sweat (v.) - gently heating vegetables in a little oil, with
frequent stirring and turning to ensure emitted liquid will
evaporate; usually results in tender, or in some cases such as
onions', translucent pieces
Tempering (v.) - raising the temperature of a cold or room-
temperature ingredient by slowly adding hot or boiling liquid,
often referring to eggs
Tourner (v.) -to cut ingredients such as carrots or potatoes into
a barrel-like shape that form six or seven sides on the length of
the item being cut, using a Tourner knife or a paring knife
Trussing (v.) - to tie meat or poultry, such as turkey with a
string, woven through the bird parts by using a needle, in order
to create a more compact shape before cooking

Ultra-pasteurization (n.) - the process of heating up milk

products to 280 degrees Fahrenheit for a few seconds and
chilling it down rapidly, resulting in milk that's 99.9% free
from bacteria and extending their shelf-life
Unleavened (adj.) - made without yeast or any other leavening
agent, often referring to bread
Vandyke (v.) - to cut a zig-zag pattern around the
circumference of a lemon to create decorative garnishes for
food presentation
Velouté (n.) - a type of sauce in which a light stock, such as
chicken of fish, is thickened with a flour that is cooked and
then allowed to turn light brown
Victual (n.) - any food or provisions for humans; all food is a
"victual"
Vol-au-Vent (n.) - a round pastry that is baked and then filled
with meat or vegetables after the fact

Whip (v.) - to beat food with a mixer to incorporate air and

produce volume, often used to create heavy or whipping cream,
salad dressings, or sauces
Whisk (n.) - a cooking utensil used to blend ingredients in a
process such as whipping
X
XantXan gum (n.) - a food additive, commonly used to thicken
salad dressings, that is water-soluble and produced by the
fermentation of sugar with certain microorganisms
Xylitol (n.) - a naturally fulfilling alcohol found in most plants
such as fruits and vegetables, widely used as a sugar
substitute in sugar-free chewing gums, mints, and other
candies
Y
Yakitori (n.) - a Japanese dish of small pieces of boneless
chicken that is marinated, skewered, and grilled
Z
Zest (v.) - to cut the zest, or the colorful part of the skin that
contains oils and provide aroma and flavor, away from the fruit