FOOD

PREPARATIONS
AND COOKING
TERMS
 BASTING
• To moisten meat with a
liquid, such as melted
butter or a sauce, while
cooking.
 BEATING
• To make mixture
smooth by lifting it over
and over quickly with a
big beating stroke or to
incorporate air through
the mixture.
 BLANCHING
is boiling water, putting
food in for quick
heating, then removing
and placing in cold/ice
water to quickly chill.
 BLENDING
• To combine or mix so
that the constituent
parts are
indistinguishable from
one another.
 DREDGING / COATING
• To lightly coat food in a
powdered substance such
as breadcrumbs,
cornmeal, flour. Most
foods require dipping in a
liquid, such as egg or milk,
in order for the powdered
substance to adhere to the
food.
 COMBINING
• To join (two or more
substances) to make a
single substance, mix.
 CREAMING
• To beat sugar and fat
together until fluffy.
 CUBE
• To cut food into small
cube shapes, larger than
diced, usually about 1/2
inch.
 FOLDING
• To cut fat into flour
with
two knives, or a pastry
blender, until it is
distributed in small
particles throughout the
mixture.
 KNEADING
• To work dough with the
“heel” of the hands, using
a pressing motion,
accompanied by folding
and stretching until
smooth and elastic.
 MARINATING
• To coat or immerse
foods
in an acidic-based liquid
or
dry rub, to tenderize and
flavor before cooking.
Food
is marinated in a
marinade.
 MINCING
• To cut or chop food as
finely as possible.
 MIXING
• To combine or blend
into one mass or
mixture
 PARING
• To remove the outer
covering or skin of with a
knife or similar
instrument.
 SCALDING
• To heat milk almost to
boiling point.
 SCORING
• To make shallow cuts
(usually in a diamond
pattern) in the surface of
certain foods, such as
meat or fish.
 SHREDING
• A long irregular strip
that
is cut or torn off.
 SIFTING
• To put (flour, for
example)
through a sieve or other
straining device in order
to
separate the fine from
the
coarse particles.
 SKIMING
• To remove floating
matter
from a liquid.
 WHIPPING
• To beat rapidly to
introduce air bubbles into
food. Applied to cream,
eggs, and gelatin.
 SIMMERING
• To cook below the
boiling
point, bubbles form
slowly
and break on the surface.
 POACHING
• Cooking food either
partially or completely
covered by a liquid which
is brought to, and
maintained at a
temperature just below
boiling point.
 SAUTEING
• To cook in a small
amount
of fat.
 ROASTING

• is a dry heat method of

cooking, where hot air
from an oven, open
flame, or another heat
source completely
surrounds the food,
cooking it evenly on all
sides.