Cooking Terminology Staring With "C"
- calamari - squid
- capers - pickled flower buds from the Mediterranean
- caramelize - a process of cooking sugar (usually with oil or butter) until it begins to
color; foods containing natural sugars will caramelize in their own sugars - chicory - sometimes called curly endive; a type of lettuce (chicory root is sometimes
used as a coffee substitute) - chiffon - a filling made light and fluffy with beaten egg whites or whipped cream
- chop - to cut into non-uniformed pieces or rough cut
- clarify - a process of making a liquid clear; removing milk solids and impurities from
butter resulting in a pure golden liquid butter used for many cooking purposes - Celsius - a temperature scale in which 0 (zero) is freezing and 100 degrees is boiling or
steaming - coat - to cover food with another product
- combine - mixing ingredients together
- core - remove the center of fruits
- cream - beat butter or shortening until light and fluffy
- crush - to reduce food to small particles using a tool (rolling pin or mortar and pestle)
- cube - to cut up into regular sizes
- cut in - the process of combining solid fat (such as butter or shortening) with a dry
ingredient (such as flour) until small pea-size particles are formed; as is done when making
pie crust or biscuits
Cooking Terms Staring With "D"
- dash - about 1/16th of a teaspoon; a "pinch" or less
- deep-fry - to cook submerged in very hot fat (like French fries) until golden brown
- deglaze - to swirl a liquid into a pan to dissolve particles of food on the bottom of the
sauté' or roast pans for flavor - demi-glace - a rich brown sauce made from reduced veal or beef stock; used to make
classic sauces - devil - to add hot, spicy ingredients (pepper, Tabasco, cayenne, mustard) to a food
- dice - to cut into regular sized cubes; small, medium or large
- direct heat - a grilling method of cooking, allowing food to be cooked directly over a
flame or heat source - dissolve - to stir a dry substance into a liquid until no solids remain
- dollop - a scoop or spoonful of food placed on top of another food
- dough - a combination of flour, water or milk and sometimes a leaven (yeast) to make a
mixture for baking - drain - to remove and discard the liquid contents from a cooking process (as in draining
cooked potatoes or vegetables) - dredge - to lightly coat food to be pan-fried or sautéed (usually with flour, cornmeal or
bread crumbs) - drippings - the juices and fat that is collected from the pan of cooked foods
- Dutch Oven - a large, deep pot that is covered with a tight fitting lid
Cooking Terms Starting With "E"
- egg wash - liquefied eggs; beaten eggs with milk or water sometimes added; used in the
breading process, in sealing pieces of dough and to coat some baked goods for a shiny look
when baked - emulsion - small particles of oil or another liquid suspended in the other (e.g. vinaigrette
salad dressing) - entree' - in France this refers to the first course of a meal after the soup but before the
main course; in the USA it is the main dish - espresso - a very strong, dark coffee brewed with steam pressure
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