Terms Used in Cooking

It is important that every person who is engaged in cooking be familiar with its terms. Familiarity with them will make it easier to follow recipes and make up menus. Some common cooking terms and their definitions are as follows:

• la; au; aux (ah lah; o; o): With; dressed in a certain style; as, smelts la tartare, which means smelts with tartare sauce.

• Au gratin (o gra-tang): Dressed with brown crumbs. Also, flavored with grated cheese.

• Au naturel (o nat—rayl): Uncooked vegetables in their natural state. Potatoes au naturel are served cooked but unpeeled.

• Bchamel (bay-sham-ayl): A sauce made with white stock and cream or milk-named after a cook.

• Bisque: A thick soup usually made from shellfish or game; also, an ice cream to which finely chopped macaroons have been added.

• Bouches (boosh-ay): Small patties; literally, a mouthful.

• Boudin (boo-dang): A delicate side dish prepared with forcemeat.

• Bouquet of Herbs: A bouquet consisting of a sprig of parsley, thyme, sweet marjoram, a bay leaf and perhaps a stalk of celery, tied firmly together and used as flavoring in a soup or stew.

• Canaps (kan-ap-ay): Small slices of bread toasted or sauted in butter and spread with a savory paste of meats, fish, or vegetables.

• Canard (kan-ar): Duck.

• Capers: Small pickled buds of a European shrub, used in sauces and in seasoning.

• Caramel: A syrup of browned sugar.

• Casserole: A covered earthenware dish in which foods are cooked.

• Chartreuse (shar-truhz): A preparation of game, meat, fish, etc., molded in jelly and surrounded by vegetables.

• Chiffonade (shif-fong-ad): Salad herbs finely shredded and then sauted or used in salads.

• Chutney: An East Indian sweet pickle.

• Citron: The rind of a fruit of the lemon species preserved in sugar.

• Collops: Meat cut in small pieces.

• Compote: Fruit stewed in syrup.

• Coquilles (ko-ke-yuh): Scallop shells in which fish or oysters are sometimes served.

• Crole, la (kray-ol, ah lah): With tomatoes.

• Croustade (kroos-tad): A thick piece of bread that has been hollowed out and toasted or fried.

• Croutons (kroo-tongs): Bread diced and fried or toasted to serve with or in soup.

• Demi-Tasse (duh-mee tass): Literally, a half cup.

• Deviled: Highly seasoned.

• En coquille (ang ko-ke-yuh): Served in shells.

• Escarole (ays-kar-ol): A broad-leaved kind of endive.

• Farce or Forcemeat: A mixture of meat, bread, etc., used as stuffing.

• Fondant: Sugar boiled with water and stirred to a heavy paste. Frosting.

• Frapp (frap-pay): Semi-frozen.

• Fromage (fro-magh): Cheese.

• Glac (glah-say): Covered with icing; literally, a shining surface.

• Glaze: The juices of meat cooked down to a concentration and used as a foundation for soups and gravies.

• Haricot (har-e-ko): A small bean; a bit; also, a stew in which the meat and vegetables are finely divided.

• Homard (ho-mar): Lobster.

• Hors d''oeuvres (or-d''uhvr''): Small finger foods served prior to a meal.

• Italiene, la (e-tal-yang, ah lah): In Italian style.

• Jardinire (zhar-de-nyayr): A mixed preparation of vegetables stewed in their own sauce; also, a garnish of various vegetables.

• Julienne (zh-lyayn): A clear soup with shredded vegetables.

• Kippered: Dried or smoked.

• Larding: The insertion of strips of fat pork into lean meat. The fat is inserted before cooking.

• Lardon: A piece of salt pork or bacon used in larding.

• Legumes: The vegetables belonging to the bean family; namely, beans, peas and lentils.

• Macdoine (mah-say-dooan): A mixture of green vegetables.

• Marrons (ma-rong): Chestnuts.

• Meringue (muh-rang): A kind of icing made of white of egg and sugar well-beaten.

• Mousse (moos): Ice cream made with whipped cream and beaten egg and frozen without turning.

• Nougat (noo-gah): A mixture of almonds and sugar.

• Pt (pa-tay): A little pie; a pastry or patty.

• Pimiento: Sweet red peppers used as a vegetable, a salad or a relish.

• Potage (pot-azh): Soup.

• Pure (p-ray): A thick soup containing cooked vegetables that have been rubbed through a sieve.

• Ragot (ra-goo): A stew made of meat or meat and vegetables and served with a sauce.

• Ramekin: A preparation of cheese and puff paste or toast, which is baked or browned. Also, the type of dish used.

• Rchauff (ray-sho-fay): A warmed-over dish.

• Rissoles: Small shapes of puff paste filled with some mixture and fried or baked. It also refers to balls of minced meat, egged, crumbed and fried until crisp.

• Roux (roo): Thickening made with butter and flour.

• Salmi (sal-mee): A stew or hash of game.

• Salpicon (sal-pee-kong): Minced poultry, ham or other meats mixed with a thick sauce.

• Sauce Piquante (sos-pe-kangt): An acid sauce.

• Souffl (soo-flay): Literally, puffed up. As generally understood, it is a spongy mixture made light with eggs and baked, the foundation of which may be meat, fish, cheese, vegetables or fruit.

• Stock: The foundation for soup made by cooking meat, bones and vegetables.

• Timbale: A pie raised in a mold; also, a shell filled with forcemeat or ragot.

• Truffles: A species of fungi growing in clusters some inches below the soil and having an agreeable perfume. They are used chiefly for seasoning and garnishing.

• Vinaigrette Sauce (ve-nay-grayt sos): A sauce made with oil and vinegar, to which are added finely minced chives, peppers or other highly flavored green vegetables and spices.

• Vol au Vent (vol o vang): A crust of light puff paste. Also, a large pt or form of pastry filled with a savory preparation of oysters, fish or meat and a cream sauce.

• Zwieback (tsouee-bak): Bread toasted twice.

Resources

Woman''s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences (2006). Woman''s Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 1. Retrieved May 4, 2008, from the Project Gutenberg eBook Website: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/8loc110h.htm#TERMS_USED_IN_COOKERY.