Kitchen Terms

Au Gratin:  Topped with crumbs and/or cheese and browned in the oven or broiler.

Au Jus:  Served in its own juices.

Baste:  To moisten foods during cooking with pan drippings to add flavor and prevent drying.

Bisque:  A thick cream soup.

Blanch:  To immerse in rapid boiling water which allows to cook slightly.

Cream:  To soften a fat by beating it at room temperature.  Example:  Butter.

Crimp:  To seal edges of a two crust pie by pinching at intervals with the fingers or by pressing them together with a fork.

Crudites:  An assortment of raw veggies.  Often served as an appetizer with a dip.

Degrease:  To remove fat from surface of stews or soups.  Usually cooled in the refrigerator so that the fat hardens and can be easily removed.

Dredge:  To coat lightly with flour, cornmeal, or other substance.

Fold:  To incorporate a delicate substance, such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites, into another substance without releasing air bubbles.  A spatula is used to gently bring part of the mixture from the bottom of the bowl to the top.  The process is repeated, while slowly rotating the bowl, until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Glaze:  To cover with a glossy coating, such as a melted and somewhat diluted jelly for fruit desserts.

Julienne:  To cut vegetables, fruits, or cheeses into match-shaped slivers.

Marinade:  Dredged with flour and sauteed in butter.

Mince:  To chop or cut food into very small pieces.

Parboil:  To boil until partially cooked; to blanch.  Usually this procedure is followed by final cooking in a seasoned sauce.

Pare:  To remove the outermost skin of a fruit or vegetable.

Poach:  To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below the boiling point.

Puree:  To mash foods until perfectly smooth by hand, by rubbing through a sieve or food mill, or by whirling in a blender or food processor.

Refresh:  To run cold water over food that has been parboiled, to stop cooking process quickly!

Saute:  To cook and/or brown food in a small quantity of hot oil.

Scald:  To heat to just below the boiling point, when tiny bubbles appear at the edge of the saucepan.

Simmer:  To cook in liquid just below boiling point.  The surface of the liquid should be barley moving, broken from time to time by slowly rising bubbles.

Steep:  To let food stand in hot liquid to extract or to enhance flavor, like tea in hot water or poached fruits in a sugar syrup.

Toss:  To combine ingredients with a lifting motion.

Whip:  To beat rapidly to incorporate air and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or egg whites.

Taken from Woodmen of the World Fraternal Agency Lodge Cookbook.