Glossary of techniques

Forty terms used in this book, explained simply.

Al dente — Italian for "to the tooth": pasta or vegetables cooked until tender but still with a slight firmness in the center.

Bain-marie (water bath) — A container of hot water in which a dish is cooked or kept warm gently, for custards, cheesecakes and sauces like hollandaise.

Baste — To spoon fat or liquid over food while it cooks, to keep it moist and help it brown.

Blanch — To cook briefly in boiling salted water, then cool quickly in ice water. Used to set color, loosen skins or partly cook vegetables.

Bloom — (1) To soak gelatin in cold water before use. (2) To fry spices briefly in hot fat to release their aroma. (3) To activate yeast in warm liquid.

Braise — To brown food, then cook it slowly, partly covered with liquid, in a closed pot until tender. Best for tougher cuts with lots of connective tissue.

Brine — A salt solution in which meat, fish or vegetables are soaked to season them and help them stay moist. A dry brine is salt rubbed directly onto the surface.

Brown — To cook food over high heat until its surface turns brown and develops flavor through the Maillard reaction.

Butterfly / spatchcock — To cut meat or a whole bird so it can be opened flat, giving it an even thickness for faster, more even cooking.

Caramelize — To heat sugar, or foods containing sugar, until it browns and develops a deep, sweet, nutty flavor.

Carryover cooking — The rise in internal temperature that continues after food is removed from the heat.

Clarified butter — Butter melted and separated from its water and milk solids. It has a higher smoke point than whole butter. Ghee is clarified butter cooked until the milk solids brown, giving a nutty flavor.

Confit — Food cooked slowly in fat at low temperature, traditionally duck or garlic.

Cream (butter and sugar) — To beat softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy, trapping air that helps baked goods rise.

Cure — To preserve or flavor food with salt, often with sugar, as in gravlax or bacon.

Deglaze — To add liquid to a hot pan to dissolve the browned bits stuck to the bottom, the start of a pan sauce.

Dredge — To coat food lightly in flour or crumbs before frying.

Emulsify — To combine two liquids that normally don't mix, such as oil and water, into a smooth, stable mixture, as in mayonnaise or vinaigrette.

Fold — To combine a light mixture (like whipped cream or egg whites) with a heavier one gently, by cutting down through the center with a spatula and turning it over, to keep in as much air as possible.

Fond — The browned bits of meat and juices stuck to the bottom of a pan after searing.

Julienne — To cut into thin matchsticks, about 2 mm thick.

Knead — To work dough by pushing, folding and turning it, to develop gluten and make it elastic.

Laminate — To fold butter into dough in many thin layers, as for croissants and puff pastry.

Maillard reaction — The browning reaction between proteins and sugars at high heat that creates savory, roasted flavors. See Browning in Kitchen School.

Marinate — To soak food in a seasoned liquid to add flavor and, with acid or enzymes, sometimes to tenderize the surface.

Mise en place — French for "everything in its place": having all ingredients prepared and tools ready before you start cooking.

Mount (monter au beurre) — To finish a sauce by swirling in cold butter off the heat, giving it shine and body.

Parboil — To partly cook food in boiling water before finishing it another way, such as roasting potatoes.

Poach — To cook gently in liquid kept below a simmer, around 70–85°C.

Proof (prove) — To let yeast dough rise before baking.

Reduce — To boil or simmer a liquid to evaporate water, concentrating its flavor and thickening it.

Rest — To leave food after cooking (meat) or before cooking (doughs, batters) so juices redistribute, flour hydrates or gluten relaxes.

Roux — Equal weights of fat and flour cooked together to thicken sauces such as béchamel and gravy.

Sauté — To cook quickly in a small amount of fat over fairly high heat, moving the food frequently.

Score — To make shallow cuts in the surface of meat, fish or bread, to help it cook evenly, absorb flavor, or expand in the oven.

Sear — To brown the surface of food quickly over very high heat.

Simmer — To cook liquid just below boiling, with small bubbles breaking the surface gently and steadily.

Sweat — To cook vegetables slowly in a little fat, often covered, until soft but not browned.

Temper — (1) To warm eggs gradually by whisking in a little hot liquid, so they don't scramble when added to the rest. (2) To heat and cool chocolate to specific temperatures so it sets glossy and snaps.

Zest — The colored outer layer of citrus peel, rich in aromatic oils, grated finely without the bitter white pith beneath.