Learning Target: I can understand, use, and learn new vocabulary.
Cooking Terms Definitions List
1. bake
To cook in an oven. Cakes, pies and cookies are baked.
2. baste
To pour liquid over the food while it cooks. This keeps the food from getting too dry. Meat drippings and fruit juices are two liquids used for basting.
3. beat
To mix the food hard and fast with a spoon or beater. Beating takes out the lumps.
4. blend
To mix two or more ingredients together.
5. boil
To cook something until it bubbles fast and keeps bubbling.
6. broil
To cook food right next to the heat in a broiler. In some ranges the broiler is at the top of the oven. Other ranges have a special place for broiling.
7. brown
To fry food in a little hot fat until the food turns brown.
8. brush
To spread something oer the food. It might be melted butter or egg yolk. You can use a special cooking brush for this, or you can use a spoon.
9. chill
To keep food in the refrigerator until it gets cold.
10. chop
To cut food into small pieces.
11. combine
To mix ingredients together.
12. cream
To beat butter or something until it is soft. Sometimes you cream butter with sugar.
13. cube
Cut food into squares.
14. cut-in
To mix shortening into flour. You can cut-in the shortening with two knives or with a fork. A pastry blender works best, if you have one.
15. dice
To cut food into very small squares.
16. dot
To drop small pieces of food over a dish. A fruit pie may be dotted with butter. A casserole might be dotted with cheese.
17. drain
To pour off any water or juice from the food.
18. flour
To put flour on the sides and bottom of the pan. First, you put butter on the pan, then you add flour. The flour sticks to the butter. Shake out any flour that does not stick.
19. fold
To mix two ingredients together in a careful way. First, push a rubber scraper down through the food at one side of the bowl. Then, bring the scraper across the bottom of the bowl. Bring it up and over the top at the other side of the bowl. Do this until the ingredients are mixed. Turn the bowl a little as you work.
20. fry
To cook on top of the stove in hot fat.
21. garnish
To add something to a dish to make it look nice. Parsley is used to garnish dishes.
22. grate
To cut food into bits by rubbing it on a grater.
23. grease
To cover the sides and bottom of a pan with butter or shortening.
24. knead
To fold dough back and push it forward with you hands. You knead the dough when making bread.
25. marinate
To soak food in a liquid before cooking. Meat may be marinated. Marinating adds good taste to meat.
26. melt
To heat somehting until it turns into a liquid. Recipes often tell you to melt butter.
27. mince
To cut or chop food into very small pieces. Cut it as small as you can.
28. pare
To cut off the skin of a fruit or vegetable. You can pare apples or potatoes.
29. pit
To take the seeds out of fruit. Cherries and peaches have pits.
30. roll out
To spread dough thin with a rolling pin.
31. saute
To cook food in a little fat in a frying pan.
32. scald
To heat milk until a skin forms on the top.
33. season
To add salt, pepper, or other spices.
34. shred
To cut or tear food into long thin pieces.
35. sift
To shake flour through a sifter. Sifting makes the flour soft and fine.
36. simmer
To cook food on top of the stove at a low temperature. Do not let the food boil.
37. stew
To cook food over low heat for a long time. The food is cooked in water or another liquid.
38. stir
To mix food round and round with a spoon.
39. whip
To beat food fast to put air into it. The air makes it bigger. Egg whites and cream are two foods that you can whip.