The words cooks use: a plain-English kitchen glossary

Recipes are written in a kind of shorthand. “Sweat the onions”, “fold in the whites”, “deglaze the pan”: if nobody ever explained these, they sound like instructions from a lab. Here is a plain list of the words you will meet most often, what they mean in practice, and what usually goes wrong.

Cooking methods

Sauté. Cook small pieces of food quickly in a little fat over medium-high heat, moving them often. The word comes from the French for “jumped”. Do not crowd the pan, or the food steams instead of browning.

Sweat. Cook vegetables, usually onions, gently in fat with a pinch of salt and a lid, so they soften without colour. About 8 to 10 minutes over low to medium heat.

Sear. Brown the surface of meat in a very hot pan. It builds flavour. It does not “seal in juices”, which is an old myth.

Braise. Brown meat first, then cook it slowly, partly covered by liquid, in a covered pot at low heat. A beef braise in the oven at 150 degrees C for two to three hours turns tough cuts tender.

Simmer. A few small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. Boil means constant, rolling bubbles. Most soups and sauces want a simmer. A hard boil can make meat tough and sauces split.

Poach. Cook gently in liquid just below a simmer, around 80 degrees C. Good for eggs, fish and chicken breast.

Roast. Cook in dry oven heat, usually uncovered. Bake is the same idea, used for bread and sweets.

Blanch. Drop vegetables into boiling salted water for a minute or two, then move them to ice water to stop the cooking. It keeps greens bright and loosens tomato skins.

Reduce. Boil or simmer a liquid, uncovered, until some of the water evaporates and the flavour concentrates. A sauce is reduced when it coats the back of a spoon.

Deglaze. After searing, pour a little wine, stock or water into the hot pan and scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom. They dissolve into the liquid and become the base of a pan sauce.

Preparation words

Dice, chop, mince. Dice is neat cubes (about 1 cm for a medium dice), chop is rougher, mince is very fine, as for garlic.

Julienne. Thin matchsticks, as for carrots in a stir-fry.

Zest. The coloured outer peel of a citrus fruit, grated off without the bitter white pith.

Marinate. Soak food in a seasoned liquid before cooking. Thirty minutes helps a little. Always do it in the fridge, and throw out used marinade unless you boil it first.

Rest. Let meat sit for a few minutes after cooking so the juices settle.

Proof. Let yeast dough rise. Also used for checking that yeast is alive, by dissolving it in warm water with sugar until foamy.

Baking words

Fold. Mix gently with a spatula, cutting down the middle and lifting from the bottom, to keep air in a batter. Beaten egg whites or whipped cream are the usual victims. Stirring hard ruins the lift.

Cream. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about three minutes. The butter should be soft, not melted.

Cut in. Work cold butter into flour with a pastry cutter or fingertips until pieces are pea-sized. Used for pastry and scones.

Knead. Push, fold and turn dough for about eight to ten minutes by hand to develop gluten and make it stretchy.

Stiff peaks. Whipped egg whites that stand upright when you lift the whisk. Any trace of yolk or grease stops them, so use a clean bowl.

Seasoning words

To taste. Add a little, taste it, add more. Start with less than you think.

A pinch. What you can hold between thumb and forefinger, roughly 1/8 teaspoon.

Season. Usually means salt and pepper, sometimes more.

Bloom. Warm spices in hot oil for 30 seconds so they release their aroma. Also used for soaking gelatin in cold water before using it.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Reading “medium heat” as the same on every stove. Watch the food, not the dial.
• Skipping the preheat. Ovens often need 15 to 20 minutes to reach the stated temperature.
• Treating “to taste” as optional.

A host’s note

When you share a recipe with friends, write the shorthand out. A line such as “cook the onions over low heat with the lid on for ten minutes until soft” has saved many a dinner.

More everyday technique lives in our home cooking section.