Cooking terms can be a little confusing so I have provided these pages of definitions for
frequently used terms found in recipes.
Cooking Definitions Starting With "A"
• adobo - a dark red sauce made from ground chilies, herbs and vinegar
• aging - what we all do but in cooking it means keeping meats or cheeses in a controlled
environment for a certain amount of time to improve tenderness and flavor
• al Dente' - describes pasta cooked firm to the bite (not "mushy")
• au jus - the natural drippings or juice from a pan after cooking beef and deglazing
Cooking Terminology Starting With "B"
• bard - to wrap thin sheets of fat or bacon around lean meat or poultry to prevent it from
drying out while roasting
• baste - to brush, squirt or pour drippings, fat or liquid, over food while broiling, roasting
or baking to prevent drying out; develops a crusty exterior and improves flavor and
appearance of product being cooked
• bind - to thicken a hot liquid or sauce by stirring in a roux, flour, cornstarch, egg yolks,
cream or butter
• bisque - a shellfish soup with cream
• blackened - method of cooking that uses spices (sometimes butter) to coat fish or steak
or chicken and then cooked in a very hot cast iron skillet
• blanch - to partially cook vegetables by plunging them into boiling water (often salted)
for up to one minute and then cooling them quickly in cold or ice water
• boil - to cook at the boiling point keeping water or other liquids bubbling; rapid
penetration of heat
• bok choy - a Chinese cabbage with long white stalks and narrow green leaves - also
called Chinese cabbage
• Bouillabaisse - a fish soup made from several varieties of fish, tomatoes, saffron, fennel
and wine (Mediterranean origins)
• bouillon - simmering lean meat, bones, seasonings and vegetables and removing all food
particles leaving a clear soup
• Bouquet Garni - a bouquet of fresh herbs (frequently bay leaf, thyme and parsley) tied
together and immersed in a liquid; used to season stocks and braised foods
• braise - a method of cooking that involves browning meat with vegetables in fat, oil or
butter first, then slowly cooking the food in a small amount of liquid; a pot roast is often
cooked this way
• break - the separation of fat from a liquid content of a sauce or soup; appears curdled
• bread - to coat the food with bread crumbs (usually the food is first dipped in flour and
then beaten eggs, then bread crumbs)
• broil - a method of cooking where the food is placed directly underneath or above the
source of high heat
• broth - a liquid made by simmering meats or fish or poultry or vegetables or their byproducts
in water with herbs (also "stock")
• brown - quickly searing food to enhance flavor; most often done at the beginning of the
cooking process
• brush - to coat food with a liquid such as melted butter or a glaze using a brush designed
for this process
• butterfly - to cut food down the center but not all the way through; done to spread the
food apart for quicker cooking without burning
