Scroll through this alphabetical listing to find the definition you need.
Al dente: Characterizes cooked pasta that is still somewhat firm.
Bake: To cook food by dry heat, usually in an oven, convection oven, toaster oven, or even a slow cooker.
Baste: To brush or spoon liquid or melted fat over food during cooking. Basting keeps food moist as it cooks and adds flavor.
Batter: Uncooked, liquid mixture for pancakes, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, etc. Batter usually consists of a liquid, such as milk or oil, a dry ingredient, such as flour and sometimes eggs.
Blend: To combine two or more ingredients with a spoon, food processor, blender or whisk, into one uniform mixture.
Boil: To bring a food or a liquid up to bubbling in which bubbles must continuously rise and break at the surface of the food or liquid and continue to do so, even while the food is being stirred.
Braising: To cook food on the stovetop, covered, in a little liquid and at a low temperature. Braising is better than roasting for less tender cuts of meat. Try it with short ribs or lamb shanks.
Broil: To cook food directly under a dry heat source, such as an oven broiler or toaster oven broiler. Broiling is great for most steaks and chops, and a broiler can melt a cheese topping on a casserole in just a minute or two.
Brown: To cook food in a little oil or fat until it turns brown. Recipes also may indicate to cook until "golden brown" or "light brown," but to brown a food means to cook, usually over medium or high heat, and quickly, just until it turns brown.
Chill: To put food in the refrigerator until it's cold. The recipe will usually indicate how long a particular dish should be chilled.
Chop: To cut food into irregularly shaped, bite-size pieces with a knife or a food processor. Chopped food is larger and more uneven than food that is diced, smaller than food that is cut up and larger than food that is minced.
Coat: To cover food evenly with a dry ingredient, such as flour or bread crumbs, or with a wet ingredient, such as a batter. Easy methods of coating food with dry ingredients include putting them in a plastic or paper bag, adding the food, sealing and shaking; or gently press the food into a soup bowl to coat. Foods may be dipped in beaten egg before coated with dry ingredients, and sometimes they are dipped in flour or cornmeal before they are dipped in batter.
Cool: To let hot food stand at room temperature until it reaches a specific temperature or cools completely. The recipe usually indicates how long to cool a dish.
Cover: To put a lid, wrap or foil onto or over a container of food. Covering food while it cooks prevents liquids from cooking away, helps the food cook more thoroughly and brings up the temperature inside the pan more quickly.
Crush: To smash food into smaller pieces.
Cube: To cut food into equal-size cubes about 1/2-inch in size.
Cut up: To use a knife or kitchen shears to cut food into smaller pieces that are not necessarily even.
Dice: To cut food into even 1/4-inch pieces.
Dip: To immerse a food completely into a liquid mixture to coat it.
Drain: To remove the liquid from a food typically with a colander or a strainer.
Drizzle: To pour a thin stream of a liquid ingredient but not completely covering the food.
Fold: To add a food ingredient to a mixture by carefully and lightly mixing it in so that the mixture does not deflate. A rubber spatula is generally used, and the food is mixed together in gentle, figure-eight movements.
Garnish: To decorate food with small amounts of other foods. A garnish is typically made from food that is already an ingredient in the dish. A basil leaf could garnish a plate of pasta and tomato-basil sauce.
Grate: To mince a food into very small pieces or shreds with a box grater, a food processor, or a hand-held grater. Firm foods can be grated more easily than soft foods. Foods can be grated to different sizes based on the various sized holes on the graters.
Grease: To rub a thin layer of oil, shortening, butter or margarine, or to spray nonstick cooking spray on a dish or pan to prevent foods from sticking during cooking or baking.
Cooking sprays that combine oil and flour are handy in recipes for baked goods that call for greasing and then flouring pans.
Marinate: To soak or let food stand in a seasoned liquid, the marinade, to add flavor and to tenderize food. Marinades used to tenderize food contain some sort of acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar or wine. If a marinade contains an acid, use a glass or ceramic dish since acid can react with metal and give the food an off-flavor.
Melt: To use heat to change a solid food into a liquid one.
Microwave: To heat, thaw, or cook food in a microwave oven.
Mince: To cut food into very small, irregularly shaped pieces, smaller than chopped or diced.
Mix: To combine two or more ingredients, usually by stirring with a spoon or fork or by using an electric mixer, a blender, or a food processor.
Peel: To remove the skin of a fruit or a vegetable with a knife, a vegetable peeler, or your fingers.
Preheat: To bring heat to the desired temperature before cooking. This may involve turning on the oven a few minutes before cooking to achieve the desired temperature.
Purée: To turn food into a smooth consistency, usually by using a blender or a food processor. Baby food is a good example of a purée.
Reduce: To cook liquid rapidly, uncovered. Reducing causes the water to evaporate, leaving a thicker and more intensely flavored liquid. It is often called for when making sauces and soups.
Refrigerate: To chill or store food in the refrigerator. These foods should be covered to keep them from drying out.
Roast: To cook meat, poultry, fish, vegetables—even fruit—in an oven. Roasting is mostly done uncovered and brings out the wonderful browned and sweet flavors of foods. Only tender meat cuts should be roasted; other cuts need to be cooked on the stovetop with liquid.
Roll: To use a rolling pin to flatten dough.
Season: To use pepper, herbs, spices, or other seasonings to flavor foods.
Shred: To use the large holes of a grater or food processor to cut food into fine, narrow strips.
Simmer: To cook liquid gently just below the boiling point. Tiny bubbles begin to break the surface of the liquid.
Slice: To cut food into flat, thin pieces of equal size.
Soften: To set out cold food, such as a stick of butter or package of cream cheese, at room temperature until it softens. You can also soften some foods by zapping them in the microwave for a few seconds on low power.
Stew: To cook food that is barely covered in liquid slowly in a covered pot. Stew generally contains a mixture of meat, vegetables, and liquid resulting in fork-tender and flavorful food.
Stir-Fry: To cook food in a small amount of fat, such as oil or butter, over medium-high or high heat, stirring frequently.
Strain: To pour a mixture through a strainer or a piece of cheesecloth. This removes any lumps or chunks of food and provides a clearer liquid.
Tender-Crisp: To cook food until it is softened but still somewhat crisp to the bite. This usually applies to vegetables.
Toast: To brown food in a toaster, oven, or skillet.
Toss: To mix ingredients gently by using two utensils to lift and drop them in a bowl or other container.
Zest: The most outer layer of the peel of citrus fruits. To remove the zest, use a sharp paring knife, a vegetable peeler, or a special tool called a zester.
Helpful Hint: Be careful to remove only the colored part and not the white pith, which will give zest a bitter taste.