A list of culinary terms you might see in my blog and elsewhere. This list is constantly being updated and edited as my kitchen world expands.
A
À la carte
Albumin
Allemande
Au jus
B
Bain Marie
Baton
Batonnet
Béchamel
Beurrage
Beurre
Blanc
Blanching
Blind Baking
Bouquet Garni
Brunoise
C
Caramelize
Cartouche
Cheesecloth
Chiffonade
Chinois
Clarified Butter
Choron
Concassé
Confit
D
Deglaze
Détrempe
Egg Wash
Emulsion
Espagnole
Etuve
H
Haricot verts
Hollandaise
Homogenization
J
Julienne
M
Meunière
Mirepoix
Mise en Place
Monter Au Beurre
Mornay
Mouthfeel
N
Nappe
Q
Quenelle
T
Tempering
Tomato Sauce
Tourner
U
Umami
V
Veloute
Z
Zest
À la carte – A menu term signifying that each item is priced seperately.
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Albumin – The protein portion of the egg white. It’s also found in milk, plants, seeds, and animal blood.
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Allemande – Veloute sauce thickened with egg yolks
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Au jus – Roasted meats, poultry or game served with their own natural juices
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Bain Marie – A hot water bath, used for cooking or storing hot foods
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Baton – A knife cut with the dimensions 2″ x 1/2″ x 1/2″
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Batonnet – A knife cut with the dimensions 2″ x 1/4″ x1/4 “
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Béchamel – One of the 5 mother sauces; it consists of white roux, milk, a pinch of nutmeg and half an onion garnished with a bay leaf held in place by a clove
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Beurrage – butter inside of puff pastry
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Beurre – French for “butter”
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Blanc – French for “white”
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Blanching – When food is added to boiling water for a short time and them moved immediately to an ice bath to halt the cooking process.
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Blind Baking – “Full” or “Partial” blind baking cooks dough in advance of adding ingredients that cook at a different temperature (such as quiche). Dried beans are often used when blind baking to hold the dough in place.
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Bouquet Garni - Fresh thyme, bay leaf and parsley, often tied together with butchers twine or cheesecloth.
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Brunoise – Cut from a julienne; 1/8″ x 1/8″ x 1/8″
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Caramelize – The process of cooking sugars. The browning of sugar enhances the flavor and appearance of food.
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Cartouche – A lid made from parchment paper cut to the size of the pot and placed directly against the food. A cartouche allows food items to steam (etuve). Often lined with butter.
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Cheesecloth – a light, fine mesh gauze used to strain liquids and make sachets
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Chiffonade – Thin strips or shreds of vegetables used as a garnish
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Chinois – A cone-shaped, fine mesh strainer used for straining and pureeing foods
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Clarified Butter – Butter with the milk solids removed. Clarified butter has a high smoke point, while regular butter will burn at lower temperatures.
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Choron – Bearnaise sauce with tomato puree
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Concassé – A mixture that is coarsely chopped or ground, the classic version comprising of tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded and chopped
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Confit – An ancient method of preserving meat (usually duck, pork or goose) in its own fat. Confit can be refrigerated for up to 6 months. A variation, fruit confit, is preserved in sugar.
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Deglaze – After food has been sauteed and removed from the pan along with excess fat, a small amount of liquid (usually stock, wine or water) is added to the pan and stirred to remove browned bits of food (aka glaze/fond). The glaze is often then used in a sauce that accompanies the food.
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Détrempe – puff pastry dough
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Egg Wash – Eggs beaten and mixed with a bit of milk or water, used to coat doughs before baking to add shine and color
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Emulsion – A mixture of two un-mixable liquids, such as oil and vinegar
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Espagnole – One of the 5 mother sauces; brown stock thickened with brown roux and seasoned with mirepoix, bouquet garni and tomato puree. Often the base of demi-glace
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Etuve - To steam
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Fabricate – To cut a larger portion of raw meat, poultry or fish into smaller, more manageable pieces
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Fraisage – Taking small amounts of dough and pushing it thin against a surface to incorporate butter
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Fumet – Fish stock
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Glaze – The brown bits of food that build up on the bottom of the pan when caramelizing. Glaze, also known as fond, is the base for many French sauces
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Gratin – Any dish topped with cheese and/or breadcrumbs and baked in the oven to achieve a brown crust on top
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Gruyere – A delicious Swiss cheese used frequently in French cooking
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Haricot verts – French for green beans. French green beans are longer and thinner than most American varieties. They are also more tender and have a more complex flavor.
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Hollandaise – One of the 5 mother sauces; made from egg yolk, clarified butter, lemon juice and seasoning
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Homogenization – A process that prevents milk fat from separating out of milk products
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Julienne – A knife cut with the dimensions 2″ x 1/8″ x 1/8″
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Lardon – diced bacon
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Liason – A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream used to thicken sauces at the end
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Meunière – both a sauce and a method of preparation. To cook something à la meunière means to cook it by first dredging it in flour. A meunière sauce is brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon.
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Mirepoix – A mixture of 50% onion, 25% carrots and 25% celery, used to flavor an assortment of dishes
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Mise en Place – A French term meaning “Everything in it’s place.” It’s the process of organizing and measuring out ingredients before cooking
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Monter Au Beurre – Adding whole butter to a sauce to give it shine, flavor and richness
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Mornay – Cheese sauce made from Béchamel
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Mouthfeel – How a food or liquid feels in the mouth
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Nappe - A consistency of sauce that covers the back of a spoon
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Oignon Pique -A bay leaf tacked with a clove to half a peeled onion. Used for seasoning soups and sauces.
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Oeufs – French for “eggs”
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Panade – A thick dough
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Peler a Vif - To remove the peel and pith from a citrus fruit
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Potage – A formal soup
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Quenelle – A dumpling, shaped by using 2 spoons
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Remoulade – A mayonnaise-based sauce
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Robert Sauce – Reduced sauce of sweated chopped onions, white wine, vinegar, pepper
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Roux – A thickening agent made from equal parts by weight flour and fat (usually clarified butter). There are 3 classic types of roux: white, blond, and brown. You should combine hot roux and cold liquid or cold roux and hot liquid.
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Sautoir – A saute pan with flat sides and a single, long handle
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Smoke Point - The stage at which heated fat begins to smoke. The higher the smoke point, the better the fat is for frying
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Tempering – Gradually incorporating a hot liquid into a cold ingredient (such as eggs or chocolate)
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Tomato Sauce – One of the 5 mother sauces; it is made from white stock thickened with blond or brown roux, with mirepoix, bouquet garni and tomatoes
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Tourner – To cut football-shaped pieces with equal sides and flat ends
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Umami – The 5th element of flavor after bitter, salty, sour, sweet. It’s loosely translated from Japanese as “savory” or “delicious.” Sources of umami are typically high in glutamate. Some examples are cheeses, meats, soy sauce, stocks and mushrooms.
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Veloute – One of the 5 mother sauces; it is made from white stock thickened with white roux
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Zest – The thin outer layer of a citrus fruit
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