Cooking Terms

From the book, New Junior Cookbook
No matter what your age, this crash course in kitchen talk will make your more comfortable.

Learn the Lingo

Knowing these basic terms will help beginning cooks.

Hmmmm ... this recipe says I am supposed to "toss the lettuce salad." Does that mean I am supposed to toss it to my helper across the room? Does it mean I am supposed to toss it out the window or, worse yet, toss it into the garbage can? What does this word "toss" mean? Read on and you will find the answer to that question and explanations of many more cooking terms.

Bake: Cook food in the oven.

Beat: Beating is used to add air to a mixture and make it smooth. To beat by hand, mix the food with a fork or a wooden spoon in a fast up-and-down motion. You can also use a rotary beater or electric mixer.

Boil: Cook food on top of the stove over high heat so lots of bubbles form quickly then break at the surface.

Broil: Cook food by direct heat under a broiler in an electric or gas oven.

Brown: Cook food until it starts to look brown on the outside.

Chill: Put food in the refrigerator to make it completely cold.

Chop: Use a sharp knife -- ask an adult to help you -- and a cutting board. First slice the food evenly, making all the pieces about the same thickness. Then cut the slices into lots of small pieces that are about the same shape, but they should be about the size of peas. You also can chop foods with an electric blender or food processor; again, ask an adult for help.

Combine: Mix ingredients together.

Cool: Let food stand on the counter (on a hot pad or wire cooling rack) until it is no longer hot.

Cover: Put plastic wrap, foil, waxed paper, or a bowl cover over a dish of food to keep the air out. It helps prevent food from spoiling.

Crack an egg: Tap the egg on the side of a bowl. Working over a bowl, pull the eggshell halves apart and let the egg white and yolk fall into the bowl. If eggshell pieces fall into the bowl, lift them out with a spoon.

Dash: A dash of an ingredient is a small amount -- much less than 1/8 teaspoon. To add a dash of an ingredient, just sprinkle a little out into your palm. Then add it to the mixture.

Dissolve: Stir a dry ingredient (like sugar) into a liquid (like water) until it disappears.

Drain: Set food in a colander or sieve so the liquid separates form the solid portion.

Fold: Carefully mix two or more foods by stirring gently to avoid removing air from the mixture.

Grate: Rub an ingredient across the smallest holes on a grater to break the ingredient into the smallest pieces possible.

Grease: Put some shortening, butter, or margarine on a small piece of paper towel or waxed paper. Rub the shortening evenly on the inside of the pan. You can also use nonstick cooking spray, which comes in a can. Greasing a pan keeps food from sticking to it. Sometimes a coating of flour is also necessary. Add a small amount of all-purpose flour to the pan after it is greased. Working over the sink, gently rotate and tap the pan until the greased area is coated with flour.

Knead: Working with the dough on the counter, use your hands to push against the dough. Then fold the dough, turn it, and push against it again to make it smooth.

Measure: Allot a specific amount of an ingredient.

Melt: Turn a solid into a liquid by heating it.

Menu: A list of food to be served at a meal. It should include something from each basic food group in the Food Guide Pyramid.

Mix: Stir ingredients together so the mixture looks the same all over.

Peel: Remove the outer skin from vegetables or fruits using a vegetable peeler (as with carrots and potatoes) or your hands (as with oranges and bananas).

Shred: Rub an ingredient across a shredder to make long, thin pieces. (Shredded cheese, for example, is what you put on a pizza.)

Sift: Put a dry mixture (like powdered sugar) through a sifter or sieve to break up the lumps.

Simmer: Cook food on top of the stove over high heat until lots of small bubbles come to the surface and break gently. Then turn the burner to low. Cover the mixture with a lid, if it says to in the recipe.

Slice: Use a sharp knife -- ask an adult to help you -- and a cutting board. Holding the food firmly on the board, cut a thin piece off the end. Repeat until all the ingredient is cut into pieces of about the same thickness.

Stir-fry: Quickly cook food in a small amount of oil in a hot skillet or wok.

Toss: Mix ingredients lightly in a bowl by lifting them with two spoons, two forks, or your hands, then letting them fall back into the bowl.

Cooking Terms

Learn the Lingo

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