Cooking Glossary
Essential cooking terms defined clearly — what each technique means, when to use it, how to do it, and the mistakes that trip people up. 20 terms, alphabetical index below.
Blanching
A two-step technique: brief boiling in salted water followed immediately by an ice bath. Sets vibrant color, softens slightly, and partially cooks vegetables before a second method.
Braising
A slow, moist-heat method: sear first for flavor, then cook low and slow in a small amount of liquid with a lid. Transforms tough, collagen-rich cuts into tender, deeply flavored dishes.
Brining
Treating meat with salt — either wet (dissolved in water) or dry (applied directly) — to season it deeply and help it retain moisture during cooking. Wet vs. dry explained.
Caramelizing
The thermal decomposition of sugar at high heat, producing complex bittersweet, nutty flavor and brown color. Often confused with the Maillard reaction — here's the real distinction.
Confit
A French slow-cooking method: food is submerged completely in fat and cooked at low temperature for hours. Classic for duck legs; garlic confit in olive oil is accessible for every home cook.
Mise en Place
French for "everything in its place." Prepping and organizing all ingredients before cooking starts. The professional habit that prevents burned garlic, rushed chopping, and mid-cook chaos.
Mirepoix
The classic French aromatic base: onion, carrot, and celery in a 2:1:1 ratio. The flavor foundation of stocks, soups, stews, and braises across Western cooking.
Parboiling
Partially cooking food in boiling water before finishing it by another method — roasting, grilling, or frying. The secret to dramatically crispy roast potatoes.
Proofing
The final rest for shaped yeast dough before baking — during which fermentation puffs up the dough to its final volume. Under-proofed = dense; over-proofed = collapsed.
Reducing
Simmering a liquid uncovered so water evaporates, concentrating flavor, fat, and body into a thicker, more intense sauce. The solution to flat, watery sauces.
Resting Meat
Allowing cooked meat to sit off the heat before cutting — so juices redistribute instead of running out onto the board. How long to rest every cut, explained.
Roux
A cooked paste of equal parts fat and flour, used to thicken sauces. The foundation of béchamel, velouté, and espagnole — three of the five French mother sauces.
Sautéing
Cooking food quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat, with continuous movement. The most-used technique in weeknight cooking — the workhorse behind pasta sauces, stir-fries, and aromatics.
Searing
Exposing protein to very high heat to build a browned, flavorful crust through the Maillard reaction. The step that separates a meal from a plain piece of cooked meat.
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