Basic Culinary Vocabulary

The culinary world has a vast number of terms.

For many beginning cooks, the vast amount of culinary vocabulary seems intimidating at first. Many terms have similar meanings, but the differences between these terms often have a huge impact.

Bake and Broil

Most ovens have separate broil and bake options.

Baking cooks food by surrounding it with hot, dry air in a closed oven. Broiling usually happens in an oven but directly relies on the overhead heat source.

Boil, Simmer and Steam

Large bubbles appear during a rolling boil.

Liquid boils when the heat causes large bubbles to rapidly break the surface. A simmer refers to a low boil where bubbles just barely appear. Steaming cooks food using steam only, without water contact.

Sauté and Stir-Fry

Stir-fried foods cook in small pieces.

Sauté simply means cooking quickly in a small amount of butter using a skillet. Stir-fry refers to rapidly stirring small pieces of food while they cook on a skillet.

Beat and Blend

Blending refers to a gentle combining of ingredients, but electric blenders rapidly mix and puree foods.

Beating quickly mixes food together in a circular movement. Blending gently combines multiple ingredients.

Chop, Dice and Mince

A rough chop cuts ingredients into small pieces without any specific shape.

Chop refers to cutting food into small, shapeless pieces, while dice means cutting food into small cubes. Mincing cuts food into pieces smaller than both chopping and dicing.

Marinate vs Baste

Marinades typically use spices, herbs, oils and weak acids like vinegar or lemon juice.

Marinating involves soaking meat in a liquid to add tenderness and flavor before cooking. Basting involves brushing flavorful liquids over meat during cooking.

References

• California Department of Public Health: Basic Cooking Terms
• How to Cook Gourmet: Culinary Terms
• The Frugal Cafe: Cooking Terms Defined
• Savvy Miss: Basic Cooking Terms & Tips for the Cooking Inept
• Good Cooking: Cooking Terms