Definitions of food prep terms

Pilaf

(Also pilau) An oriental or Turkish dish made of rice. The cooking liquid used is beef or chicken stock, mildly flavored with onions.

Scaling

(Bating term) Apportioning batter or dough according to unit of weight.

Kolaches

(Czechoslovakia or Bohemia) A bun made from a soft dough topped with fruit, nuts, fruit-nut, or seed fillings.

Soufflé

(French) A delicate, spongy hot dish made principally of stiffly whipped egg whites. Cheese is commonly used, but other soufflés include fish, meat, poultry, and vegetables. Also prepared as a dessert.

Jardiniere

(French) A meat dish or a garnish, "garden" style, made of several kinds of vegetables.

Vinaigrette

(French) A mixture of oil and vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs that is used in sauces and dressings.

Lyonnaise

(French) A seasoning with onions and parsley originating in Lyons, France. Sautéed potatoes, green beans, and other vegetables are seasoned this way.

Julliene

(French) A way of cutting vegetables, meat, or poultry into fine strips or shreds.

Mousse

(French) The word means "froth." Mousse is a cold entree (meat, poultry, or seafood mousse) or a frozen dessert. The basic ingredients are beaten eggs, whipped cream, and gelatin.

Provoloni

(Italian) A cured hard cheese that has a smoky flavor.

Mirepoix

A combination of chopped aromatic vegetables-usually two parts onion, one part carrot, and one part celery-used to flavor stock, soups, braises, and stews.

Marzipan

A confection of almonds reduced to a paste with sugar and used for modeling, masking, and torte.

Jambalaya

A creole rice-tomato dish with fish, shellfish, or meat.

Glaze

A glossy coat given to foods, as by covering with a sauce or by adding sugar syrup, icing, etc.

Hollandaise

A hot sauce made with egg yolks and butter and served with vegetables.

Invert sugar

A mixture of dextrose and levulose made by inverting sucrose with acid or enzymes.

Napoleon

A pastry made from choux (or puff paste rolled very thin, baked, cooled, and layered with cream filling. Usually topped with icing or confectioners' sugar.

Batch preperation

A predetermined quantity or number of servings of food that is to be prepared at selected time intervals in progressive cookery for a given meal period to ensure fresh, high quality cooked food to customers.

Jelly wreath

A rolled ring of basic sweet dough containing jelly.

Scone

A shortcake, containing raisins, that has an egg-milk wash and cinnamon topping to give a colorful, rich crust.

Levulose

A simple sugar found in honey, fruits, and invert sugar.

Glucose

A simple sugar made by action of acid on starch. It is made chiefly from cornstarch and is usually referred to as corn syrup.

Nutrient

A substance in food that the human is known to require to support life and health.

Pasta

A term referring to macaroni products, including spaghetti, noodles, and other pastes made from hard wheat (durum or semolina).

Glaze

A thin sugar syrup coating (or a thickened sugar mixture) used for coating pastries, cakes, and meats.

Gluten

A tough elastic protein that gives dough it's strength and ability to retain gas.

Toxin

A waste product given off by a microorganism causing contamination of food and subsequent illness in human beings.

Meringue

A white frothy mass of beaten egg whites and sugar.

Saturation

Absorption to the limit of capacity.

Sanitize

Effective bactericidal treatment of clean surfaces of equipment and utensils by an established process.

Omelet

Eggs cooked with yolks and whites beaten together or separately and blended, depending upon the type of omelet.

Graham flour

Finely ground whole wheat flour.

Quahaug

Indian name for hard clam.

Mise en place

Literally, "put in place." The preparation and assembly of ingredients, pans, utensils, and plates or serving pieces needed for a particular dish or service period.

Poach

Method of cooking food in a hot liquid that is kept just below the boiling point.

Parasites

Organisms that live in or on a living host that they usually do not destroy.

Fritters

Originally a small portion of fruit dipped in batter and fried. The term now includes plain fried balls of batter or balls containing chopped meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetables.

Leavening

Raising or lightening by air, steam, or gas (carbon dioxide). Usually the agent for generating gas in a dough or batter is yeast of baking powder.

Graining

Refers to the formation of crystals in a cooled sugar solution after it has been boiled. If cooling is slow, large crystals will form. Rapid cooling produces small crystals. Small, fine crystallization, desired in making fondant, is accomplished by rapid mixing during cooling.

Petit fours

Small decorated squares of cake.

Tarts

Small pastries with heavy fruit or cream filling.

Progressive cookery

The continuous preparation of food in successive steps during the entire serving period (I.e., continuous preparation of vegetables, cook-to-order hamburgers, steaks, fried eggs, pancakes). This procedure ensures fresh, high quality cooked food to customers on a continuous basis.

Gluten

The elastic protein mass that is formed when flour is mixed with water. Composed of two proteins: gliadin for elasticity and gluten for strength.

Marbling

The intermingling of fat with lean in meat muscles. The presence or absence of marbling can be seen on the surface of meat that has been cut across the grain. The presence of marbling indicates quality and palatability of meat.

Fermentation

The process by which yeast acts on the sugar and starches in the dough to produce carbon dioxide gas and alcohol, resulting in expansion of the dough. During this period, the dough doubles in bulk.

Lactose

The sugar found in milk.

Gelatinize

The swelling of starch particles in hot water.

Proof

To allow shaped and panned yeast products like bread and rolls to double in size under controlled atmospheric conditions.

Marinade

To allow to stand in a marinade to add flavor or tenderness.

Knead

To alternately press and turn and fold dough with the hands for the purpose of expelling gas and redistributing the yeast.

Scallop

To bake food, usually cut in small pieces, with a sauce or other liquid. Topping of crumbs or shredded cheese frequently used.

Truss

To bind or fasten together. Usually refers to poultry.

Fold

To blend two or more ingredients together with a cutting and folding motion.

Parboil

To boil in water until partially cooked.

Flake

To break lightly into small pieces.

Braise

To brown in small amount of fat, then to cook slowly in small amount of liquid below the boiling point in a covered utensil.

Sear

To brown the surface of meat by a short application of intense heat.

Dresge

To coat with crumbs, flour, sugar, or corn meal.

Broil

To cook by direct exposure to heat.

Bake

To cook by dry heat in an oven, either covered or uncovered.

Roast

To cook by dry heat; usually uncovered, in an oven.

Smother

To cook in a closed container or in a close mass as smothered onions.

Frizzle

To cook in a small amount of fat until food is crisp and curled at the edges; a meat crimped, frizzed, or curled at the edges, as frizzled dried beef and scrambled eggs.

Fry

To cook in hot fat.

Simmer

To cook in liquid at a temperature just below the boiling point (190*F-210*F); bubbles will form slowly and break below the surface.

Boil

To cook in liquid at boiling point (212*F) in which bubbles rise and break at the surface.

Panbroil

To cook uncovered in a hot frying pan, pouring off fat as it accumulates.

Grill

To cook, uncovered, on a griddle, removing grease as it accumulated. No liquid is added.

Masking

To cover completely with a sauce, jelly aspic, mayonnaise, cream, icing, or frosting.

Larding

To cover uncooked lean meat or fish with strips of fat, or to insert strips of fat with a skewer.

Bread

To cover with crumbs or other suitable dry coating ingredient; or to dredge in a mixture of flour seasonings, and/or condiments, dip in a mixture of milk and slightly beaten eggs and then dredge in crumbs.

Cube

To cut any food into square-shaped pieces.

Pare

To cut away outer covering.

Chop

To cut food into irregular small pieces.

Dice

To cut into small cubes or pieces.

Mince

To cut or chop into very small pieces (finer than chopped).

Mince

To cut or chop into very small pieces.

Score

To cut shallow slits or gashes in surface of food with a knife, fork, or another implement.

Garnish

To decorate with small pieces of colorful food.

Scald

To heat liquid to just below boiling point.

Beat

To make a mixture smooth by using a fast regular circular and lifting motion which incorporates air into a product.

Blend

To mix two or more ingredients thoroughly.

Cream

To mix until smooth, so that the resulting mixture is softened and throughly blended.

Baste

To moisten food with liquid or melted fat during cooking to prevent drying of the surface and to add flavor.

Sauté

To panfry lightly and quickly in a very little hot fat, turning frequently.

Blanch

To partially cook in deep fat, boiling water or steam.

Crimp

To pinch together in order to seal.

Puree

To press fruit, vegetables or other solid foods through a sieve, food mill, or blender; also a soup made with puréed foods combined with white sauce, cream, or stock.

Brown

To produce brown color on the surface of food by subjecting it to heat.

Dock

To punch a number of vertical impressions in a dough with a smooth round stick about the size of a pencil to allow for expansion and permit gasses to escape during baking.

Skim

To remove floating matter from the surface of a liquid with a spoon, ladle, or skimmer.

Tempwr

To remove from freezer and place under refrigeration for a period of time sufficient to facilitate separation and handling of frozen product. Internal temperature of the food should be approximately 26*F to 28*F.

Peel

To remove the outer layer of skin of a vegetable or fruit, etc.

Reconstitute

To restore to liquid state by adding water. Also to reheat frozen prepared foods.

Barbecue

To roast or cook slowly, basting with a highly seasoned sauce.

Grate

To rub food on a grater and thus break it into tiny pieces.

Stew

To simmer in enough liquid to cover solid foods.

Regydrate

To soak, cook, or use other procedures with dehydrated foods to restore water lost during drying.

Knead

To work dough by folding and pressing firmly with palms of hands, turning between foldings.