Glossary of Cooking Terms

The types of berries that grow on small bushes or shrubs. Included in the bush berries species are blueberries, Cape gooseberries, cranberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, lingonberries, mulberries, rowanberries, and other types of ornamental berries growing on bushes.

Any of a variety of fruit grown on a shrub or small shrub-like tree that are not considered domestic tree cherries.

Native to Australia, this fruit grows on bushes maturing from a pale green into a small yellow colored berry.

A processed cut taken from the top half of the leg. The butt end is meatier but contains more fat than the shank end of the whole ham and is harder to carve because it contains the hip and pelvic bone.

In pork, the cut of meat that is a ham roast.

A French cheese made with cow's milk in which extra cream is added before the milk coagulates.

A white or yellow-toned, soft, fatty substance obtained from the churning of milk or cream, allowing the butter to separate from the liquid.

A flat, light green to all white in color, this dried bean has a kidney shape and provides a mild flavor with a soft texture.

A sweet, creamy spread used as a frosting and/or a filling for cakes, pastries, and cookies.

A kitchen utensil used to create decorative curls of butter for serving or garnishing food dishes.

A small knife with a blunt edge blade that is used to apply spreads, such as butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese, on bread or dinner rolls.

A short, flat wooden utensil that was most often used in kitchens when making and processing butter or commonly used during pasta making.

Any of a variety of alternate ingredients that can be used instead of oil or butter in the preparation of foods.

A winter squash, typically weighing 5 to 7 pounds, that is round in shape and grows with a very distinctive protruding ring around the flower end opposite the stem end.

A term used to describe a piece of fish or cut of meat that has been cut open with the sides spread apart resembling butterfly wings, such as butterfly pork chops.

Along with crisphead lettuce, butterhead is one of the two main types of head lettuce.

A type of milk that is most often used as an ingredient to enhance baked goods with a rich tangy flavor.

A nut, not as common as other types, that is grown mainly in the eastern U.S. The large oval shell of this nut contains an oval shaped nut that is high in oil content, which makes it susceptible to becoming rancid more quickly.

A winter squash that has a long, pear-shape covered with a smooth tan skin that surrounds a golden-orange, somewhat fiberous flesh.

A type of flavoring made from brown sugar and butter, which is used in many types of desserts, candies, cookies, toppings or frostings, sauces, beverages.

A small variety of melon that has a rich butterscotch-like flavor. Providing a sweet aroma when ripe, this melon has a light green outer skin that covers a green to orange flesh, with the green flesh being the closest to the rind.

Descriptor of wine with rich flavor, smooth texture, and/or the aroma of melted butter or toasty oak.

(Scientific Name: Agaricus brunnescens) A small, white mushroom with a mild taste, which is one of the most commonly used mushrooms in salads, soups, and main dishes.

Pork ribs that are small and circular in shape, containing varying quantities of meat connecting the last five or so bones of the backbone.

Small in size, this type of heat sensing utensil is used to measure the temperature of individual cuts of meats or smaller cuts that can be checked using smaller sensors.

Descriptive term for the stirring of lees to impart body and flavor to a wine. Lees are the solids, a result of fermentation, that are found on the bottom of a vat.

A French word used to describe foods that have been formed into long narrow shapes, appearing stick-like and somewhat similar to a baton.

A derivation of the traditional French hollandaise sauce, this sauce is made with egg yolks and butter.

A basic French white sauce made by adding hot milk to a white roux (heated butter mixed with flour).