Glossary of Cooking Terms

General practices and procedures that are necessary when handling, storing, or preparing food, to ensure that all types of food being served for consumption are protected from microorganisms that cause pathogens (agents that cause disease) to develop.

Shovel shaped in design, this utensil is made to easily transfer bits of food and place them into containers or any kitchenware for use as food is being prepared.

storage containers, food storage,

Many different types of food items are placed into this category that may be provided by being taken directly from a growing plant or may be a processed as a food item specifically for the purpose of being wrapped around food.

Sickness that results in a variety of various discomforts that occur from the consumption of food containing organisms or pathogens in the form of bacteria, viruses or parasites.

A common British dessert made with a combination of whipped cream and puréed fruit.

A medium-grain variety of rice from China that has a covering of black bran. When cooked, the rice has a distinctive nutty flavor, a slightly chewy texture, and the color becomes dark purple.

A type of seasoned, chopped or blended meat that is used as an ingredient for stuffing’s, appetizers, and main dishes such as meatballs, pâtés, galantines, or terrines.

A pear variety distinguished by a golden-yellow skin with a patch of red coloring on one side.

A traditional cheese-based sauce that is most often used as pasta sauce. The classic Formaggi sauce may be referred to as a "Quattro Formaggi" sauce, referring to the four varieties of cheese mixed in with the other ingredients in the sauce.

A Yiddish term that means, “appetizers that are quite tasty.”

Food that has been enhanced with nutrients in order to improve the food for a specific purpose.

A wine that has been blended with brandy or other spirits. Fortified wines contain 15% to 24% alcohol when compared to most other wines containing up to 15% alcohol.

A descriptor of wine that has an immediate fruity presence. Wine that is forward is generally in peak condition and at a plateau of maturity.

A type of French bread that is formed into a flattened shape with elongated holes, which give the bread the appearance of tree limbs.

Made from unpasteurized cow's milk, this cheese is native to France where it is traditionally produced as an artisan farmhouse cheese and often referred to as Le Fougerus or Le Fougéru.

A generic name given to domestic chicken, duck, or turkey. Poultry is another name used to describe the same group of domestically raised birds used for food.

A descriptor of wine that has a distinctive musky and grapey character from American Varietals (a specific genus of grapes).

Pronounced Frahn shah KOR tah. Italy's premier bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Franciacorta is also the region of the production of this sparkling wine, a D.O.C.

1) A ground almond cream filling or topping most often used for cakes, pastries or other sweets.

A grape varietal, most notably known as Sylvaner, used in the production of white wine.

A thin sausage, usually about six inches in length, traditionally made of smoked meats combined with seasonings, including meats such as all beef, beef and pork, turkey and beef, or chicken and beef.

Also known as Frantoiano, Correggiola, Razzo Gentile, and Paragon. It is a medium size Italian olive that comes from Tuscany.

A French term for chilled. A frappé usually consists of a fruit juice or sweet flavoring that has been frozen until it is slushy.

A chicken that is allowed to roam without being confined and feeds on naturally grown crops, consuming only a vegetarian diet.

Similar to free range chickens, this is a turkey that is not confined and is allowed to roam and feed on naturally grown feeds, consuming only a vegetarian diet.

Free-range is the name given to eggs produced by hens that have been raised outdoors, however, because of climate, most hens are not raised entirely in the open.

Juice that flows from crushed grapes before the process of pressing. Free-run juice is thought to be of a higher quality than pressed juice as it is lower in tannins.

A type of fruit containing a pit, also referred to as a stone, that does not become attached or cling to the pulpy flesh of the fruit.

The process of lowering the temperature of a liquid or solid to its freezing point.

Food items that are preserved with a process that quickly freezes the item and then removes the moisture content inside a vacuum.

Freezer bags plastic bags that are used to hold food that is going to be stored in the freezer.

A reference used to describe food that is dried out and discolored because of an extended period in the freezer.

The container must be freezer proof so that it will not crack or break when the content freezes.

Considered to be a type of pasta originating in North Africa during ancient times, Fregola is very small in size, similar to soup pastas, and is sometimes mistaken as a grain.

A crusty yeast bread that is prepared with a dough mixed with water instead of milk.

A type of metal or aluminum pan that is 16 to 20 inches in length and formed with a curved base so that long lengths of dough can be laid horizontally to be baked into baguettes.

A root vegetable related to the turnip and horseradish family, with a crisp texture and a mild to delicately sweet flavor.

A variety of pear that has a shape and appearance similar to a Bartlett pear. Very juicy in texture, the French Butter Pear provides a sweet, succulent flavor containing a hint of lemon.

A kitchen utensil used for brewing coffee. It consists of a cylindrical glass pot and a plunger mechanism that has a metal mesh screen at one end and a handle at the other.

A type of hot sandwich consisting of thin slices of tender roast beef layered on a French baguette and served with the flavorful beef sauce known as au jus (pronounced oh zhoo'), which is French for “with juice” (au jus typically accompanies prime rib).

A simple salad dressing prepared with good wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and fresh green herbs, also referred to as a vinaigrette.

Made into a crispy textured slice of onion, this food product is typically used as a garnish to be placed as a topping over baked foods.

A thin strip of potato, usually cut 3 to 4 inches in length and about 1/4 to 3/8 inches square that are deep fried until they are golden brown and crisp textured on the outside while remaining white and soft on the inside.

A kitchen utensil used to cut uniform shapes for French fries from raw potatoes....

A small snap green or yellow bean that is long and straight in shape, tender in texture, yet crisp and very tasty.

A vine varietal created by breeding an American and European vine.

A wooden rolling pin, which is used to prepare dough for baking, that does not have handles.

Natural salts gathered from the salt ponds of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the coast of France.

A type of sourdough bread that originated in France. The sourdough leavening method actually originated in France and from there, its popularity spread to many parts of Europe and then to the new world and became very popular with the pioneers during the 1849 Gold Rush in California.