Glossary of Cooking Terms

To tie meat or poultry with a string, which may be woven through the bird parts by using a needle threaded with the string, in order to create a more compact shape to the food being prepared.

A kitchen utensil that is basically a large, thick stainless steel needle which is used to tie loose parts of meat or poultry together with a trussing string.

A kitchen string or a similar material made for oven baking that is used to weave through poultry in order to form a more compact shape around the body of the bird.

The process of cooking animal fat over low heat, which causes connective tissues to separate from the fat.

An amino acid naturally existing in foods such as spinach, mushrooms, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, game, beans, and milk.

A traditional Japanese pickle or pickled vegetable that is commonly served with rice or rice that has been flavored with other ingredients.

A deep baking pan that has a hollow tube in the center, which allows for more uniform baking.

Vegetables with large, edible, bulb-like roots that are high in nutrients but low in calories, and most do not contain fat.

Small tubular pasta, which are similar to ditalini pasta only slightly longer in length.

Tiny pasta tubes that are a smaller version of tubetti. They are most often used in light soups and broths.

A 3/8 inch diameter, slightly curved, tube pasta that is approximately 2 inches long with straight cut ends.

A French word used in reference to a thin, sweet, crisp cookie that is in the shape of a curved tile.

A saltwater fish found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide that is sleek in appearance and often silver, blue and black in color.

A small to medium sized squash with a distinctive crowned top consisting of multiple top knots in white, green and orange colors.

Turbinado sugar, which is refined slightly more than demerara sugar, is a raw sugar cleaned by a steam process that removes contaminants in order to make it an edible product.

A saltwater flatfish, found in European waters, which has a firm, white flesh that is lean and delicately flavored.

A combination of turkey, duck and chicken meat (thus the name), that are layered together and rolled into a poultry roast.

Attributed to Italian food chefs, this food item is made as boneless breast of turkey basted with a variety of succulent seasonings and spices.

A wild game bird or domesticated bird (poultry) that evolved from the pheasant family of wildfowl.

A meat product produced from smoked turkey, which has a similar appearance and flavor to traditional pork bacon, but is lower in calories and saturated fat.

A meat product made of finely ground light and dark turkey meat, also referred to as MDM or mechanically deboned turkey.

A sausage made with ground turkey and a combination of several spices, such as caraway, nutmeg, and ginger.

A product taken from the breast muscle of the turkey and processed in various ways for professional and consumer use.

A solution of salt and water used as a soaking medium for whole turkeys for the purpose of moistening the meat and enhancing the flavor.

A process in which a whole turkey is soaked in a salt and water solution for a period of time for the purpose of moistening the meat and enhancing the flavor.

A meat product made from ground turkey, which is flavored with various seasonings, formed into a patty, cooked, and most often served on a bun in the same manner as a hamburger.

A piece of cooking equipment made large enough to hold a whole turkey in a pot of oil so it can be deep fried.

A white to cream colored egg with brown speckles that is laid by a hen turkey. Similar to chicken eggs, except larger, turkey eggs weigh approximately 80 to 90 grams (one and a half times more than a large chicken egg) and are slightly larger than a jumbo chicken egg.

A meat product made from the thigh meat of a turkey. It is cured and smoked, which allows it to be eaten right from the package if desired.

A turkey product made from finely ground light and dark turkey meat that is mechanically deboned from the bird.

Made from stainless steel in the shape of a stretched circular coil or corkscrew, this utensil is designed to hold the turkey cavity closed as it bakes.

A turkey product made from skinless thigh and drumstick meat, which is ground and seasoned.

Made in several varieties that include both chicken and turkey, this soup is a savory version of the original Pot Pie.

A sausage produced from ground dark turkey meat, flavored with garlic and other seasonings, and cured to make it safe for eating.

A variety of lean sausage made from turkey meat and a mixture of fat, salt, and seasonings.

Often placed in poultry as it is processed, this device is made to advise the consumer preparing the food when the item is finished cooking.

A product consisting of ground white or dark turkey meat, or a combination of both.

A spice derived from the root of a tropical plant that is related to ginger. It has a sharp, bitter flavor and a bright yellow-orange color.

To remove food from a mold so that it holds its shape and place it on a serving dish.

A small, round fleshy root vegetable with a smooth skin that can range in colors from white to yellow, green, or scarlet.

The leafy part of the turnip root that is served as a vegetable green. The greens are harvested when the turnip is young and tender, resulting in a tender, succulent green.

A pastry that consists of round or square pieces of dough that are spread with a sweet or savory filling and then folded in half so the filling is on the inside.

A sweet and spicy Italian sausage made from fresh pork and seasoned with basil, fennel, garlic, and white wine.

An Italian soup made in the manner of a traditional bean soup from the region of Tuscany.

A flavoring that consists of a combination of fruit flavors.

A Spanish yeast bread made with bread flour or all-purpose flour that is traditionally served on the eve of Epiphany (Twelfth Night).

A mixing utensil that is best used to whipping eggs, blending sauces, and smoothing gravies.

A creamy Greek garlic sauce often served as a topping, a condiment, or a food dip that is commonly prepared with numerous Mediterranean foods.

Also known as Bellelay, this variety of cheese is from Switzerland where it is produced from unpasteurized cow's milk.