A
Agar Agar - seaweed based gelling agent
Ageing - the process of keeping something for a period of time to improve flavour, texture or aroma
Al Dente - an italian expression meaning “to the tooth” indicating the correct degree of cooking of rice, pasta and vegetables.
Ambrosia - in Greek mythology it was the food of the gods! - also the best cup of tea i have ever had!
AOC - Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée - French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other food items
Apicus - a grand foodie of the roman empire - sometimes Apicus Cuisine is described as the food of the roman empire.
B
Brandad - french dish - a puree of cooked salt cod with garlic
Bard - to layer fat over the top of something before roasting in the ovan
Bacchus - in Roman mythology the god of wine
Blind Bake - to cook the empty shell of a tart or pie
Ballontine - To roll a product (usually meat) up into a cylinder with clingfilm or muslin. can be served hot or cold.
Banquet - a formal meal for a large number of guests usually to celebrate or mark an occasion.
Blanch - to quickly cook or partly cook an ingredient in seasoned boiling water
Brix - the scale used to measure sugar content. one degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution. measued with a Refractometer or a hydrometer
Beurre Monté - to add butter and fully emulsify. to melt butter but keep it fully emulsified
Bain-Marie - a bath of hot water used to keep food warm
Baste - to spoon a liquid over an ingredient as it cooks
C
Centrifuge - a machene used in molecular kitchens that spins liquid products at high speed to separate solids from liquids
Cartouche - Basically a lid made from butter paper or grease proof paper
Chinois - a conical strainer with a handle
Cider - an alcoholic drink made from the natural fermentation of fruit juice
Cloche - a convex dish cover made of brass silver or steel used in formal restaurants to keep food hot on the way to the table.
Cock-A-Leekie - a traditional scottish soup of chicken and leek
Confit - to cook something (traditionally meat) in fat at a low temperature for a long time.
D
Deep Fry - to cook an item submerged in hot oil
Dariole - a small deep round mold with slopping sides. used for portioning or cooking desserts
Decoction - the extraction of constituents of a ingredients by boiling it in water. used bouillons, court-bouillons and consomes
Deglaze - to add wine, water or stock to a pan that has been cooked in to remove the flavour from its surface.
Degorger - to soak meat or fish in water to remove impurities or to sprinkle vegetables with sugar and salt to draw out moisture and remove bitterness
E
Ecossaise (a la) - a french culinery term meaning “in the style of scotland”
Ester (sugar) - Hydrocolloid - Emulsifier used for making stable light foams
Elixer - a solution of aromatic substances in an alcohol
Emulsion - a preperation that involves dispensing one kind of liquid (in the form of tiny droplets) in another liquid, with which is does not naturally mix.
Escoffier - a renowned french chef. revolutionised french cuisine in the late 1800s and early 1900s. he was known as the emperor of chefs or the king of chefs
F
Flavour - the sensation produced when food comes in contact with taste buds on the tongue.
Foam - a Liquid that suspends air within its structure
Foie Gras - goose or duck liver that is enlarged by feeding the birds with a high fat diet (usually corn)
Food - a substance eaten in order to sustain life - and so much more than that…
Food Allergen - any substance contained in food that can produce and adverse immune reaction in anyone predisposed to it
Farce - a stuffing usually made from meat
Finnan Haddie - a north eastern Scottish delicacy that is cold smoked haddock. smoked with peat and green wood.
G
Galantine - a process of boning stuffing and rolling meat into a cylinder (usually poultry/game). the cylinder is then cooked cooled and sliced before serving. (always served cold)
Game - all wild meats that are hunted (sometimes wrongfully named for farmed animals that are or used to be hunted)
Ganache - chocolate and cream
Gastronomy - the art of good eating
Grog - a 17th century drink containing rum (or whiskey) , water, sugar and sometimes lemon
Gruel - one of the oldest forms of nourishment. a liquid food made my boiling cereal flour with milk. water or vegetable broth ( porridge is a modern decendant from gruel)
H
HACCP - Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point - a health hygiene monitoring system most British chefs use.
Haggis - Scottish national dish, a type of spiced offal sausage traditionally cooked in a sheeps stomach.
Halal - Arab word meaning legal which is used to designate foods whose consumption is authorised by Islam
Hydrocolloid - a substance affects liquid - a “culinary chemical”
Hydrometer - a tool used to measure the gravity or density of liquids. it can be used to measure sugar content.
I J K L
Infusion - the process of adding flavour to an ingredient with other ingredients
Jus - a French culinary term meaning gravy, sauce or cooking juices
Junket - an ancent dessert similar to pannacotta except the gelatin is replaced with rennit and the milk is curdled rather than set.
Kedgeree - a British breakfast dish originally from india consisting of rice, spices, smoked haddock and egg
Ketchup - a sweet and sour vegetable based condiment
Kimchi - a Korian preparation of spicy fermented cabbage
Kosher - food that is permitted to be eaten according to Jewish dietary law
Larding - to add fat to lean meat using a larding needle. the fat is threaded through the meat.
Leaven - any substance that can produce raising through fermentation of dough or batter.
M N O P
Mouli - a hand cranked food processing machine. like a colinder with a padde that can mash stuff like potatoes.
Muslin - fine cloth for passing liquids and wrapping food
Mince - to chop very finely with a knife
Macédoine - to cut vegetables into large cubed dice
Moire Poix - roughly cut carrots onions leek and celery
Macerate - to soften my soaking in liquid
Mandolin - a vegetable slicer
Marinade - to soak something in aromatic liquid in order to flavour/soften/tenderise
Moisten - to add liquid to something.
Maillard reaction - a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavour.
Nappe - the consistency that coats perfectly. to sauce over an ingredient
Organic - food grown or raised without chemicals or artificial growth enhancers, without chemical fertilisers or pesticides
Pass - to strain a liquid through something like a chinoix, sieve or conical strainer
Pass - the area of the kitchen were plates are presented before going to the customer
Plancha - a large flat cooking surface
Poach - to cook in a hot liquid that is not boiling
Q R S T
Refractometer - measures sugar content of a liquid by looking at its refractive index which deals with how much light is bent or refracted.
Roux - a paste made from equal quantities of flour and fat. used to thicken sauces. also a famous culinary dynasty, the roux family have shaped the culinary landscape of Britian.
Reconstitute - to hydrate a dried ingredient
Reduce - to heat something with the intention of boiling off water to reduce its volume increasing flavour and intensity of the liquid
Refresh - to take a hot product and cool it rapidly in ice water
Season - to add flavour to something with salt, acid orspices
Seasonal - produce only available during a particular time of year
Saute - to toss in a frying pan with hot fat
Sear - to brown something quickly in a hot pan
Set - to allow something to solidify
Shuck - to open/remove the shells of an ingredient
Simmer - a barely boiling liquid. hot enough to produce tiny little bubbles that do not break the surface of the water
Skim - to remove impurities or fat from the surface of a product
Sweat - to cook vegetables gently in butter untill they soften but not colour
Stew - to cook in a pot on the stove with a lid (usually for a long time untill tender)
Stock - a flavoured liquid used for cooking
Steep - to soak ingredients in liquid
Smoking Point - the temerature a product begins to smoke (oil/woodchips)
Temper - to harden (chocolate)/ to gradually add a hot liquid to a mix containing eggs to stop them from scrambling.
Torch - to cook something quickly with flame
U V W X Y Z
Vinaigrette - a sauce… Vinegar mixed with oil