Culinary Vocab

study set Skills

Bain Marie

Bain Marie

is a stainless steel pot meant to sit in a hot water bath or steam table.

Chafing Dish

is a stainless steel container used to keep food items hot on a buffet table

Cross Contamination

results when pathogens spread from one surface or food to another.

Cross Contact

is when a food item containing an allergen comes into contact with another food item and their proteins mix.

Entrepreneur

A person who runs a business, taking on a financial risk to do so

RTE Foods

foods that can be eaten without further preparation, washing or cooking.

Smallwares

small hand tools and small equipment used for food preparation

Speed Rack

is made of metal and has slots that food handlers can slide in sheet pans, which can create shelves of various heights depending on the need.

TCS Foods

a food that needs time and temperature control for safety because it is most vulnerable to pathogen growth.

TDZ

range is between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. This range is where bacteria grow well.

Chef's Knife

an all-purpose knife for chopping, slicing, and mincing all types of foods. Its blade is 8 to 14 inches long.

China Cap

a pierced, metal, cone-shaped strainer used to strain liquids to remove all solid liquids.

Colander

an item that allows liquid to drain while retaining solids. This item stands on metal feet.

Mandoline

a manually operated slicer made of stainless steel with adjustable slicing blades to slice and julienne.

Mise en place

the French word for "to put in place". It refers to the preparation and assembly of all you need for a particular dish or service.

Paring Knife

a small knife with a sharp blade only 2-4 inches long that is used to trim and pare vegetables and fruits.

Steel

a long metal rod that is lightly grooved and magnetized and is used to remove the microscopic burrs that are created when a knife is used. It helps to keep the blade of the knife sharp.

tourné

a classical knife cut that is shaped like a football with 7 sides

mirepoix

the French word that refers to the mixture of coarsely chopped onions, carrots, and celery that provides flavor base for stock.

Zester

a tool used to shred small pieces of the outer peel of citrus fruits or vegetables..

Yield

the number of servings or the amount a recipe makes

Sous Chef

the second chef who is responsible for covering for the Head Chef

Stock

a flavorful liquid made by gently simmering bones and/or vegetables to form a base for many soups and sauces

Expediter

the person in the modern kitchen brigade who communicates the orders, makes sure the food is cooked in the right order, and sees that the servers run food to the table in a timely manner.

Saucier

a cook who specializes in making sauces

Conversion Factor

the number by which to multiply the ingredients in a recipe in order to reach the new yield desired.

Standardized Recipe

a recipe that follows a format that is clear to anyone who uses it

Blanching

A variation of boiling in which food is partially cooked (also called parcooking) and then finished later

Sweating

the process in which bones and/or vegetables are cookies in a small amount of fat over low heat until they soften and release moisture

Roux

a thickener made of equal parts cooked flour and a fat, such as clarified butter, oil, or shortening

Caramelization

the process in which the heat from baking a product containing refined sugars causes the sugar to turn light brown color

Demi Glace

a rich brown sauce traditionally made by combining equal parts espagnole sauce and a veal stock and reducing to 50% of its starting volume

Clarified

made clear

Au Jus

meat served in its own juices

Bouquet Garni

French term meaning "bag of herbs", a bundle of fresh herbs tied together

Simmering

completely submerging food in a liquid that is at a constant moderate temperature

Hors D'oeuvres

cold or hot bite-sized finger food items that are served before a meal

Consomme

a clear soup that is made from richly seasoned stock

Braising

a method of cooking where the food item is first seared in hot oil, them partially covered in liquid, covered and finished slowly in the oven or on the stove top

Slurry

a mixture of cornstarch and water which can be used for thickening liquids

Leaveners

In baking, these allow the dough or batter to rise. These can be chemical, organic or physical

Taring

the process of accounting for the weight of an empty container on a scale by weighing the container and adjusting the scale until it reads zero before adding the food or item to be weighed

emulsion

A mixture of ingredients that permanently stay together

shocking

quickly removing food items from boiling water and plunging them into an ice bath to halt the cooking process

sifting

The process of removing lumps from a dry ingredient and gives it a smoother consistency and makes it lighter and fluffier.

poaching

cooking food in a simmering liquid between 160 and 180 degrees

temper

to slowly mix a little bit of hot sauce with a fragile mixture to raise the temperature slowly so as to not curdle or break the mixture

garnish

something added to enhance the appearance of food while also complementing the overall taste

sauteing

a method of cooking that cooks food rapidly in a small amount of fat over relatively high heat

coulis

a thick pureed sauce made from vegetables or fruit