Cutting and Mixing Foods and Ingredients
Cutting Terms Chop: To cut into small pieces using a sharp knife, food processor or blender. Core: remove the center, or core, of a food using a sharp knife or coring tool. Dice/Cube: cut into small, even cubes using a sharp knife. Shred/Grate: To rub against a rough surface as to cut into small pieces (usually a grater).
Chop
Core
Dice/Chop
Shred/Grate
Mince: cut into very small pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen shears Mince: cut into very small pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Peel: To remove the outer skin of a fruit or vegetable with a paring knife or peeler. You generally peel fruits like oranges and bananas by hand. Slice: To cut into thin slices by cutting across the food with a knife or food processor. Slice vegetable before cooking. Slice bread and meat before cooking.
Minced Garlic
Peel
Slice
Mixing Terms Blend: To thoroughly mix two or more ingredients until smooth. You can use spoons, electric mixer, or blender. Beat: mix fast bringing the ingredients to the top of the bowl and back down again. (spoons, rotary beaters, or electric mixers are used for beating) Mix/Combine: mix two or more ingredients together in any way. Fold In: To mix a light, airy substance with a more solid substance by slowly and gently turning one over the other.
Blend
Beat
Mix/Combine
Fold In
Cream: To beat ingredients with a whisk or electric mixer at a very high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy Stir: To mix foods by moving the spoon around and around in a bowl or pan to prevent sticking. Cut in: to mix a soft ingredient into flour with a pastry blender or a fork and two knives until the particles are preferred size. Whip: To make smooth with a quick stirring motion using a spoon, wire whisk, eggbeater, or electric mixer.
Cream
Stir
Cut- in Shortening
Whip
Recipe Terms Saute: cooking food that uses a small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Season: To add salt, pepper, herbs, or spices to change the taste. Boil: To cook in a liquid that is so hot it bubbles and steams Simmer: To leave on low heat so that the food is very hot but not boiling
saute
Season
Boil
Simmer
Recipe Terms Brown: To cook food (usually meat) over high heat briefly until the surface turns brown without cooking through the interior. Toss: To coat fruits and vegetables with a liquid by lifting and turning them gently into two forks or a fork and a spoon. Bake: To cook in an oven. Marinate: soak food in a marinade generally for hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Brown
Toss
Bake
Marinate
Recipe Terms Roast: a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air envelopes the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least 150 °C. Steam: To cook food over boiling water in the hot, rising steam. Bread: The process of covering food with bread crumbs, cracker crumbs or also nuts, before it is cooked to improve the flavor and texture of the food after it has been prepared. Puree: A smooth cream of liquidized or crushed fruit or vegetables.
Roast
Steam
Bread
Puree
Recipe Terms Baste: To pour fat or juices over (meat) during cooking in order to keep it moist. Strain/Drain: To pass a substance through a filter to separate the liquids from the solids. Knead: To curve the fingers and fold dough toward you, then push it away with the heels of your hand, using a quick rocking motion. Garnish: Adding decorations to your food.
Baste
Drain
Garnish
Recipe Terms Fry: To cook over direct heat in hot oil or butter. Dissolve: To stir a dry ingredient into a liquid until the dry part disappears. Chill: Place in the refrigerator until cold. Preheat: To warm an oven ahead of cooking time.
Frying
Dissolve
Chill
Preheat
Recipe Terms Grease: To spread the bottom and sides of a dish with butter, shortening, or vegetable spray. Melt: To change from a solid to a liquid by heating at a low temperature. Sift: To put dry ingredients through a fine meshed screen to get rid of solid lumps. Ingredients: Food or food products used in recipes.
Grease
Melt
Sifting
Ingredients