1. Cooking Terms

2. Baste- To moisten meat with a liquid, such as melted butter or a sauce, while cooking.
Beat- To make mixture smooth by lifting it over and over quickly with a big beating stroke or to incorporate air through the mixture.
Blanch-Blanching is boiling water, putting food in for quick heating, then removing and placing in cold/ice water to quickly chill.

3. Blend-To combine or mix so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable from one another.
Coat/dredge -To lightly coat food in a powdered substance such as breadcrumbs, cornmeal, flour. Most foods require dipping in a liquid, such as egg or milk, in order for the powdered substance to adhere to the food.
Chop-To cut into small pieces.
Combine-To join (two or more substances) to make a single substance, mix.

4. Cream-To beat sugar and fat together until fluffy.
Cube- to cut food into small cube shapes, larger than diced, usually about 1/2 inch.
Cut-in-To cut fat into flour with two knives, or a pastry blender, until it is distributed in small particles throughout the mixture.

5. Fold-in- To mix ingredients by gently turning one part over another with a rubber scraper.
Knead- To work dough with the “heel” of the hands, using a pressing motion, accompanied by folding and stretching until smooth and elastic.
Marinate- Marinate means to coat or immerse foods in an acidic-based liquid or dry rub, to tenderize and flavor before cooking. Food is marinated in a marinade.
Mince- To cut or chop food as finely as possible.

6. Mix- To combine or blend into one mass or mixture
Pare-To remove the outer covering or skin with a knife or similar instrument.
Scald- To heat milk almost to boiling point.
Score-To make shallow cuts (usually in a diamond pattern) in the surface of certain foods, such as meat or fish.

7. Shred- A long irregular strip that is cut or torn off.
Sift- To put (flour, for example) through a sieve or other straining device in order to separate the fine from the coarse particles.
Skim-To remove floating matter from a liquid.
Whip- To beat rapidly to introduce air bubbles into food. Applied to cream, eggs, and gelatin.

8. Simmer- . To cook below the boiling point, bubbles form slowly and break on the surface.
Poach- Cooking food either partially or completely covered by a liquid which is brought to, and maintained at a temperature just below boiling point.
Saute- To cook in a small amount of fat.
Roast-To oven-cook food in an uncovered pan.