| Term | Definition
|
|---|
| cut across the grain | see cutting on the bias (cooking term)
|
| cutting on the bias | Cutting at an angle across the grain of meat, generally providing more tenderness to inexpesive cuts such as flank or round steak, used for stir fry to reduce shrinkage prior to cooking. Retains moisture in cooked meats.
|
| dandelion greens | A slightly bitter green that can be used in
salads, or cooked like spinach. The roots are
also eaten or ground for a beverage called
"root coffee."
|
| dash | A small measure of an ingredient, generally
considered to be about 1/16 teaspoon, though
it isn't measured. The cook instead adds a
single splash of liquid or a pinch of dry
ingredient.
|
| daube | A braised French dish of beef, wine, and
vegetables.
|
| deer meat | venison.
|
| deglaze | The addition of liquid to a pan of cooked meat,
followed by stirring to loosen the stuck bits
of meat from the pan. As the liquid reduces,
it becomes a sauce flavored by the meat. Usually,
stock or wine is used as the liquid.
|
| desiree potato | A small, pink-skinned potato. Any small, thin-skinned potato is usually a suitable alternative.
|
| dill | An annual, pungent herb, used in a variety of
dishes and cuisines.
|
| dollop | An indeterminent measure of soft food, such as
whipped cream, spooned onto a dish or other
food.
|
| drippings | The liquid and melted fat left from cooking
meat in a pan.
|
| dumpling | A dough ball cooked in a liquid, such as soup.
|
| Dutch oven | A large, normally cast iron, pot with a very
tight fitting lid that prevents steam from escaping
during cooking.
|
| ea | each as in 1 lemon, 1 onion, or whatever.
|
| egg wash | Egg whites or yolks mixed with some water or
milk, brushed onto baked goods.
|
| eggplant | A fruit relative of the tomato. Various types
are available, the most common of which is
a deep purple color. Older eggplants tend to
be bitter. The white eggplant is shaped like
an egg, hence the name.
|
| emulsion | A mixture of two liquids that don't normally
mix well. It is done by rapid stirring and
slowly pouring one liquid into the other. A
blender or food processor makes the job very
easy.
|
| endive | One of three types of plants: Belgian endive,
which is grown without light to produce white
leaves, curly endive with curled, lacy leaves,
and escarole. Escarole is the mildest, the
other varieties being bitter.
|
| essence | An oily, concentrated extract from foods, used
to flavor certain dishes.
|
| evaporated milk | Canned milk with about 60% of the water removed.
It can be used as a substitute for cream, or
mixed with water to substitute for milk. The
flavor is somewhat sweeter than either cream
or milk, however.
|
| extracts | Flavorings from various foods, concentrated
through evaporation or distillation. Due to
their intense flavor, they are added in very
small quantities to dishes.
|
| fagioli | The Italian word for beans, generally meaning
white beans.
|
| fenugreek | Fenugreek is a plant native to western Asia. The young leaves are used as an herb and the rock-hard seed pods are ground and used as a spice. It is an important ingredient in curries.
|
| file powder | A standard seasoning of Creole cooking. Made from
ground, dried sassafras leaves.
|
| fino | A Spanish sherry, considered to be one of the
world's best. Unlike some sherries, fino
should not be aged.
|
| fish sauce | An Asian liquid made from fermented, salted fish.
Used in many Asian cuisines.
|
| flambe | A dramatic step in cooking where liquor is added
to food, warmed, then ignited.
|
| Flours | All purpose flour is a blend of high- and low-gluten wheat flours, and is used for general purpose baking. Bread flour is primarily made from high-gluten hard wheat flour. Cake flour is a finely textured, low gluten soft wheat flour. Flours come in bleached and unbleached varieties. Generally these are interchangable, but bread bakers usually prefer unbleached.
|
| fold (to) | to gently mix ingredients with a down,under,up,and over motion so as not to eliminate the air that has been incorporated into beaten eggwhites or whipped cream, for example..
|
| garbanzo beans | Also called chickpeas, these large peas are
common in Mediterranean, Indian, and Middle
Eastern dishes.
|
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