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Chefs Glossary

Click the first letter of the word you wish to define.   Should the word not be listed,  please contact us by email at Brad@bluediamondcatering.com so it may be added and we may reply to your query.

A

• Abalone : A mollusk with a single shell and a large, edible adductor muscle similar to that of scallops.
  
• Aboyeur : (Fr.): Expediter or announcer; a station in the brigade system. The aboyeur accepts orders from the dining room, relays them to the appropriate stations of the kitchen, and inspects each plate before it is served to the guest.
  
• Acid : A substance having a sour or sharp flavor. Most foods are somewhat acidic. Foods generally referred to as "acids" include citrus juice, vinegar, and wine. A substance's degree of acidity is measured on the pH scale; acids have a pH of less than 7.
  
• Adulterated food : Food that has been contaminated to the point that it is considered unfit for human consumption.
  
• Aerobic bacteria : Bacteria that require the presence of oxygen to function.
  
• Aioli (Fr.) : Garlic mayonnaise. (Also in Italian, alioli; in Spanish, aliolio)
  
• Al dente (It.) : To the tooth; to cook an item, such as pasta or vegetables, until tender but still firm, not soft.
  
• Alkali : A substance that test higher than 7 on the pH scale. Alkalis are sometimes described as having a slightly soapy flavor. Olives and baking soda are some of the few alkaline foods.
  
• Allumette : Vegetables, potatoes, or other items cut into pieces the size and shape of match sticks, 1/8 inch x 1 to 2 inches is the standard.
  
• Amino acid : The basic molecular component of proteins, one of the essential dietary components.
  
• Anaerobic bacteria : Bacteria that do not require oxygen to function.
  
• Angel food cake : A type of sponge cake made with egg whites that are beaten untill stiff.
  
• AP / As purchased weight : The weight of an item before trimming or other preparation (as opposed to EP or edible portion weight).
  
• Appareil : A prepared mixture of ingredients used alone or as an ingredient in another preparation.
  
• Appetizer : Light foods served before a meal. These may be hot or cold, plated or served as finger food.
  
• Aquaculture : The cultivation or farm-raising of fish or shellfish.
  
• Aromatics : Plant ingredients, such as herbs and spices, used to enhance the flavor and fragrance of food.
  
• Arrowroot : A powdered starch made from a tropical root. Used primarily as a thickener. Remains clear when cooked.
  
• Aspic : A clear jelly made from stock (or occasionally from fruit or vegetable juices) thickened with gelatin. Used to coat foods or cubed and used as a garnish.

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B

• Bacteria : Microscopic organisms. Some have beneficial properties, others can cause food-borne illnesses when contaminated foods are ingested.
  
• Bain-Marie : A water bath used to cook foods gently by surrounding the cooking vessel with simmering water. Also a set of nesting pots with single, long handles used as a double boiler. Also, steam table inserts.
  
• Bake blind : To partially or completely bake an unfilled pastry crust.
  
• Baking powder : A chemical leavener made with an acidic ingredient and an alkaline one; most commonly these are sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and cream of tartar. When exposed to liquid, it produces carbon dioxide gas, which leavens doughs and batters. Double-acting baking powder contains ingredients that produce two leavening reactions, one upon exposure to liquid, the second when heated.
  
• Baking soda : Sodium bicarbonate, a leavening agent that may be used with an acidic ingredient such as sour milk or as a component of baking powder.
  
• Barbecue : A cooking method involving grilling food over a wood or charcoal fire. Usually some sort of marinade or sauce is brushed on the item during cooking.
  
• Bard : To cover an item with slabs or strips of fat, such as bacon or fatback, to baste it during roasting. The fat is usually tied on with butcher's twine.
  
• Barquette : A boat-shaped tart or tartlet, which may have a sweet or savory filling.
  
• Baste : To moisten food during cooking with pan drippings, sauce, or other liquid. Basting prevents food from drying out.
  
• Baton/Batonnet (Fr.): Items cut into pieces somewhat larger than allumette or julienne; 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 2 to 21/2 inches is the standard. Translated to English as "stick" or "small stick."
  
  
• Batter: A mixture of flour and liquid, with sometimes the inclusion of other ingredients. Batters vary in thickness but are generally semi-liquid and thinner than doughs. Used in such preparations as cakes, quick breads, pancakes, and crepes.
  
• Bavarian cream/Bavaroise: A type of custard made from heavy cream and eggs; it is sweetened, flavored, and stabilized with gelatin.
  
• Béarnaise: A classic emulsion sauce similar to hollandaise made with egg yolks; a reduction of white wine, shallots, and tarragon; and butter finished with tarragon and chervil.
  
• Béchamel: A white sauce made of milk thickened with light roux and flavored with onion. It is one of the grand sauces.
  
• Bench proof: In yeast dough production, the rising stage that occurs after the dough is panned and just before baking.
  
• Beurre blanc (Fr.): "White butter." A classic emulsified sauce made with a reduction of white wine and shallots thickened with whole butter and possibly finished with fresh herbs or other seasonings.
  
• Beurre manie (Fr.): "Kneaded butter." A mixture of equal parts by weight of whole butter and flour, used to thicken gravies and sauces.
  
• Beurre noir (Fr.): "Black butter." Butter that has been cooked to a very dark brown or nearly black; a sauce made with browned butter, vinegar, chopped parsley, and capers. It is usually served with fish.
  
• Beurre noisette (Fr.): "Hazelnut butter" or "brown butter." Whole butter that has been heated until browned.
  
• Binder: An ingredient or appareil used to thicken a sauce or hold together another mixture of ingredients:
  
• Bisque: A soup based on crustaceans or a vegetable puree. It is classically thickened with rice and usually finished with cream.
  
• Bivalve: A mollusk with two hinged shells. Examples are clams and oysters.
  
• Blanch: To cook an item briefly in boiling water or hot fat before finishing or storing it.
  
• Blanquette: A white stew, usually of veal but sometimes of chicken or lamb. It is served after the sauce has been thickened with a liaison.
  
• Boom: To soften gelatin in warm liquid before use.
  
• Boil: A cooking method in which items are immersed in liquid at or above the boiling point (212 degrees F / 100 C).
  
• Bolster: A collar or shank at the point on a knife where the blade meets the handle.
  
• Boning knife: A thin-bladed knife used for separating raw meat from the bone; its blade is usually about 6 inches long.
  
• Botulism: A food-borne illness caused by toxins produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
• Boucher (Fr.): Butcher.
  
• Bouillabaisse: A hearty fish and shellfish stew flavored with saffron. A traditional specialty of Marseilles, France.
  
• Bouillon (Fr.): Broth.
  
• Boulanger (Fr.): Baker, specifically of breads and other non-sweetened doughs.
  
• Bouquet garni: A small bundle of herbs tied with string. It is used to flavor stocks, braises, and other preparations. Usually contains bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and possibly other aromatics.
  
• Braise: A cooking method in which the main item, usually meat, is seared in fat, then simmered in stock or another liquid in a covered vessel.
  
• Bran: The outer layer of a cereal grain and the part highest in fiber.
  
• Brazier/Brasier: A pan, designed specifically for braising, that usually has two handles and a tight-fitting lid. Often is round but may be square or rectangular.
  
• Brigade system: The kitchen organization system instituted by Auguste Escoffier. Each position has a station and well-defined responsibilities.
  
• Brine: A salt, water, and seasonings solution used to preserve foods.
  
• Brioche: A rich yeast dough traditionally baked in a fluted pan with a distinctive topknot of dough.
  
• Brisket: A cut of beef from the lower forequarter, best suited for long-cooking preparations like braising. Corned beef is cured beef brisket.
  
• Broil: A cooking method in which items are cooked by a radiant heat source placed above the food.
  
• Broth: A flavorful, aromatic liquid made by simmering water or stock with meat, vegetables, and/or spices and herbs.
  
• Brown stock: An amber liquid produced by simmering browned bones and meat (usually veal or beef with vegetables and aromatics (including caramelized mirepoix).
  
• Brunoise (Fr.): Small dice; 1/8-inch square is the standard. For a brunoise cut, items are first cut in julienne, then cut crosswise. For a fine brunoise, 1/16-inch square, cut items first in fine julienne.
  
• Butcher: A chef or purveyor who is responsible for butchering meats, poultry, and occasionally fish. In the brigade system, the butcher may also be responsible for breading meat and fish items and other mise en place operations involving meat.
  
• Buttercream: A mixture of butter, sugar, and eggs or custard; it is used to garnish cakes and pastries.
  
• Butterfly: To cut an item (usually meat or seafood) and open out the edges like a book or the wings of a butterfly.
  
• Buttermilk: A dairy beverage with a slightly sour flavor similar to that of yogurt. Traditionally, the liquid by-product of butter churning, now usually made by culturing skim milk.
  

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C

• Calorie: A unit used to measure food energy. It is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree C.
  
• Canapé: An hors d'oeuvre consisting of a small piece of bread or toast, often cut in a decorative shape, garnished with a savory spread or topping.
  
• Capon: A castrated male chicken, slaughtered at under 8 months of age and weighing 5 to 8 pounds (2.3 to 3.6 kilograms). Very tender, it is usually roasted or poeleed.
  
• Caramelization: The process of browning sugar in the presence of heat. The temperature range in which sugar caramelizes is approximately 320 to 360 degrees F (160 to 182 C).
  
• Carbohydrate: One of the basic nutrients used by the body as a source of energy; types include simple (sugars) and complex (starches and fibers).
  
• Carry-over cooking: Heat retained in cooked foods that allows them to continue cooking even after removal from the cooking medium. Especially important to roasted foods.
  
• Casing: A synthetic or natural membrane (usually pig or sheep intestines) used to enclose sausage forcemeat.
  
• Casserole/en casserole (Fr.): A lidded cooking vessel that is used in the oven; usually round with two handles. Also, foods cooked in a casserole.
  
• Cassoulet: A stew of beans baked with pork or other meats, duck or goose confit, and seasonings.
  
• Caul fat: A fatty membrane from a pig or sheep intestine that resembles fine netting; used to bard roasts and pates and to encase sausage forcemeat.
  
• Cellulose: A complex carbohydrate; it is the main structural component of plant cells.
  
• Cephalopod: Marine creatures whose tentacles and arms are attached directly to their heads; includes squid and octopus.
  
• Chafing dish: A metal dish with a heating unit (flame or electric) used to keep foods warm and to cook foods at the table side or during buffet service.
  
• Champagne: A sparkling white wine produced in the Champagne region of France; the term is sometimes incorrectly applied to other sparkling wines.
  
• Charcuterie (Fr.): The preparation of pork and other meat items, such as hams, terrines, sausages, pates, and other forcemeats.
  
• Charcutiere (Fr.): In the style of the butcher's wife. Items (usually grilled meat) are served with sauce Robert and finished with a julienne of gherkins.
  
• Chasseur (Fr.): Hunter's style. A mushroom-tomato sauce made with a white wine reduction and demi-glace, and finished with butter and parsley.
  
• Cheesecloth: A light, fine mesh gauze used for straining liquids and making sachets.
  
• Chef de partie (Fr.): Station chefs. In the brigade system, these are the line-cook positions, such as saucier, grillardin, etc.
  
• Chef de rang (Fr.): Front waiter. A demi-chef de rang is a back waiter or busboy.
  
• Chef de salle (Fr.): Head waiter.
  
• Chef de service (Fr.): Director of service.
  
• Chef de van (Fr.): Wine steward.
  
• Chef's potato: All-purpose potato.
  
• Chef's knife: An all-purpose knife used for chopping, slicing, and mincing; its blade is usually between 8 and 14 inches long.
  
• Chemical leavener: An ingredient or combination of ingredients (such as baking soda or baking powder) whose chemical action is used to produce carbon dioxide gas to leaven baked goods.
  
• Chiffonade: Leafy vegetables or herbs cut into fine shreds; often used as a garnish.
  
• Chili/Chile: The fruit of certain types of capsicum peppers (not related to black pepper), used fresh and dry as a seasoning. Chilies come in many types (for example, Jalapeno, serrano, poblano) and varying degrees of spiciness.
  
• Chili powder: Dried, ground or crushed chilies, often with other ground spices and herbs.
  
• Chine: Backbone. A cut of meat that includes the backbone; in butchering, to separate the backbone and ribs to facilitate carving.
  
• Chinoise: A conical sieve used for straining and pureeing foods.
  
• Cholesterol: A sterol found exclusively in animal products such as meat, eggs, and cheese.
  
• Chop: To cut into pieces of roughly the same size. Also, a small cut of meat including part of the rib.
  
• Choron: Sauce béarnaise finished with tomato puree.
  
• Choucroute (Fr.): Sauerkraut. Choucroute garni is sauerkraut garnished with various meats.
  
• Chowder: A thick soup that may be made from a variety of ingredients but usually contains potatoes.
  
• Cioppino (It.): A fish stew usually made with white wine and tomatoes, believed to have originated in Genoa.
  
• Clarification: The process of removing solid impurities from a liquid (such as butter or stock). Also, a mixture of ground meat, egg whites, mirepoix, tomato puree, herbs, and spices used to clarify broth for consommé.
  
• Clarified butter: Butter from which the milk solids and water have been removed, leaving pure butterfat. Has a higher smoking point than whole butter but less butter flavor.
  
• Coagulation: The curdling or clumping of protein usually due to the application of heat or acid.
  
• Coarse chop: To cut into pieces of roughly the same size; used for items such as mirepoix, where appearance is not important.
  
• Cocoa: The pods of the cacao tree, processed to remove the cocoa butter and ground into powder. Used as a flavoring.
  
• Cocotte (Fr.): Casserole. A cooking dish with a tight-fitting lid for braising or stewing. Also, a small ramekin used for cooking eggs. (En cocotte is often interchangeable with en casserole).
  
• Cod, salt: Cod fish that has been salted, possibly smoked, and dried to preserve it.
  
• Coddled eggs: Eggs cooked in simmering water, in their shells or in ramekins or coddlers, until set.
  
• Colander: A perforated bowl, with or without a base or legs, used to strain foods.
  
• Combination method: A cooking method that involves the application of both moist and dry heat to the main item (for example, braising or stewing).
  
• Commis (Fr.): Apprentice. A cook who works under a chef de partie to learn the station and its responsibilities. A commis de rang is a back waiter or busboy.
• Communard (Fr.): The kitchen position responsible for preparing staff meals.
  
• Complex carbohydrate: A large molecule made up of long chains of sugar molecules. In food, these molecules are found in starches and fiber.
  
• Compote: A dish of fruit-fresh or dried-cooked in syrup flavored with spices or liqueur.
  
• Compound butter: Whole butter combined with herbs or other seasonings and usually used to sauce grilled or broiled items or vegetables.
  
• Concasse/concasser (Fr.): To pound or chop coarsely. Usually refers to tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded, and chopped.
  
• Condiment: An aromatic mixture, such as pickles, chutney, and some sauces and relishes, that ac- companies food (usually kept on the table through- out service).
  
• Conduction: A method of heat transfer in which heat is transmitted through another substance. In cooking, when heat is transmitted to food through a pot or pan, oven walls, or racks.
  
• Confiserie/Confiseur (Fr.): Confectionery/confectioner. A paitissier specializing in, and responsible for, the production of candies and related items, such as petits fours.
  
• Confit: Meat (usually goose, duck, or pork) cooked and preserved in its own fat.
  
• Consommé: Broth that has been clarified using a mixture of ground meat, egg whites, and other ingredients that traps impurities.
  
• Convection: A method of heat transfer in which heat is transmitted through the circulation of air or water.
  
• Convection oven: An oven that employs convection currents by forcing hot air through fans so it circulates around food, cooking it quickly and evenly.
  
• Coquilles Saint-Jacques (Fr.): Scallops. Also, a dish of broiled scallops with any of several garnishes.
  
• Coral: Lobster roe, which is red or coral-colored when cooked.
  
• Corned beef: Beef brisket preserved with salt and spices. The term "corned" refers to the chunks of salt spread over the brisket during the corning process.
  
• Cornichon (Fr.): A small, sour, pickled cucumber.
  
• Cornstarch: A fine, white powder milled from dried corn; used primarily as a thickener for sauce and occasionally as an ingredient in batters.
  
• Coulibiac (Fr.): A preparation of fish (usually salmon), kasha or rice, onion, mushrooms, and herbs, baked in a pastry crust. (Also Russian, kulibyaka.)
  
• Coulis: A thick puree, usually of vegetables but possibly of fruit. (Traditionally meat, fish, or shellfish puree; meat jus; or certain thick soups.)
  
• Country-style: A forcemeat that is coarse in texture, usually made from pork, pork fat, liver, and various garnishes.
  
• Court bouillon (Fr.): "Short broth." An aromatic vegetable broth that usually includes an acidic ingredient, such as wine or vinegar; most commonly used for poaching fish.
  
• Couscous: Pellets of semolina usually cooked by steaming, traditionally in a couscoussiere. Also, the stew with which this grain is traditionally served.
  
• Couscoussiere: A set of nesting pots similar to a steamer used to cook couscous.
  
• Couverture: Fine, semi-sweet chocolate used for coating and decorating. Its high cocoa butter content gives it a glossy appearance after tempering.
  
• Cream: The fatty component of milk; available with various fat contents. Also, a mixing method for batter cakes.
  
• Cream soup: Traditionally a soup based on a béchamel sauce. Loosely, any soup finished with cream, a cream variant such as sour cream, or a liaison; these soups are usually based on béchamel or veloute.
  
• Cream puff: A pastry made with pate a choux, filled with creme patissiere, and usually glazed. (Also in French, profiterole.)
  
• Creme anglaise (Fr.): Custard.
  
• Creme brulee (Fr.): Custard topped with sugar and caramelized under the broiler before service.
  
• Creme fraiche (Fr.): Heavy cream cultured to give it a thick consistency and a slightly tangy flavor; used in hot preparations since it is less likely to curdle when heated than sour cream or yogurt.
  
• Creme patisserie (Fr.): "Pastry cream." Custard made with eggs, flour or other starches, milk, sugar, and flavorings, used to fill and garnish pastries or as the base for puddings, soufflés, and creams.
  
• Crepe: A thin pancake made with egg batter; used in sweet and savory preparations.
  
• Croissant: A pastry consisting of a yeast dough with a butter roll-in, traditionally rolled in a crescent shape.
  
• Cross-contamination: The transference of disease- causing elements from one source to another through physical contact.
  
• Croute, en (Fr.): Encased in a bread or pastry crust.
  
• Crouton (Fr.): A bread or pastry garnish, usually toasted or sautéed until crisp.
  
• Crumb: A term used to describe the texture of baked goods; for example, an item can be said to have a fine or coarse crumb.
  
• Crustacean: A class of hard-shelled arthropods, primarily aquatic, which includes edible species such as lobster, crab, shrimp, and crayfish.
  
• Cuisson (Fr.): Poaching liquid, including stock, fumet, court bouillon, or other liquid, which may be reduced and used as a base for the poached item's sauce.
  
• Cure: To preserve a food by salting, smoking, and/or drying.
  
• Curing salt: A mixture of 94 percent table salt (sodium chloride) and 6 percent sodium nitrite used to preserve meats. (Also known as tinted curing mixture, or TCM.)
  

• Curry: A mixture of spices used primarily in Indian cuisine; may include turmeric, coriander, cumin, cayenne or other chilies, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, and garlic. Also, a dish seasoned with curry.

• Custard: A mixture of milk, beaten egg, and possibly other ingredients, such as sweet or savory flavorings, which is cooked with gentle heat, often in a bain-Marie or double boiler.
  

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Tips for calculations

• 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups (8 ounces) =128 ounces.

• 1 fifth bottle = approximately 1 & 1/2 pints or exactly 25.6 ounces.

• 1 measuring cup holds 8 ounces (A coffee cup generally holds 6 ounces).

• 1 egg white = 2 ounces (average).

• 1 lemon = 1 to 1 & 1/4 ounces of juice.

• 1 orange = 3 to 3 & 1/2 ounces of juice

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Metric conversion table

* Example : 9°F above boiling equals 5°C above boiling

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Weights and measures equivalencies

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