friday tips: what does [insert cooking term] even mean?!

For this friday tips session, lets talk about cooking terms. What does it mean when a recipe says chiffonade basil? What is "scant"? And how can you tell the difference between sauté, braise, broil...?

Just a few things I think about when I am writing or reading recipes, preparing foods and thinking about how to bring my cooking to you guys. Am I being descriptive enough? Will people know what this means? Do I even know what this means?

Comment with terms you want help solving!

sauté: (this one I had to look up) from the French word sauter, which means "to jump." to cook food in some sort of fat over fairly high heat, uncovered

dredge: to coat something, usually in a flour

blanch: partially cook fruits and vegetables in boiling water, usually to be finished in another manner or to quick cook. used on green beans, or fruits such as tomatoes to help peel the skin. this method also helps keep the color on a vibrant fruit or vegetable

condensed milk: (another one I had to look up) made with whole milk where the water is removed and sugar is added. it stores for a loooong time in those cans

rendering fat: this means to separate fat from the item cooking; this causes the fat to melt and create that delicious bacon fat juice at the bottom of your pan

deglaze: remove the bits stuck to a pan after cooking meat, usually with wine or liquid such as stock. often times used to form a sauce

parboil/parcook: partially cook a food, to be finished in another manner

braise: often used on a tougher cut of meat; a slow cooking method of cooking meat in liquid, covered, in the oven or stovetop, for hours until the meat is tender

broil: (looked this up because its actually a bit confusing..) cooking food directly below dry heat. usually the distance between the heat and item cook is specifically measured. also helps give a quick, bubbly crust on cheesy items but can cause burning easily!

chiffonade: cut in long term strips, a french term. this is usually used for herbs or leafy greens and involves rolling up the vegetable and chopping.

scant: slightly less than whatever measurement is called for, for example you may see 1 scant cup of flour in a recipe

mince: finely chopped, smallest dice. term typically used on garlic


Thanks to everyone who submitted-there were a few I didn't cover that will be used in a future post!