Term | Pronunciation | Definition | Context/Example |
Bake | bayk | Dry heat cooking in an enclosed oven | "Bake the bread at 450°F / 232°C." |
Baste | bayst | Spoon fat or juices over food during cooking | "Baste the turkey every 30 minutes." |
Black and blue | blak and bloo | Charred outside, cold/bleu center | "He ordered it black and blue — heavily charred, cold red center." |
Blacken | blak-en | Cajun spice coating, high heat | "Blackened redfish is our specialty." |
Blanch | blanch | Brief boiling, then ice bath | "Blanch the vegetables to keep colour." |
Bleu | bluh | Very rare (cool red center) | "Steak bleu — just seared outside." |
Braise | brayz | Slow cook in liquid after searing | "Braise the short ribs for 3 hours." |
Broil | broyl | Cook under direct high heat | "Broil the fish for 4 minutes." |
Brûlée | broo-lay | Caramelize sugar on top with a torch | "Torch the crème brûlée tableside." |
Butterfly | buht-er-fly | Cutting to open and flatten | "Butterfly the chicken breast." |
Caramelize | kar-ah-mel-ize | Cook until the sugars brown | "Caramelize the onions slowly." |
Caramelization temperature | kar-ah-mel-ih-zay-shun tem-per-ah-cher | 320°F / 160°C, where sugars begin to brown | "Sugars caramelize at 320°F — don't rush it." |
Carryover cooking | kar-ee-oh-ver kook-ing | Heat continues to raise the internal temperature after removal from the heat source | "Rest the roast — carryover cooking will raise it 5°F." |
Ceviche | seh-vee-chay | Protein denaturation using citric acid — not heat | "Ceviche the shrimp in lime juice — no heat needed." |
Char | char | Cook until blackened/marked | "Char the peppers over open flame." |
Cold smoke | kohld smohk | Smoke without cooking | "Cold-smoke the salmon at 80°F / 27°C." |
Confit | kon-fee | Slow-cooked in fat | "Duck leg confit is tonight's special." |
Cure | kyoor | Preserve with salt/sugar/spices | "Cure the salmon for gravlax." |
Deep fry | deep fry | Submerge completely in hot oil | "Deep fry the onion rings at 350°F / 177°C." |
Deglaze | dee-glayz | Add liquid to a hot pan to lift browned bits for sauce-making | "Deglaze the pan with white wine." |
Dehydrate | dee-hy-drayt | Remove moisture with low heat | "Dehydrate the fruit for garnish." |
En papillote | ahn pap-ee-yoht | Baked in parchment paper | "Salmon en papillote with vegetables." |
Ferment | fer-ment | Controlled microbial breakdown to develop flavour | "Ferment the cabbage for sauerkraut." |
Flambé | flahm-bay | Igniting alcohol during cooking | "Flambé the bananas foster tableside." |
Fold | fohld | Gently incorporate ingredients to preserve air or texture | "Fold the egg whites into the batter." |
Fry | fry | Cook in hot oil/fat | "Fry the chicken until golden." |
Grill | gril | Cook over direct heat/flames | "Grill the vegetables until charred." |
Hot smoke | haht smohk | Smoke and cook simultaneously | "Hot smoke the ribs at 225°F / 107°C." |
Maillard reaction | my-yar ree-ak-shun | Browning of proteins and sugars at high heat, developing flavour and colour | "A good sear triggers the Maillard reaction." |
Marinate | mair-ih-nayt | Soak in a seasoned liquid before cooking | "Marinate the chicken overnight." |
Medium | mee-dee-uhm | Warm pink center | "Burger cooked medium, 140°F / 60°C." |
Medium rare | mee-dee-uhm rair | Warm red center | "Most steaks are ordered medium rare, 130–135°F / 54–57°C." |
Medium well | mee-dee-uhm wel | Slightly pink center | "She wants her steak medium well, 150°F / 66°C." |
Pan fry | pan fry | Fry in shallow oil | "Pan fry the fish fillets." |
Parboil | par-boyl | Partially cook in boiling water | "Parboil the potatoes first." |
Pittsburgh | pits-burg | Charred outside, rare inside | "Pittsburgh style — heavily charred outside, rare center. See also: black and blue." |
Plancha | plahn-chah | Cook on a flat iron griddle | "Plancha the vegetables for char." |
Poach | pohch | Gentle cooking in simmering liquid | "Poach the eggs for 3 minutes." |
Pressure cook | presh-er kook | High-pressure steam cooking | "Pressure cook the beans for 20 minutes." |
Rare | rehr | Red center, warm | "Cook the filet rare, 125°F / 52°C." |
Reduce | rih-dyoos | Simmer a liquid to concentrate the flavour and thicken | "Reduce the sauce by half." |
Render | ren-der | Extract fat through slow cooking | "Render the bacon fat first." |
Rest / Resting | rest / res-ting | Allow cooked meat to sit before cutting to redistribute juices | "Rest the steak for 5 minutes before slicing." |
Roast | rohst | Dry heat cooking in the oven | "Roast the chicken at 375°F / 190°C." |
Sauté | soh-tay | Quick cooking in a small amount of fat | "Sauté the mushrooms until golden." |
Score | skor | Cut shallow lines into meat or fish to aid cooking or marinade absorption | "Score the duck breast before searing." |
Sear | seer | High-heat surface browning to develop crust and colour | "Sear the scallops for 90 seconds per side." |
Simmer | sim-er | Gentle cooking just below boiling | "Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes." |
Smoke | smohk | Cook with wood smoke | "Smoke the brisket for 12 hours." |
Sous vide | soo veed | Vacuum-sealed cooking in a temperature-controlled water bath | "Sous vide the steak at 130°F / 54°C for 2 hours." |
Steam | steem | Cook with moist heat/vapor | "Steam the dumplings until fluffy." |
Stir fry | ster fry | High heat cooking while stirring | "Stir fry the vegetables quickly." |
Temper | tem-per | Gradually raise the temperature of a sensitive ingredient | "Temper the eggs before adding to the hot cream." |
Toast | tohst | Dry heat to brown bread or nuts | "Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan." |
Truss | trus | Tie poultry or meat into a compact shape before roasting | "Truss the chicken before roasting." |
Well done | wel duhn | No pink, fully cooked | "Well done steak, 160°F / 71°C internal." |