The world of cooking is a complicated place. Here are some cooking definitions that will hopefully help you along the way:
Baste: To brush or spoon food while it cooks with melted fat or juices from the dish.
Braise: To cook tightly covered food in a small amount of liquid at a low temperature for a long time.
Blend: To mix two or more ingredients together with a spoon, beater or electric blender until
combined.
Browning: To cook quickly over high heat, causing the surface of the food to turn brown while the
interior stays moist.
Chop: To cut into smaller pieces with a knife.
Cure: To treat food by using a preservation method (such as smoking, corning, or pickling).
Deglaze: After food has been sautéed and the food and excess fat removed from the pan, deglazing
is done by heating a small amount of liquid in the pan and stirring to loosen browned bits
of food on the bottom.
Drain: To remove the liquid.
Emulsify: To combine two liquids that wouldn't normally do not combine smoothly by slowly adding
one ingredient to the other while mixing rapidly. Use a whisk for an even emulsification.
Fry: To cook food in hot fat or oil (not submerged) over medium to high heat.
Glaze: To glaze something you cover it in a thin glossy coat.
Grate: To reduce a big piece of food to thin threads by rubbing it against a course surface, usually
on a grater.
Marinate: To soak in a flavoring liquid until the liquids flavor is absorbed.
Mince: To cut food into very small pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than chopped food.
Sauté: To cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet or sauté pan over direct heat.
Scant: Not quite full.
Sear: To sear food you quickly brown it to seal in its juices.
Shred: To cut food into thin strips.
Shuck: To remove the shell from shellfish such as oysters or clams or to peel the husk from an
ear of corn.
Sift: To pass dry ingredients through a fine mesh sifter so large pieces can be removed.
Simmer: To cook food gently in liquid at a temperature low enough that tiny bubbles just begin to
break the surface.
Steam: To cook food on top of a rack or inside a steamer basket over boiling water.
Tenderize: To make meat more tender by means of hitting it with a mallet.
Whisk: To quickly beat ingredients together until smooth by using a whisk.
Zest: To remove the outside layer of a citrus fruit by using a knife, peeler or zester
