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Caramelization
Browning sugar over a flame, with or without the
addition of some water to aid the process. The
temperature range in which sugar caramelizes is
approximately 320º F to 360º F (160º C to 182º C).
Chiffon
Pie filling made light and fluffy with stabilized
gelatin and beaten egg whites.
Chop
To cut into irregular pieces.
Clarify
Remove impurities from butter or stock by heating the
liquid, then straining or skimming it.
Coat
To evenly cover food with flour, crumbs, or a batter.
Coddle
A cooking method in which foods (such as eggs) are put
in separate containers and placed in a pan of simmering
water for slow, gentle cooking.
Combine
To blend two or more ingredients into a single mixture.
Confit
To slowly cook pieces of meat in their own gently
rendered fat.
Core
To remove the inedible center of fruits such as
pineapples.
Cream
To beat vegetable shortening, butter, or margarine, with
or without sugar, until light and fluffy. This process
traps in air bubbles, later used to create height in
cookies and cakes.
Crimp
To create a decorative edge on a piecrust. On a double
piecrust, this also seals the edges together.
Crisp
To restore the crunch to foods; vegetables such as
celery and carrots can be crisped with an ice water
bath, and foods such as stale crackers can be heated in
a medium oven.
Crush
To condense a food to its smallest particles, usually
using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin.
Crystallize
To form sugar- or honey-based syrups into crystals. The
term also describes the coating.
Curd
Custard-like pie or tart filling flavored with juice and
zest of citrus fruit, usually lemon, although lime and
orange may also be used.
Curdle
To cause semisolid pieces of coagulated protein to
develop in food, usually as a result of the addition of
an acid substance, or the overheating of milk or
egg-based sauces.
Cure
To preserve or add flavor with an ingredient, usually
salt and/or sugar.
Custard
A mixture of beaten egg, milk, and possibly other
ingredients such as sweet or savory flavorings, which is
cooked with gentle heat, often in a water bath or double
boiler. As pie filling, the custard is frequently cooked
and chilled before being layered into a prebaked crust.
Cut in
To work vegetable shortening, margarine, or butter into
dry ingredients.
Dash
A measure approximately equal to 1/16 teaspoon.
Deep-fry
To completely submerge the food in hot oil.
Deglaze
To add liquid to a pan in which foods have been fried or
roasted, in order to dissolve the caramelized juices
stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Devil
To add hot or spicy ingredients such as cayenne pepper
or Tabasco sauce to a food.
Dice
To cut into cubes.
Direct heat
A cooking method that allows heat to meet food directly,
such as grilling, broiling, or toasting.
Dot
To sprinkle food with small bits of an ingredient such
as butter to allow for even melting.
Dough
A combination of ingredients including flour, water or
milk, and, sometimes, a leavener, producing a firm but
workable mixture for making baked goods.
Dredge
To sprinkle lightly and evenly with sugar or flour. A
dredger has holes pierced on the lid to sprinkle evenly.
Drizzle
To pour a liquid such as a sweet glaze or melted butter
in a slow, light trickle over food.
Drippings
Used for gravies and sauces, drippings are the liquids
left in the bottom of a roasting or frying pan after
meat is cooked.
Dust
To sprinkle food lightly with spices, sugar, or flour
for a light coating. |
