‘Tis
the season to be jolly and relaxed. However, to some people out there, it could
make a grueling time slaving in front of the kitchen stove and oven all night
and day. Speaking of cooking, why don’t we work on cooking terms this week? (A
lot of cooking terms came from France or Italy.) Here they are!
After
going over the following cooking terms, try to fill in the blanks below them.
brine (verb or noun)
Brining
(usually a turkey) is basically just the process of adding salt. It can be
through a soak in a water mixture or simply by shaking salt directly on to the
turkey. This is how you avoid that dry Thanksgiving turkey you may remember as
a kid. However, don't tell your mom that!
al dente (phrase)
Al
dente is considered the ideal texture for pasta. It’s not too soft, but not too
firm. The Italian term literally translates as “to the tooth.” Think of it as
pasta with just the right amount of “bite.” It’s not totally raw and crunchy in
the middle, but it’s not a pile of mush either. Frequent taste tests during the
boiling process will help you learn how to perfect this texture.
au gratin (phrase)
When
something is au gratin, it means it’s cooked or baked with a topping of either
browned bread crumbs and butter or grated cheese (both if you’re lucky!). It’s
as easy as sprinkling some cheese and/or bread crumbs on top of a dish before
popping it into the oven. Now instead of saying “cheesy potatoes,” you can say
“potatoes au gratin” and sound fancy AF.
Béchamel (noun)
A
béchamel is a white sauce. But, not just any white sauce. It’s one of the five
“mother sauces”—the foundation sauce categories that practically all sauces are
based upon (in French cooking, anyway). To make most of these sauces, start off
with a thick paste called a roux (a cooked mixture of equal parts butter, or
other fat, and flour). To transform roux into béchamel, add milk until it
reaches a more sauce-like consistency. And, this is actually a key step in
making macaroni and cheese from scratch.
double boiler (noun)
This
is the secret to kitchen witchcraft like melting chocolate on the stove without
burning it. It’s a tool that consists of two pots that nest in each other. In
the bottom pot, which sits on the stove, add water. As it comes to a boil, it
will gently heat the top pot with the power of steam.
stock vs. broth (noun)
They’re
right next to each other at the grocery store, and they seem so similar it can
be tough to know the difference between the two. Is there even a difference? While
both are made by boiling meat, fish, chicken, or vegetables in water for
several hours, the process for making stock always includes bones. That said,
stock tends to have a thicker, more gelatinous mouthfeel, and it also tends to
have more flavor.
to poach (verb)
They
say there are 100 ways to cook an egg. Out of all of them, poaching is probably
one of the most frustrating. Poaching involves cooking something (whether it’s
an egg, fruit, fish, etc.) in a hot liquid that’s kept just below its boiling
point. The word comes from the Middle French word poche, which literally means
“bag” or “pocket.” Poached eggs tend to come out with the still-runny yolk
wrapped inside the solid white (Kind of like a pocket, right?).
to sauté vs. to deep-fry (verb)
When
you sauté something, you cook it in a pan with a small amount of oil or other
fat, and stir the food by moving the pan to toss it in the air. The word means
“jump” in French, so you can think of it as making the food jump as you cook
it. This is that fancy signature move you see on all the cooking shows.
Pan-frying is basically the same thing. Deep-frying is totally different. It's
when you use enough oil to cover the food you are cooking. We’d recommend using
a tall-sided pot or pan for that. Safety first.
<Fancy knife work>
to
mince: (verb) cutting something (usually food) into very
small pieces. Finely cut the veggie in one direction, then cut across those
original slices to make teeny-tiny pieces. Voilà: minced veggies.
to
dice: (verb) cutting something into small cubes (like a
six-sided die). Take a potato, trim off the sides so it is now a rectangular
potato, and then cut that rectangle crosswise and lengthwise into little cubes.
To
slice: (verb) to slice is to cut a thin, flat piece . . .
like sliced ham or bread.
To
julienne: (verb) a pretty, chef-y way of saying
“cut into thin strips or small, matchstick-like pieces.” It can be an adjective
(e.g. “julienne carrots”) or a verb (“Get out there and try julienning some
carrots!”).
Check out the cooking terms now!
1.
When you make Korean Chop-Chae noodle dish,
every ingredients needs to be ________________________.
2.
In order to cook Turkey,
_____________________ the poultry for a couple of hours in advance so that the
meat is juicy and properly salted.
3.
For the curry sauce, I will ______________
the carrots, onions, potatoes, and beef into small pieces and
_____________________ them in the saucepot with some butter and grape seed oil.
4.
Many of Southern soul foods in the States
are __________________________ and a bit greasy.
5.
Eggs Benedict is a traditional American
brunch or breakfast dish that consists of two halves of an English muffin each
of which is topped with Canadian bacon, ham or sometimes bacon, a_________________
egg, and hollandaise sauce.
6.
A _______________________ is two pots: a
large one that looks a lot like a regular saucepan and a smaller, more shallow
pan that nestles inside. It's used for cooking delicate ingredients that have a
tendency to seize or separate over direct heat, as when tempering chocolate,
whisking up a egg-based sabayon, or keeping gravy warm.
7.
One of the basic skills to hone while
learning how to cook sauce, working on ____________________, also known as
white sauce, should be the first step. You need whole milk to be heated and
thickened with a roux for this sauce.
8.
Most cooks advise you to cook your pasta
____________________, but I personally prefer softer texture of my noodles.
9.
Mozzarella cheese sticks wrapped with thinly
__________________ ham named Prociutto is such a great and quick protein fix
after a long run!
10. Hans loves Mostaccioli
au ___________________ at the Italian restaurant Avanti’s! Something baked with
cheese on top is his favorite.
11. You don’t need to buy beef bones to
make some simple and clear _______________. It is not as thick as stock.
12. I ___________________
beef, kimchi, and mixed them in with mashed tofu and bean sprouts to make
Korean style dumplings.
Answer Keys
1.
julienned
2.
brine
3.
dice, sauté
4.
deep-fried
5.
poached
6.
double boiler
7.
béchamel
8.
al dente
9.
sliced
10. gratin
11. broth
12. minced
