Cooking Vocab

Cooking vocab

Word list
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Word list

Blanch
To dip into boiling water to cook for less than a minute and then transfer into cold water to prevent discoloring or loosen skin, e.g. tomatoes are blanched so that the skin is loosen and thus easier to remove.
Boil
Liquid produces bubbles over high fire.
Braise
To cook food, usually meat or vegetables over a long period of time. Food undergoes searing (see sear) before it's braised.
Chill
Keep cool in the fridge.
Chop
Cut into non-uniform pieces.
Deep-fry
Oil is heated up to a high temperature. Food floats on top of the hot oil while getting cooked.
Dice
Cut into small even pieces.
Dry-fry
No oil is used when frying, e.g. chili or curry paste.
Grill
To cook food usually over hot coals. Popular cooking method for steaks, chicken wings, hamburgers and salmon.
Julienne
It's a French word that simply means
to cut food into very thin strips.
Marinade
Seasonings are rubbed onto meat, fish and vegetables to create better taste. Marinaded food is often set aside for 15 minutes or a couple of hours or even left overnight.
Minced
Chopped till very fine.
Poach
To cook in liquid heated over a low fire.
Roast
To cook meat in an oven.
Sauté
A French word that refers to cooking food quickly over medium to high fire with little oil. Tossing is needed to prevent over-browning.
Sear
Where meat is subjected to high fire for browning to take place in order to seal in the meat juices. It causes meat to be soft and tender. However meat at this point may not be fully cooked.
Simmer
Liquid has reached below it's boiling point, i.e. just when the bubbles begin to break.
Stock
A strained solution obtained after boiling water with added ingredients such as pork, chicken or fish bones, shells from shellfish (e.g. shrimps, clams and abalone) or other seasonings.
Steam
To cook using steam from boiling water. Make sure the water in the steamer/wok is boiling before cooking the food.
Stew
To cook either by boiling or simmering in a tightly covered pot over a long period of time.
Stir-fry
To fry small pieces (such as garlic and onions) over high fire.
Sweat
To sweat food, particularly vegetables, is to cook with a small amount of oil or fat over a low fire. The pot is covered and vegetables will gradually soften without turning brown.

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