Fresh Organic Recipes
easy recipes from our farm to your kitchen
Cooking Terms and Definitions
Common cooking terminology:
Al Dente: A wonderful Italian term that means to cook "to the teeth." To put it in the simplest terms, nobody wants soggy pasta. When cooking pasta, cook it the the teeth, or until it is barely tender, still a bit firm. It is much better to enjoy pasta the way the Italians intended it to be eaten.
Blanching: A cooking term that means to plunge food into boiling water for a time specified in a recipe. The food is then removed and placed in cold water to stop the cooking process. The purpose of blanching is to loosen the skin of fruits or vegetables for removal, to set the color of a vegetable, or to cook a food partially in preparation for use later in a recipe.
Browning meat: When preparing stews and cassoulets, brown meat prior to adding flour otherwise you will end up browned flour instead of browning the natural sugars that are in the meat itself. Using a hot pan I add a very thin layer of organic virgin olive oil to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan and sear quickly, turning the meat to achieve an overall browned exterior. Brown meat seals in the flavors and give stews and cassoulets a much more appealing presentation.
Chow or Stir-fry: A basic cooking term or method in the Chinese kitchen. Generally a wok is used for stir frying but a large skillet or frying pan will also work. To stir fry, a small amount of high heat oil is used to coat a very hot pan and the food is continually tossed until just cooked.
Dash: A cooking term that generally means "to taste". Start with less the 1/16 of a teaspoon.
Deglazing a pan: After you have browned meats or vegetables, wine or stock is added to the pan over high heat and the rich coloring that remains in the pan is gently scraped with a wooden spoon until combined with the wine or stock. Remove excess fat before deglazing a pan.
Dredging in flour: Meat or fish, generally sliced thin, are rolled in seasoned flour in preparation for frying or sauteing.
Marinating: Meats or vegetables are soaked for a time in a liquid that usually contains seasoning and one or more of the following: soy sauce, wine, olive oil, or vinegar. The time of the marinating varies with each recipe.
Poaching: A cooking term that entails gently cooking fish, meat, or eggs in stock or water at just below a simmer. The liquid should just barely move during the poaching process. When poaching fish or eggs you can add a dash of vinegar to the liquid to help keep the food firm.
Reducing: Boiling a sauce or liquid over high heat until it is reduced in volume, generally by half resulting in a rich concentration of flavors.
Roux: A useful cooking term or method to master in the kitchen. A blend of olive oil or butter and flour used to thicken sauces and gravies. The fat and flour are mixed together in equal amounts over medium heat.
Saute: This cooking term comes from the french word that means "to jump." In cooking, saute means to place food in a very hot pan with a bit of butter or olive oil and to rock or shake the pan back and forth during the cooking process so that the food "jumps" off of the pans surface.
Al Dente: A wonderful Italian term that means to cook "to the teeth." To put it in the simplest terms, nobody wants soggy pasta. When cooking pasta, cook it the the teeth, or until it is barely tender, still a bit firm. It is much better to enjoy pasta the way the Italians intended it to be eaten.
Blanching: A cooking term that means to plunge food into boiling water for a time specified in a recipe. The food is then removed and placed in cold water to stop the cooking process. The purpose of blanching is to loosen the skin of fruits or vegetables for removal, to set the color of a vegetable, or to cook a food partially in preparation for use later in a recipe.
Browning meat: When preparing stews and cassoulets, brown meat prior to adding flour otherwise you will end up browned flour instead of browning the natural sugars that are in the meat itself. Using a hot pan I add a very thin layer of organic virgin olive oil to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan and sear quickly, turning the meat to achieve an overall browned exterior. Brown meat seals in the flavors and give stews and cassoulets a much more appealing presentation.
Chow or Stir-fry: A basic cooking term or method in the Chinese kitchen. Generally a wok is used for stir frying but a large skillet or frying pan will also work. To stir fry, a small amount of high heat oil is used to coat a very hot pan and the food is continually tossed until just cooked.Dash: A cooking term that generally means "to taste". Start with less the 1/16 of a teaspoon.
Deglazing a pan: After you have browned meats or vegetables, wine or stock is added to the pan over high heat and the rich coloring that remains in the pan is gently scraped with a wooden spoon until combined with the wine or stock. Remove excess fat before deglazing a pan.
Dredging in flour: Meat or fish, generally sliced thin, are rolled in seasoned flour in preparation for frying or sauteing.
Marinating: Meats or vegetables are soaked for a time in a liquid that usually contains seasoning and one or more of the following: soy sauce, wine, olive oil, or vinegar. The time of the marinating varies with each recipe.
Poaching: A cooking term that entails gently cooking fish, meat, or eggs in stock or water at just below a simmer. The liquid should just barely move during the poaching process. When poaching fish or eggs you can add a dash of vinegar to the liquid to help keep the food firm.
Reducing: Boiling a sauce or liquid over high heat until it is reduced in volume, generally by half resulting in a rich concentration of flavors.
Roux: A useful cooking term or method to master in the kitchen. A blend of olive oil or butter and flour used to thicken sauces and gravies. The fat and flour are mixed together in equal amounts over medium heat.Saute: This cooking term comes from the french word that means "to jump." In cooking, saute means to place food in a very hot pan with a bit of butter or olive oil and to rock or shake the pan back and forth during the cooking process so that the food "jumps" off of the pans surface.
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Salmon and Steelhead Fly Fishing Farm Fresh Living Site Map Stargazer Perennials Search Results
Salmon and Steelhead Fly Fishing Farm Fresh Living Site Map Stargazer Perennials Search Results