Here are definitions for some common cooking terms when you are following a recipe:
1. Baste: To moisten food, typically meat, with liquid (such as pan drippings, sauce, or melted butter) during cooking to add flavor and prevent drying.
2. Blanch: To briefly submerge food (usually vegetables or fruits) in boiling water, then quickly transfer it to ice water to halt the cooking process. This method helps to preserve color, texture, and remove impurities.
3. Broil: To cook food, usually meat or fish, by exposing it directly to high heat from above in the oven. This method quickly browns and cooks the food.
4. Caramelize: To heat sugars in food (like onions or sugar itself) until they turn brown, resulting in a sweet, nutty flavor and golden brown color.
5. Deglaze: To add liquid (such as wine, broth, or water) to a hot pan to loosen browned bits of food stuck to the bottom after cooking. This process helps make a flavorful sauce or gravy.
6. Julienne: To cut food (usually vegetables) into thin, matchstick-sized strips.
7. Sauté: To cook food quickly over medium-high heat in a small amount of oil or fat, often stirring or tossing the food in the pan.
8. Simmer: To cook food in liquid over low heat at a temperature just below boiling, with small bubbles gently breaking the surface.
9. Zest: The outermost colored part of citrus fruit peel (lemon, lime, orange), grated or peeled off and used to add flavor to dishes.
10. Al dente: An Italian term used to describe pasta or vegetables that are cooked to be firm to the bite, neither too soft nor too hard.
These are just a few cooking terms; the culinary world has a vast array of terminology used in various cooking techniques, food preparation, and styles of cuisine.
