Cooking techniques A to Z

A

Acid balance
Balancing acid means adding or softening sour ingredients like lemon or vinegar so a dish tastes bright and lively, not flat or too sharp.

Al dente
Al dente is Italian for to the tooth, meaning pasta or rice that is cooked through but still firm and slightly chewy in the center when you bite it.

Autolyse
Autolyse is a rest of 20 to 60 minutes after mixing just flour and water, which lets the dough build gluten on its own before you add salt and yeast.

B

Blanching
Blanching means briefly boiling a food, usually for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, then cooling it fast in ice water to set its color and texture.

Blind baking
Blind baking is baking a pie or tart crust before adding the filling, usually with weights on top, so the crust stays crisp instead of turning soggy.

Blooming spices
To bloom spices, cook them briefly in hot oil or butter so their flavor compounds dissolve into the fat and spread through the whole dish.

Braising
Braising is a cooking method where food is browned and then cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot until it is fork-tender.

Brining
Brining is soaking meat in salty water before cooking, which helps it hold more moisture and stay juicy and seasoned all the way through.

Broiling
Broiling is cooking food with intense heat from above, using your oven's top element, so it browns fast like an upside-down grill.

C

Caramelization
Caramelization is what happens when sugar is heated until it breaks down into brown, nutty, slightly bitter flavor compounds, with no protein needed.

Carryover cooking
Carryover cooking is when food keeps cooking from stored heat after you take it off the burner or out of the oven, raising its temperature several more degrees.

Chiffonade
A chiffonade is a knife cut that turns leafy herbs or greens into thin, silky ribbons by stacking, rolling, and slicing them crosswise.

Creaming
Creaming is beating soft butter with sugar until it turns pale and fluffy, which traps tiny air bubbles that help cakes and cookies rise and stay tender.

D

Deep-frying
Deep-frying is cooking food fully submerged in hot oil, usually at 350 to 375°F (175 to 190°C), which crisps the outside fast while the inside cooks through.

Deglazing
To deglaze a pan, pour a liquid like wine, stock, or water into a hot pan after browning so it dissolves the stuck-on bits and turns them into a sauce.

Denaturation
Denaturation is when heat, acid, or whipping unfolds the tightly coiled shape of a protein, which changes how it feels and is why eggs, meat, and fish firm up.

Dicing
To dice is to cut food into small, even cubes, usually between a quarter and a half inch, so everything cooks at the same speed.

Doneness temperatures
Safe minimum temperatures are 165°F (74°C) for poultry, 160°F (71°C) for ground meat, and 145°F (63°C) for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and fish.

Dry brine
A dry brine is salt rubbed directly on meat and left to rest, which seasons it deeply and helps it keep juice and brown better when cooked.

E

Emulsion
An emulsion is a smooth mixture of two liquids that normally do not blend, like oil and water, held together by an emulsifier such as egg yolk or mustard.

F

Fermentation
Fermentation is when microbes like yeast and bacteria turn sugars into acids, gas, or alcohol, creating tangy flavors in foods like bread, yogurt, and kimchi.

Fond
Fond is the layer of browned, stuck-on bits left at the bottom of a pan after searing or roasting, and it is packed with concentrated savory flavor.

G

Gelatinization
Gelatinization is when starch granules soak up hot water and swell, turning a thin liquid into a thick sauce or making rice and pasta soft and tender.

Gluten
Gluten is a stretchy network formed when wheat flour proteins meet water and are worked, and it gives bread chew and structure.

J

Julienne
Julienne means cutting food into thin, matchstick-sized strips, usually about 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches long, for quick cooking and neat presentation.

L

Leavening
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate that needs an acid to make gas, while baking powder already contains its own acid and only needs moisture and heat.

M

Maillard reaction
The Maillard reaction is the browning of proteins and sugars at high heat, and it creates the savory flavor and golden color of seared, roasted, and toasted foods.

Marinating
To marinate is to soak food in a seasoned liquid before cooking, which adds flavor to the surface and can help some foods brown and cook well.

Mise en place
Mise en place is a French phrase meaning everything in its place, and it means prepping and measuring all ingredients before you start cooking.

Monter au beurre
Monter au beurre is French for mounting with butter, which means whisking cold butter into a warm sauce at the end for a glossy, creamy, silky finish.

N

Nappe
Nappe is a French term for a sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon in a smooth layer, the classic test that a sauce is ready.

O

Osmosis
Osmosis is the movement of water across a thin barrier, like a cell wall, toward the side with more salt or sugar, and it explains brining, curing, and wilting.

P

Pan sauce
A pan sauce is a quick sauce made right after searing meat, by deglazing the browned bits with liquid, reducing it, and finishing with butter or herbs.

Pasta water
Pasta water is the starchy, salty water left after boiling pasta, and a splash helps a sauce thicken, cling, and turn silky instead of oily.

pH
pH is a scale from 0 to 14 that measures acidity, where lower numbers are more acidic and higher ones are more alkaline, and it affects color, texture, and flavor.

Poaching
Poaching is gently cooking food in liquid kept well below a simmer, about 160 to 180°F (71 to 82°C), so delicate proteins stay tender and moist.

Proofing
Proofing is the final rise of shaped dough, when yeast makes gas that fills the dough and makes it puff up before baking.

Q

Quick pickle
Quick pickling means soaking sliced vegetables in a hot or cold brine of vinegar, water, salt, and sugar for an hour or so to make them tangy and crisp.

R

Reduction
To reduce a sauce means to simmer it so water evaporates, leaving a thicker liquid with a more concentrated flavor.

Resting meat
Resting meat means letting it sit for several minutes after cooking so the juices settle back into the fibers instead of running out when you slice it.

Roasting
Roasting is cooking food with dry oven heat, usually at 400°F (200°C) or higher, so the outside browns and caramelizes while the inside turns tender.

Roux
A roux is equal parts fat and flour cooked together, and it is used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies like béchamel and gumbo.

S

Sauteing
To saute is to cook small pieces of food quickly in a little hot fat in a wide pan, tossing or stirring so it browns and cooks evenly.

Searing
Searing means cooking the surface of food in a very hot pan until it forms a deeply browned crust, which adds flavor and a satisfying texture.

Season to taste
Season to taste means adding salt, acid, and other seasonings in small amounts and tasting as you go until the dish suits your palate.

Simmer vs boil
Boiling is a full rolling bubble at 212°F (100°C), while simmering is gentle bubbling at about 185 to 205°F (85 to 96°C) used for soups, sauces, and braises.

Slurry
A slurry is a mix of cornstarch or flour and cold water, stirred into a hot liquid at the end to thicken a sauce, soup, or stir-fry quickly.

Smoke point
An oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it starts to give off visible smoke and break down, leaving a burnt taste and harmful compounds.

Steaming
Steaming cooks food with the hot vapor above boiling water, which heats gently and evenly without leaching away flavor or nutrients.

Stir-frying
Stir-frying is cooking small pieces of food over very high heat in a wok or large pan while stirring constantly, so everything cooks in just a few minutes.

T

Tempering eggs
Tempering eggs means slowly warming them by whisking in small amounts of hot liquid, so they blend into a sauce or custard without scrambling.

Toasting spices
To toast spices, heat whole spices in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, which deepens their flavor before you grind or use them.

U

Umami
Umami is the fifth basic taste, a deep savory flavor found in foods rich in glutamate, like parmesan, mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce, and broth.

V

Velveting
Velveting is a Chinese technique of coating thin slices of meat with cornstarch and a few other ingredients so they stay silky and juicy in a stir-fry.

Z

Zest
Zest is the thin, colorful outer layer of citrus peel, and it holds fragrant oils that add bright flavor without the sourness of juice.