Cookery terms and what they actually mean
If you, like me, are glued to MasterChef (we can’t wait for the next season) this is for you. Competitors may be amateur and home chefs, but they certainly use the most amazing cookery terms. If you watch the show and don’t really “get the meaning” of the terms, I have put together a glossary of most of the French (and other) terms frequently used in not only the show, but the recipe books you may be using.
| À la carte | Refers to items on a menu that can be ordered as separate items, rather than as part of a set meal (table d’hôte) |
| Aïoli | Mayonnaise seasoned with garlic |
| Al dente | Pasta that is cooked until it is slightly chewy when bitten |
| Au gratin | A dish sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese and browned |
| Bain-marie | A roasting pan or baking dish partially filled with water to allow food to cook more slowly. Used for custards and terrines |
| Béchamel | Also known as white sauce is a roux whisked with milk or other dairy and is used as the base for other sauces |
| Beignets | Small dollops of dough that are fried to form fritters |
| Beurre Manié | Equal parts of butter and flour mixed together and used to thicken liquids |
| Beurre Noisette | Browned butter |
| Blanch | To cook slowly in rapidly boiling water |
| Bisque | A shellfish soup usually made with lobster |
| Blanquette | A dish consisting of white meat in a white sauce (usually stews made of lamb, chicken or veal) |
| Bouchées | A small puff pastry case filled with a sweet of savoury filling |
| Bouillon | A thin soup or stock made by stewing meat, fish, or vegetables in water. |
| Bouquet Garni | A mixture of fresh herbs tied together with string and used to flavour stews and soups etc. A mix of parsley, bay leaf and thyme is usual. The bouquet is removed before serving |
| Brunoise | A mixture of finely diced vegetables fried in butter and used to flavour soups and sauces |
| Canapé | A small bread or biscuit base covered with a savoury topping |
| Chapelux | Browned bread crumbs |
| Chine | To remove the backbone from a rack of ribs |
| Clarify | To separate and remove solids from a liquid (usually butter), to make it clear |
| Concasser | To chop roughly |
| Consommé | A clear broth or soup of concentrated stock that has been made clear |
| Coulis | a thin fruit or vegetable puree, used as a sauce (such as raspberry) |
| Court Bouillon | A stock made from wine and vegetables, typically used for cooking fish |
| Crêpes | Very thin pancakes |
| Croquettes | A mixture of potato with ground cooked meat, fish or poultry formed into balls, patties or other shapes and fried in breadcrumbs |
| Croustade | A piece of bread or pastry hollowed out and filled, dipped in butter and baked until it is crisp |
| Croûte | Crust. Sometimes refers to a pastry crust, sometimes to toasted or fried bread |
| Croûtons | Small cubes of bread used as a garnish is salads and soups |
| Dariole | Small flowerpot-shaped mould in which an individual sweet or savoury dish is cooked and served |
| Déglacer | To deglaze or loosen browned juices and fat from the bottom of a pan by adding water, wine or broth and bringing to a boil and stirring |
| Dégorge | To extract juices from meat, fish or vegetables, usually by salting them, then soaking or washing. It is usually done to remove a strong taste |
| Demi-glace | Is typically made from brown stock, mirepoix, and tomatoes, and thickened with roux. It is not used directly on food, but serves as the starting point for many other sauces |
| Dépouiller | To skim off the scum that accumulates at the top of a stock or sauce |
| Duxelles | Finely chopped raw mushrooms, used as a stuffing. Sometimes combined with chopped ham or scallops |
| Entrecôte | Sirloin steak |
| Entrée | A dish served between the first and main courses at a formal dinner |
| Entremets | Dessert or sweet, but not including pastries |
| Escalop | A thin slice of meat that is often pounded between layers of cling film to make it thinner |
| Espagnole | Is one of the “mother sauces” and is typically made from brown stock, mirepoix, and tomatoes, and thickened with roux. It has a strong taste and is rarely used directly on food, but serves as a demi-glace or the starting point for many derivatives, such as Sauce Bourguignonne, Sauce Chevreuil |
| Farce | Stuffing |
| Fillet | Verb: remove the bones from meat or fish
Noun: The meat or fish after it has been boned |
| Flake | To break lightly into small pieces |
| Flambé | To set alcohol on fire (briefly) |
| Fold | To incorporate a delicate substance, such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites into another substance without releasing air bubbles. The process is repeated, while slowing rotating the bowl, until the ingredients are thoroughly blended |
| Frappé | Something that is iced or set on or in a bed of ice |
| Fricassé | A stew made from poultry, meat or rabbit that has a white sauce |
| Glace de Viande | Reduced brown stock used to add colour and flavour to sauces |
| Gratin | From the French word for “crust.” A dish with a lightly browned crust of breadcrumbs or melted cheese |
| Gratiner or Au Gratin | To sprinkle the surface of a cooked food with bread crumbs and butter and/or cheese and brown under the grill |
| Hollandaise | Is one of the “mother sauces” and is thickened by an emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter. It is a very rich, but delicate sauce and is usually used as a dipping sauce for asparagus or a finishing sauce for eggs Benedict |
| Hors d’Oeuvres | First course or appetizer |
| Julienne | To cut vegetables, fruits, or cheeses into thin strips |
| Jus or Jus de Viande | A thin gravy made from meat juices |
| Jus Lié | A thickened gravy |
| Liaison | Ingredients used for thickening sauces, soups or other liquids – usually egg yolks |
| Macédoine | Small diced mixed vegetables, usually containing at least one root vegetable. Sometimes also means a mixture of fruit, like fruit salad |
| Marinate | To flavour and moisturise meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables by soaking them in or brushing them with a liquid mixture of seasonings. Dry marinade mixtures can also be used as rubs on meat, poultry or seafood |
| Marmite | French word for a covered earthenware container for soup. The soup is both cooked and served in it |
| Meuniere | Dredged with flour and sautéed in lightly browned butter, lemon juice and parsley |
| Mirepoix (meer-pwah) | A mixture of sautéed chopped vegetables used in various sauces |
| Mirin (mee-rin) | Japanese sweet rice wine made from glutinous, short-grained rice used for cooking |
| “Mother Sauces” | Five sauces in French cuisine were designated “mother sauces” by Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century.
Béchamel is a roux whisked with milk to make a white sauce Velouté is a light roux whisked with chicken, fish or any other clear stock Espagnole is a basic brown sauce made from brown stock, mirepoix, and tomatoes and thickened with roux Sauce Tomato made with tomatoes with pork and aromatic vegetables Hollandaise is thickened by an emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter. It is a very rich, but delicate sauce and is usually used as a dipping sauce for asparagus or a finishing sauce for eggs Benedict |
| Noisette | The word means “nut” – for example nut brown butter. It can also refer to a small, boneless, round piece of lamb from the rack that is rolled, tied into rounds |
| Nouvelle cuisine | A term that refers to the style of cooking that features lighter dishes with lighter sauces and very fresh ingredients |
| Omakase | Most coveted Japanese sushi – it literally means “I trust the chef” |
| Panade | A very thick mixture usually made from flour, butter and milk that is used as a base for dishes such as soufflés and fish cakes |
| Paner | To coat with egg and crumbs before frying |
| Papillote | A wrapping of parchment paper around fish or meat used for cooking. The paper retains moisture in the food |
| Pare | To remove the outermost skin of a fruit or vegetable |
| Parisienne | Refers to potatoes moulded into balls with a melon scoop and fried or roasted |
| Pâte | A paste made of liver, pork or game |
| Peel | To remove the peels from vegetables or fruits |
| Pickle | To preserve meats, vegetables, and fruits in brine |
| Pit | To remove pips from fruit |
| Piquer | To insert fat, bacon, ham etc into meat or poultry |
| Poach | To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below boiling point |
| Poussin | A young chicken |
| Puree | To mash foods until perfectly smooth by hand, by rubbing through a sieve or food mill, or by whirling in a blender or food processor |
| Quenelle (kuh-nell) | A 3-sided scoop of food soft enough to mould into an oval shape using two spoons – often icecream |
| Ragoût | A highly seasoned stew of small pieces of meat stewed with vegetables. |
| Réchauffée | Reheated food |
| Repere | Flour mixed with water or egg white and used to seal pans when cooking food slowly. Often used when cooking a ragoût. |
| Render | To make solid fat into liquid by melting it slowly |
| Roux | A mixture of melted butter and flour used to thicken sauces and soups |
| Rouille | A Provençal sauce made from pounded red chillies, garlic, breadcrumbs, and other ingredients blended with stock, typically added to bouillabaisse as a flavouring |
| Sauté | To cook and/or brown food in a small amount of hot fat |
| Scald | To cook by bringing to a temperature just below the boiling point |
| Scorpacciata | Commitment to eating what is local and in season right now |
| Socarrat | Rice that gets crunchy and forms a crust at the bottom of the pan – such as paella |
| Sous vide (soo–veed) | A French term meaning “under vacuum” is a technique where food is vacuum-sealed, immersed in a water bath and cooked at a very precise, consistent temperature |
| Table d’hôte | Literally means “table of the host” where the menu is a set choice of meals charged at a fixed total price |
| Terrine | A pâté or mixture of minced ingredients, baked or steamed in a loaf shaped container |
| Tomato Sauce | Is made by cooking tomatoes down into a thick sauce. The classic French tomato sauce is flavoured with pork and aromatic vegetables |
| Truss | To secure poultry with string or skewers to hold its shape while cooking |
| Velouté | A sauce made from butter, flour, cream and stock. Velouté is derived from the French word for velvet. It is one of the five “mother sauces” along with béchamel, espagnole, tomato and hollandaise |
| Vol-au-vent | A large pastry case made of puff pastry that is usually used as a container for creamed dishes, such as creamed chicken |