Cooking Terms and Abbreviations

Question	Answer
Beat	To make mixture smooth by lifting it over and over quickly with a big beating stroke or to incorporate air through the mixture.
Blend	To mix two or more ingredients together until well combined.
Cream	To beat sugar and fat together until fluffy.
Cut In	To cut fat into flour with two knives, or a pastry blender, until it is distributed in small particles throughout the mixture.
Fold In	To mix ingredients by gently turning one part over another with a spatula.
Stir	To mix by using circular motion, going around and around until blended.
Toss	To mix ingredients lightly without mashing crushing them.
Whip	To beat rapidly to introduce air bubbles into food. Applied to cream, eggs, and gelatin.
Knead	To work dough with the “heel” of the hands, using a pressing motion, accompanied by folding and stretching until smooth and elastic.
Chop	To cut into small pieces.
Dice	To cut into very small cubes.
Grate	To finely divide food in various sizes by rubbing it on a grater with sharp projections.
Mince	To cut or chop food as finely as possible.
Peel	To remove or strip off the skin or rind of some fruits and vegetables.
Bake	To cook by dry heat, usually in an oven
Barbecue	To roast meat slowly on a spit rack or rack over heat – basting frequently with a seasoned sauce.
Broil	To cook over, under, or in front of hot coals or a gas or electric burner, or other form of direct heat.
Sauté	To cook in a small amount of fat over medium heat.
Simmer	To cook below the boiling point, bubbles form slowly and break on the surface.
Steam	To cook in the steam generated by boiling water.
Boil	To cook in water or liquid in which bubbles rise continually and break on surface.
Brown	To bake, dry, or toast a food until the surface is brown.
Cook	To prepare food by applying heat in any form.
Stirfry	To cook in a small amount of fat over high heat.
Flour	To sprinkle or coat with a powdered substance, usually with crumbs or seasonings.
Brush	To coat food with butter, margarine, or egg – using a small brush.
Garnish	To ornament food – usually with another colorful food – before serving to add eye appeal.
Roll	To flatten to a desired thickness by using a rolling pin.
Season	To add salt, pepper, or other substances to food to enhance the flavor.
Tablespoon	T.,Tbs., or Tbsp.
Ounce	oz.
Teaspoon	t. or tsp.
Pound	lb.
Hour	hr.
Pint	pt.
Minute	min.
Quart	qt.
Square	sq.
Gallon	gal.
Cup	c.
Package	pkg.
Standard Recipe	A list of ingredients followed by a list of instructions
Active Recipe	Has instructions for each set of ingredients
Narrative Recipe	Written in paragraph form and includes the ingredients within the instructions

Beat

To make mixture smooth by lifting it over and over quickly with a big beating stroke or to incorporate air through the mixture.

Blend

To mix two or more ingredients together until well combined.

Cream

To beat sugar and fat together until fluffy.

Cut In

To cut fat into flour with two knives, or a pastry blender, until it is distributed in small particles throughout the mixture.

Fold In

To mix ingredients by gently turning one part over another with a spatula.

Stir

To mix by using circular motion, going around and around until blended.

Toss

To mix ingredients lightly without mashing crushing them.

Whip

To beat rapidly to introduce air bubbles into food. Applied to cream, eggs, and gelatin.

Knead

To work dough with the “heel” of the hands, using a pressing motion, accompanied by folding and stretching until smooth and elastic.

Chop

To cut into small pieces.

Dice

To cut into very small cubes.

Grate

To finely divide food in various sizes by rubbing it on a grater with sharp projections.

Mince

To cut or chop food as finely as possible.

Peel

To remove or strip off the skin or rind of some fruits and vegetables.

Bake

To cook by dry heat, usually in an oven

Barbecue

To roast meat slowly on a spit rack or rack over heat – basting frequently with a seasoned sauce.

Broil

To cook over, under, or in front of hot coals or a gas or electric burner, or other form of direct heat.

Sauté

To cook in a small amount of fat over medium heat.

Simmer

To cook below the boiling point, bubbles form slowly and break on the surface.

Steam

To cook in the steam generated by boiling water.

Boil

To cook in water or liquid in which bubbles rise continually and break on surface.

Brown

To bake, dry, or toast a food until the surface is brown.

Cook

To prepare food by applying heat in any form.

Stirfry

To cook in a small amount of fat over high heat.

Flour

To sprinkle or coat with a powdered substance, usually with crumbs or seasonings.

Brush

To coat food with butter, margarine, or egg – using a small brush.

Garnish

To ornament food – usually with another colorful food – before serving to add eye appeal.

Roll

To flatten to a desired thickness by using a rolling pin.

Season

To add salt, pepper, or other substances to food to enhance the flavor.

Tablespoon

T.,Tbs., or Tbsp.

Ounce

oz.

Teaspoon

t. or tsp.

Pound

lb.

Hour

hr.

Pint

pt.

Minute

min.

Quart

qt.

Square

sq.

Gallon

gal.

Cup

c.

Package

pkg.

Standard Recipe

A list of ingredients followed by a list of instructions

Active Recipe

Has instructions for each set of ingredients

Narrative Recipe

Written in paragraph form and includes the ingredients within the instructions

Next up

Cooking Terms and Abbreviations

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by Kaylene Flamm over 8 years ago