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Culinary terms
Mise en place
Basic preparation in the kitchen before service starts, e.g., chopping onions, peeling carrots, weighing ingredients etc
Egg wash
Beaten egg, sometimes with a little milk or water. Used to glaze foods, before cooking, e.g., glazing pasties and sausage rolls before baking.
Baking blind
To cook pastry without any filling. Usually the pastry shell is lined with paper and baking beans. Once the pastry is cooked, the filling is added, e.g., the pastry base for a quiche.
Dice
To cut foods, often vegetables, into neat squares, e.g., onions, carrots etc.
Sauté
To toss foods in hot fat, usually to quickly fry foods in a frying pan, e.g., sauté potatoes
En croute
To wrap foods in pastry, e.g., sausage rolls, beef Wellington
Garnish
A trimming added to a
savoury dish, to improve the presentation, e.g., a tomato crown with cold meats.
Creamy cannellini bean soup with crispy bacon garnish.
Delicious short ribs with a stunning garnish of pickled lotus root chips.
Decorate
Trimming added to a
sweet dish, to improve the presentation, e.g., a strawberry slice on top of a cupcake
Al dente
An Italian term used to describe the degree of cooking for vegetables or pasta, meaning “just done”.
It means to the bite, or literally means to the tooth
A la carte
Dishes from a menu that are prepared to order and priced individually
Au gratin
To cover with breadcrumbs and / or grated cheese and to grill until brown, e.g., macaroni cheese
Coulis
A sauce that is thickened by its main ingredient (vegetable or fruit) and served as a puree, e.g., raspberry coulis
Chocolate Torte with Ganache and Raspberry Coulis
Cream of potato with pepper coulis
Canapé
A bite sized savoury start to a meal, often presented on a small slice of bread or in a pastry case
Bain Marie
A vessel (such a as saucepan) half filled with water which sauces and other delicate dishes are cooked or kept warm without burning, e.g., melted chocolate.
Croquette
Cooked foods (often potato) moulded into a cylinder, dipped into flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried.
Marinade
Ingredients (often liquid such as oil and vinegar, and spices etc) that food is placed in before cooking to add or improve the flavour. It often also tenderises the meat. Often used in Indian cookery and for barbeques.
La brochette
On a skewer, e.g., kebabs.
Bouquet garni
A bundle of herbs, such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme wrapped in a leek skin, or muslin cloth. This is used to flavour soup, casseroles etc, but is removed before serving.
Croutons
Cubes of bread, fried or toasted served with soups or in salads.
Crepes
Thin French-style pancakes.
Canapés
A bite sized savoury start to a meal, often presented on a small slice of bread pastry case.
Flambé
A dish containing spirits (alcohol). This alcohol is set alight either during the cooking process or just before serving , e.g., Christmas pudding.
Gateau
A cake (usually an upmarket one) of more than one portion.
Hors D’oeurve
first course dishes
Roux
A thickening of flour and fat of equal proportions, e.g., as the basis of a béchamel sauce.
Table d'hôte
A meal at a fixed price (a set menu).
Brulee
Melted and caramelised sugar on top of a dessert, e.g.., crème brulee
Puree
A preparation obtained by mashing / sieving certain foods, e.g.., a pureed vegetable soup, a fruit coulis
Julienne
A method of cutting long strips of ingredients, usually vegetables such as carrots.
Menu
A list of dishes available to order from a restaurant.
Reduce
To concentrate a liquid by boiling. It is reduced by at least half.
Accompaniments
Foods offered separately with a meal, e.g.. garlic bread, fries.
Vol au vent
A puff pastry case, usually with a savoury filling in the centre (very 80’s).
Patisserie
Means the art of the pastry cook, or foods made from pastry
Entree
The main course on a menu.