Basic Cooking Terms...part 1 basics

Basic Cooking Terms
Here are some basic cooking terms and their descriptions.

I found a few great links that have all the terms one should know when learning to cook, or improving skills.

I hope you learn something new!


Bake -To cook in an oven


Beat -To mix ingredients together using a fast, circular movement with a spoon, fork, whisk or
mixer
Blend -To mix ingredients together gently with a spoon, fork, or until combined
Boil -To heat a food so that the liquid gets hot enough for bubbles to rise and break the
surface
Broil -To cook under direct heat
Brown -To cook over medium or high heat until surface of food browns or darkens
Chop -To cut into small pieces
Dice -To cut into small cubes
Drain -To remove all the liquid using a colander, strainer, or by pressing a plate against the
food while tilting the container
Grate or Shred -To scrape food against the holes of a grater making thin pieces
Grease -To lightly coat with oil, butter, margarine, or non-stick spray so food does not stick
when cooking or baking
Knead -To press, fold and stretch dough until it is smooth and uniform, usually done by
pressing with the heels of the hands
Marinate -To soak food in a liquid to tenderize or add flavor to it (the liquid is called a
“marinade”)
Mash -To squash food with a fork, spoon, or masher
Mince -To cut into very small pieces, smaller than chopped or diced pieces
Mix -To stir ingredients together with a spoon, fork, or electric mixer until well combined
Preheat -To turn oven on ahead of time so that it is at the desired temperature when needed
(usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes)
Sauté -To cook quickly in a little oil, butter, or margarine
Simmer -To cook in liquid over low heat (low boil) so that bubbles just begin to break the
surface
Steam -To cook food over steam without putting the food directly in water (usually done with a
steamer)
Stir Fry -To quickly cook small pieces of food over high heat while constantly stirring the food
until it is crisply tender (usually done with a wok)

more cooking terms to come...part 2 will have intermediate and professional terms.

if you have any questions, recipes you are interested in learning about just let me know!