The term “flavor profile” is great for describing the unique characteristics of a certain cuisine or dish. Thai food has a different flavor profile than Mexican food. The term refers to the combinations of tastes, aromas, and textures that make food unique. The kind of spices and other ingredients that are typically used determine the […]
Cooking Terms
What Does Cuisson Mean In a Restaurant Kitchen?
Cuisson [kwee-SOHN] is French for cooking. It is a word that certain pretentious chefs, who don’t speak a word of French, use to sound impressive when talking about things being perfectly cooked. It’s usually applied to things like steak and fish. The cuisson, the cuisson. It’s all about the cuisson! When not being applied by […]
How To Properly Pronounce 20 French Cooking Terms
Most of us pronounce common French cooking terms in an anglicized way. Usually, this is fine. But, have you ever wanted to know how to pronounce all the classic French culinary terms in the proper French way? Maybe you want to make a cooking video and use French words for everyday cooking techniques so that […]
What is the Cooking Definition of ‘Cut In’
I was making pie dough the other day and while preparing the dough a common term used in baking, cut in, jumped out at me. I realized how confusing this term must be to novice cooks and especially to non-native English speakers. It’s actually a phrasal verb and is idiomatic: to cut in or ‘cutting […]
What is the Difference Between Boiling, Simmering, and Poaching?
Most of us know what it means to boil a food. We do it with dried pasta when we bring water to a rolling boil and put in the pasta. Even if we reduce the heat of the burner to stop the pot from boiling over, we are still boiling the pasta. But, what does […]
What Is A Stir-Fry?
A discussion thread for a recipe on a Disqus channel I followed made me realized that there are some misconceptions about the stir-fry technique we associate with Chinese and other Asian cuisines. This recipe was for an Italian Chicken Stir Fry. Could you use traditional Italian ingredients and make a stir fry dish? Sure! But it […]
What Is Spatchcock Chicken?
A spatchcock or spatchcocked chicken is a chicken with the backbone removed and cut so that it will lay flat. This allows the chicken to be spread out or opened up like a book, which makes it cook more quickly and evenly. Spatchcock chickens are perfect for grilling but they can also be broiled or baked quite […]
Origin of Boquet Garni in French Cooking
Although the term ‘bouquet garni’ did not appear in English until the 19th century, it began to appear in French cuisine during 1600s. A bouquet garni, today, is a bundle or sachet of culinary herbs, usually consisting of parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, with the possible addition of rosemary, sage, and perhaps cloves. A bouquet garni […]
What Does Infusion Mean In Cooking?
You probably make an infusion every day. Infusing means to steep an ingredient in a liquid until the flavor of the ingredient has been extracted and infused into the liquid. To infuse something in cooking usually involves a solid, aromatic ingredient, and a liquid, such as water, milk, or even oil. Infusing means to steep an ingredient […]
What Is Herbes De Provence?
Herbes De Provence is the name used for a mixture of spices common in the Provençal region of France. Although the mixture can vary, it typically consists of equal parts of such herbs as oregano, savory, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and lavender. A mixture of these herbs in their fresh state can be used, but it is usually a […]