Techniques

Baking

Cooking food in dry heat, especially in an oven.

Beating

To agitate one or more ingredients rapidly using a brisk up-and-over motion to add air into a mixture using a spoon, whisk, rotary beaters or electric mixer.

Bind

To thicken or smooth out the consistency of a liquid.

Blend

To combine two or more ingredients thoroughly until they seem to be one.

Boil

To cook in liquid that is heated until bubbles rise to the surface and break. Bubbles form throughout the mixture. Temperature: 212°F. or 100°C.

Scoring

Slashing the surface (top) of loaves to allow for expansion as the loaf is baked.

Break

The rough portion of the bread crust formed during oven spring between the pan’s edge and the curve of the loaf’s top. Break may occur on both sides or one side only.

Brown

To give a baked surface to a food (such as meat or flour) by applying high heat.

Caramelisation

To heat sugar until brown and a characteristic flavour develops; occurs at 300°F.

Leavening

Used in baking in batters or dough to produce carbon dioxide. Common leaveners are baking soda and baking powders.

Chill

Make mixture or cooking bowl cold by placing in refrigerator or in ice.

Chop

To cut into small pieces with a bench cutter, knife or scissors.

Clarify

To make a substance clear or pure

Coat

To thoroughly cover a food with a liquid or dry mixture

Combine

To mix or blend two or more ingredients together

Cool

To let food stand until it no longer feels warm to the touch. Baked goods are cooled on wire racks to avoid soggy bottom crusts; cool baked goods before wrapping and storing.

Core

To remove the seeded, inner portion of a fruit.

Cream

To work (with spoon or mixer) one or more foods until soft and creamy.

Crumb

The interior of baked goods—not the crust; interior texture formed by air cell pockets trapped inside a webbing of starch and protein gelatinized by baking.

Crush

To pulverize, as with herbs and spices used in baking.

Cut - Or Cut In

To combine fat into dry ingredients with a pastry blender, two knives, or fingers with the least possible amount of blending.

Dot

To place small dabs or pieces of butter or batter over the surface of a food, such as with a pie, just before the top crust is added and baking begins.

Drain

To remove liquid from a food product

Drizzle

To pour a light amount, from a spoon, over food.

Drop

To deposit even portions of dough on a baking sheet using spoon or batter dispenser

Dust

To lightly sprinkle the surface of a food or dough with sugar, flour or crumbs.

Glaze

Whole egg or egg white mixed with small amount of milk or water and brushed over dough prior to baking; creates glossy baked surface.

Fold

To gently combine two or more ingredients or a delicate mixture into a heavier, thicker one by cutting vertically through the mixture and turning it over using a figure of eight movement, to combine without stirring or deflating a mixture.

Grate

To reduce a food into small bits by rubbing it against the sharp teeth of a grating utensil

Grease

Rub butter over surface of cooking utensil or on a food.

Knead

To mix dough using a pressing and folding motion, turning and folding the dough onto itself until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Level

Straight edged knife or spatula used to scrape across a teaspoon or tablespoon in which dry ingredient is heaped.

Mash

To break up into finer, smoother pieces by pressing with back of a spoon, a masher or ricer.

Mince

To cut or chop into very small pieces.

Mix

To combine two ingredients by stirring or in way that makes two or more foods appear as one.

Parboil

To boil until partially cooked.

Pare

To remove the outer covering or skin of fruit or vegetables with a small knife or peeler.

Preheat

Very important in baking. To heat the oven to a desired temperature before inserting the food. TIP: Always check the oven to be sure nothing is in it—and place the oven racks in the correct position before preheating.

Puree

To mash, process or sieve cooked fruit or vegetables to form a thick smooth liquid. Purees may be used to substitute for 1/4 to 1/3 of the oil or fat in some baked products.

Reconstitute

To restore a former condition by adding water; dried, minced vegetables such as onions or leeks should be reconstituted before adding to baked goods.

Sauté

To cook in a small amount of fat, as you would fresh garlic, onion, leeks, etc. for enhanced flavour prior to adding to savoury dough.

Score

To make small shallow cuts on the surface of a food

Season

To add herbs, spices, citrus zest, extracts or other ingredients to food for flavouring

Separate

Remove the yolk from the white of the egg

Sift

To move flour through a sieve.

Simmer

To cook in liquid that is barely at the boiling point and small bubbles rise below the surface.

Skim

To remove a substance from the surface of a liquid. E.g.: "Skim" the milk.

Slashing

Making incisions in the surface of bread or rolls for proper expansion while baking. Done just before baking.

Steam

To cook in steam, with or without pressure, as with steam bread or Chinese dumplings

Stir

To mix with a circular motion

Strain

To separate solid from liquid (as in clarifying butter)

Thicken

Make a liquid dense by adding an ingredient like cornstarch, egg yolk, tapioca, flour, rice or potato starch or flour; also to bind.

Toss

To mix ingredients lightly by lifting and dropping with a spoon, or spoon and fork.

Vent

To leave an opening through which steam can escape in the covering of a food

Whip

To beat rapidly to add air.

Whisk

To beat ingredients together, using a wire whip or whisk, until well blended.

Zest

The fragrant, intensely flavourful thin colourful outer layer of citrus fruit (not the white pith) – It is finely peeled with a paring knife, grater or removed with a citrus zester and used as a flavouring in sweet or savoury baked goods.