Cooking Techniques

• Pureeing involves mashing foods until perfectly smooth, either by hand, using a sieve or food mill, or with a blender or food processor.
• Broiling is cooking food on a grill under strong, direct heat.
• Al Dente is an Italian term describing pasta cooked until it offers slight resistance to the bite.
• Sifting is the process of putting one or more dry ingredients through a sieve or sifter.
• Caramelizing is heating sugar to brown it, giving it a special taste.
• Creaming is softening a fat, especially butter, by beating it at room temperature, often with sugar to make a smooth, soft paste.
• Steaming is cooking food in steam using a pressure cooker, deep well cooker, double boiler, or a steamer with a rack in a kettle with a tight cover, using a small amount of boiling water.
• Baking is cooking food by dry heat, usually in an oven.
• Whipping is beating rapidly to incorporate air and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or egg whites.
• Chopping is cutting solids into pieces with a sharp knife or other chopping device.
• Kneading is working and pressing dough with the palms of the hands or mechanically to develop the gluten in the flour.
• Folding is incorporating a delicate substance, such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites, into another substance without releasing air bubbles via a gentle cutting and rotating motion.
• Blending is thoroughly incorporating two or more ingredients.
• Sautéing is cooking and/or browning food in a small amount of hot fat.
• Julienne is cutting vegetables, fruits, or cheeses into thin strips.
• Mincing is cutting or chopping food into extremely small pieces.
• Simmering is cooking slowly in liquid over low heat at about 180°, with the liquid's surface barely moving and occasionally broken by slowly rising bubbles.
• Blanching is immersing food in rapidly boiling water and cooking it slightly.
• Marinating is flavoring and moisturizing meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables by soaking or brushing them with a liquid mixture of seasonings (marinade), or rubbing with a dry mixture.
• Mixing is combining ingredients, usually by stirring.
• Dicing is cutting food into small cubes of uniform size and shape.
• Reducing is boiling down a liquid to decrease its volume.
• Dredging is sprinkling or coating food with flour or other fine substance.

Cooking Tools

• A sponge is used for cleaning utensils and dishes.
• A metal spatula has a broad, flat, blunt blade for mixing and spreading.
• A saucepan is a container with one long handle and a lid, used to cook small amounts of food like sauces, gravy, and vegetables.
• A ladle is a large, long-handled spoon with a cup-shaped bowl, used for serving soup, stew, or sauce.
• A baking sheet is a metal tray for cooking food in an oven.
• A pastry brush (or basting brush) is for spreading butter, oil, or glaze on food.
• A muffin pan has cylindrical indentations for baking muffins.
• A blender is an electric mixing machine for liquefying, chopping, or pureeing food.
• A sharpening tool (steel, ceramic, or diamond-coated steel rod) realigns blade edges.
• A liquid measuring cup measures liquids like broth, oil, or milk.
• A box grater has grating surfaces ideal for cheese, vegetables, chocolate, and more.
• A plastic cutting board is used for cutting, slicing, and chopping food, and may have a reservoir to collect excess liquids.
• A dish cloth is for washing or drying utensils or dishes.
• A stockpot is a deep, heavy container with two small handles and a lid, used for cooking larger amounts of food like vegetables or pasta.
• A skillet is a shallow container with a long handle, used for browning or frying meat, vegetables, and eggs.
• A double boiler is a two-part saucepan system with a smaller saucepan resting over a larger one, typically using boiling water in the lower pan.
• A wok is a wide, deep container with slanted sides and a rounded bottom, used for stir-frying meat and vegetables.
• A bread knife has a serrated edge that cuts through hard crust without damaging soft bread.
• A casserole dish is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel.
• An electric mixer automates stirring, whisking, or beating tasks.
• A paring knife is a small knife mainly for peeling fruits and vegetables.
• A wooden spoon is used for mixing food.
• A slotted spoon has slots or holes for draining liquid from food.
• A rubber spatula has rounded edges and is used to scrape the sides of bowls or jars, and to fold ingredients.
• A whisk lightens the texture of food by incorporating air, emulsifying, and blending ingredients.
• A dry measuring cup measures solid cooking ingredients like flour, sugar, and oats.
• Tongs grip, turn, or remove small items in hot oil or liquid.
• vegetable peeler removes the outer skin or peel..
• A chef's knife is versatile and used for trimming, chopping, slicing, and dicing.

Learn about various cooking techniques. This includes pureeing, broiling, al dente, sifting, caramelizing, creaming, steaming, baking, whipping, and chopping. Understanding these techniques is fundamental to cooking.