Short, plain-English explanations of the ingredients, cooking techniques and terms in our recipes, from gochujang and garam masala to dry-packed scallops and slicing against the grain. Each entry lists recipes that use it. Recipe pages link here whenever they call for one of these ingredients.
Ingredients
Agar
A setting agent made from seaweed, used in place of gelatin in vegetarian and vegan desserts. It must be boiled briefly to set, and it sets firmer than gelatin.
The liquid from a can of chickpeas. It whips and binds like egg white, which makes it a vegan replacement for eggs in breading and baking. Used in: Vegan Eggplant Parmesan.
Arborio rice
A short, plump Italian rice that releases starch as it cooks, giving risotto its creamy texture. Carnaroli is a close substitute. Used in: Risotto alla Milanese (Saffron Risotto).
Bouquet garni
A small bundle of herbs, classically parsley stems, thyme and a bay leaf, tied with string or wrapped in cheesecloth so it can be lifted out of a soup, stock or braise before serving.
A rich stock that has been simmered with more meat and vegetables, then clarified until perfectly clear. It is served on its own as a light, elegant soup.
Creme fraiche
A thick, slightly tangy cultured cream. Unlike sour cream, it does not curdle when simmered in a sauce. Used in: Toast Skagen (Swedish Shrimp Toast).
Curry leaves
Glossy leaves from the curry tree (not curry powder) that add a citrusy, savory perfume to South Indian dishes. Sold fresh or frozen at Indian grocers. Used in: Kerala Coconut Shrimp Curry.
Dijon mustard
A smooth, sharp French mustard made with white wine. It emulsifies vinaigrettes and pan sauces and gives glazes their tang.
A salty, savory Southeast Asian sauce made from fermented anchovies, used in small amounts in Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Used in: Shrimp Pad Thai, Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua).
Coarse salt without additives, easy to pinch and sprinkle. It is less salty by volume than table salt: use about half as much table salt if substituting.
Flour made from corn treated with lime (nixtamalized), the base of corn tortillas and tamales; a spoonful thickens chili. It is not the same as cornmeal. Used in: Texas Chili (Chili con Carne), Vegan Three-Bean Chili.
Mascarpone
A soft, rich Italian cream cheese, the base of tiramisu. Let it soften before mixing so it stays smooth. Used in: Easy No-Bake Tiramisu.
Matzah meal
Finely ground matzah, used in place of flour and bread crumbs during Passover for matzah balls, rolls and coatings. Used in: Passover Bulkies (Rolls).
Fermented soybean paste from Japan. White miso is mild and sweet; red miso is saltier and stronger. It adds savory depth to glazes like miso black cod. Used in: Miso Black Cod.
Cod preserved by salting and drying. It must soak in cold water for one to two days, with several water changes, before cooking. Used in: Baccala Salad (Salt Cod Salad).
Schmaltz
Rendered chicken fat, a traditional cooking fat in Jewish cooking for chopped liver, latkes and matzah balls. Used in: Chopped Liver.
Stock and broth
The flavorful liquid made by simmering bones, meat, fish or vegetables in water and straining it. Stock is usually made mostly from bones and is richer in body; broth is made mostly from meat and is often seasoned. Recipes use them interchangeably. Store-bought broth can be salty, so taste before adding more salt. Used in: Homemade Chicken Soup, Risotto alla Milanese (Saffron Risotto), Beef Enchiladas with Chili Gravy, Beef Stroganoff.
A Japanese soy sauce usually made without wheat, the go-to gluten-free swap for soy sauce. Check that the label says gluten-free. Used in: Shrimp Pad Thai, Goan Fish Curry.
Tamarind
A sour brown pulp from tamarind pods, sold as paste or concentrate, that gives pad thai and South Indian curries their tang. Lime juice with a little brown sugar can stand in. Used in: Shrimp Pad Thai, Goan Fish Curry.
Words you will meet in our recipes and guides, from spatchcock and reverse sear to roux and deglaze. Wherever they appear on the site, tap the dotted word for a quick explanation.
Aioli
A garlic mayonnaise from Provence and Spain, often made with olive oil.
Al dente
Italian for "to the tooth": pasta cooked until tender but still slightly firm in the center.
Au gratin
Topped with bread crumbs and often cheese, then baked or broiled until a golden crust forms. Used in: Shrimp de Jonghe.
Cooking meat on a spit or rack over coals, usually basted with a well-seasoned sauce. In the South it also means slow-smoking. See grill and BBQ recipes.
Bark
The dark, flavorful crust that forms on smoked brisket, ribs and pork shoulder from the rub, smoke and rendered fat.
Baste
Spooning melted butter, pan juices or a marinade over food while it cooks, for flavor and color.
Beat
Mixing briskly with a spoon, whisk or mixer, lifting the mixture over and over to make it smooth and work in air.
Bisque
A rich, smooth, creamy soup, traditionally made from lobster, crab or shrimp, with the shells simmered for flavor.
Blanch
Boiling vegetables briefly, then plunging them into ice water to set the color and stop the cooking.
Bloom
Warming spices in hot oil to release their flavor. Also used for softening gelatin in cold water.
Braise
Browning meat, then cooking it slowly, covered, in a little liquid until tough cuts turn tender, as in pot roast and short ribs.
Brine
Soaking meat or poultry in salted water, often with sugar and herbs, for hours so it absorbs moisture and seasoning and stays juicy.
Broil
Cooking directly under the oven's top heat (or over a hot grill), close to the flame, for fast browning.
Butterfly
Cutting meat, poultry or shrimp almost in half and opening it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks evenly.
Béchamel
A classic white sauce of milk thickened with a butter-and-flour roux and seasoned with salt and nutmeg. Add cheese and it becomes a cheese sauce.
Canapé
A small, bite-size appetizer on a base of bread, toast, cracker or pastry, served with drinks.
Carryover cooking
The rise in internal temperature after meat comes off the heat: about 5 degrees for steaks, 10 or more for large roasts. Take meat off a little before your target.
Chantilly cream
Heavy cream whipped with a little sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks. Used in: Strawberry Shortcake.
Choux pastry
A dough of water or milk, butter, flour and eggs, cooked on the stove before baking. Steam puffs it into hollow shells for cream puffs, éclairs and profiteroles. Used in: Eclair Ring.
Coddle
Cooking gently in water kept just below boiling; coddled eggs are the classic example.
Compound butter
Softened butter mixed with herbs, garlic or other flavorings, chilled and sliced over steak, fish or vegetables.
Coulis
A smooth, pourable sauce of puréed and strained fruit or vegetables, such as a raspberry coulis for dessert.
Cream
Beating butter or shortening with sugar until light, fluffy and pale, which traps air and helps cakes and cookies rise.
Crudités
Raw or briefly blanched vegetables cut into sticks or bite-size pieces and served with a dip. Used in: Knorr Vegetable Dip.
Cure
Preserving or flavoring with salt, and often sugar, as in gravlax, corned beef and bacon.
Deglaze
Pouring wine, broth or water into a hot pan after searing and scraping up the browned bits (the fond) to make a sauce.
Devein
Removing the dark vein (the digestive tract) along a shrimp's back with a small knife or a toothpick.
Devil
Seasoning food with something hot and sharp, like mustard, cayenne or hot sauce, as in deviled eggs.
Dredge
Coating food lightly in flour, crumbs or cornmeal before frying or browning, then shaking off the excess.
Dry brine
Salting meat and refrigerating it, uncovered, for 45 minutes to a day or two. The salt seasons it deeply and the dry surface browns better.
Dust
Sprinkling food or a pan lightly with flour, sugar or cocoa.
Emulsify
Whisking two liquids that do not normally mix, like oil and vinegar or butter and egg yolk, into a smooth sauce such as mayonnaise or hollandaise.
Fat cap
The layer of fat on one side of a roast, brisket or steak. Scoring it helps it render and keeps it from curling.
Gently combining a light mixture (whipped cream, beaten egg whites) into a heavier one with a spatula, cutting down and lifting over, so it stays airy.
Gremolata
Chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic, sprinkled over osso buco and other braises to brighten them.
Holy trinity
Onion, celery and green bell pepper: the base of Cajun and Creole cooking, as in gumbo and jambalaya.
Indirect heat (two-zone fire)
Grilling with the fire on one side and the food on the other, with the lid closed, so thick cuts and whole birds cook through without burning.
Macerate
To soften fruit and draw out its juices by letting it stand with sugar, liqueur or wine, as with sugared strawberries for shortcake. Used in: Strawberry Shortcake, Vegan Strawberry Shortcake.
The thin streaks of fat inside a cut of beef. More marbling means more flavor and juiciness; USDA Prime has the most.
Marinate
Soaking food in a seasoned mixture, usually oil and an acid like vinegar or citrus, to add flavor. See rubs, marinades and brines.
Meunière
A classic way of cooking fish: dusted with flour, pan-fried in butter and finished with lemon, browned butter and parsley. Used in: Lemon Butter Tilapia.
Mise en place
French for "everything in its place": measuring, chopping and setting out every ingredient before you start cooking. It matters most for fast stir-fries and sauces, where there is no time to chop once the pan is hot.
Pan sauce
A quick sauce made in the pan the meat cooked in: deglaze, reduce, then finish with butter or cream.
Parboil
Partly cooking food in boiling water before finishing it another way, like potatoes before roasting.
Poach
Cooking gently in liquid kept just below a simmer, with only small bubbles, for tender fish, chicken and eggs.
Proof
Letting a yeast dough rise. Also, checking that yeast is alive by letting it foam in warm water with a pinch of sugar.
Purge
Soaking live clams in cold salted water for 20 to 30 minutes or longer so they spit out their sand before cooking.
A tangy mayonnaise sauce with mustard, capers, pickles and herbs, served with crab cakes and fried seafood.
Render
Cooking fatty meat slowly, like bacon, duck skin or a fat cap, so the fat melts out and the meat turns crisp.
Reverse sear
Cooking a thick steak or roast gently in a low oven (about 250°F) until it is 10 to 15 degrees below your target, then searing it in a very hot pan. It comes out evenly pink from edge to edge with a dark crust.
Roux
Equal parts fat and flour cooked together to thicken sauces, gravies and gumbo. The longer it cooks, the darker and nuttier it gets; a Cajun roux can go chocolate brown.
Sashimi-grade (sushi-grade)
A seller's term, not a government grade, for fish handled to be eaten raw, usually frozen first to kill parasites. Buy it only from a fishmonger you trust.
Saute
Cooking quickly in a small amount of hot fat in a skillet, stirring or tossing. Pan-frying uses a little more fat; deep-frying covers the food.
Scald
Heating milk until just below boiling, when tiny bubbles form around the edge and steam rises.
Score
Cutting shallow slashes in meat, fish skin, fat or dough so it cooks evenly, takes in a marinade or rises neatly.
Shuck
Opening oysters or clams with a short, sturdy knife; also, pulling the husks off corn.
Silver skin
The thin, shiny, tough membrane on tenderloins and ribs. It does not soften, so slide a thin knife under it and trim it away.
Simmer
Cooking in liquid just below a boil, around 185°F to 205°F, with small, lazy bubbles breaking the surface.
Slurry
Cornstarch or flour stirred into cold liquid, then whisked into a hot sauce to thicken it.
Smoke point
The temperature at which an oil starts to smoke and break down. Use high smoke point oils such as canola, avocado or peanut for searing.
Smoke ring
The pink layer just under the surface of smoked meat, from smoke reacting with the meat. It is a sign of good smoking, not undercooking.
Sous vide
French for "under vacuum": food sealed in a bag is cooked in a water bath held at an exact temperature, then usually seared, for precise doneness every time.
Spatchcock
Cutting out the backbone of a chicken or turkey with kitchen shears and pressing it flat, so it cooks faster and more evenly with crisp skin all over.
Steep
Soaking an ingredient in hot liquid to draw out its flavor or color, like tea or saffron.
Stew
Cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time, until tender.
Sweat
To cook vegetables such as onions, celery and carrots gently in a little fat over low heat until soft but not browned, so they turn sweet without coloring. It is the first step of many soups and sauces. Used in: Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, Cod with Coconut-Lime Curry Sauce.
Tadka (tempering)
Whole and ground spices fried in hot oil or ghee and poured over a dish, usually dal, at the end of cooking.
Temper
Warming eggs gradually by whisking in a little hot liquid before adding them to a hot sauce, so they do not scramble. Also, melting and cooling chocolate so it sets glossy.
The stall
When a large piece of smoked meat stops rising in temperature for hours, often around 150 to 170°F, as moisture evaporates. Wrapping it in foil or butcher paper pushes it through.
Truss
Tying a chicken, turkey or roast with kitchen twine so it holds a compact shape and cooks evenly.
Velouté
A smooth sauce of light stock (chicken, fish or veal) thickened with a butter-and-flour roux. It is the base of many cream sauces.
Water bath (bain-marie)
A pan of hot water that a dish sits in while it bakes, for gentle, even heat, as for cheesecake and custards.
Cutting into small, rough pieces with a sharp knife.
Cube
Cutting into small, even cubes, usually about 1/2 inch or larger.
Dice
Cutting into small, even cubes, usually 1/4 inch or smaller.
Mince
Chopping as finely as possible, as for garlic or shallots.
Julienne
Cutting into long, thin, matchstick strips.
Grate
Rubbing food against a grater to make fine shreds or crumbs, as for cheese, citrus zest or potatoes.
Shred
Cutting or tearing into long, narrow pieces, or using the large holes of a grater.
Sliver
Cutting into long, very thin pieces, as for slivered almonds.
Pare
Cutting away the thin outer skin, as with an apple or potato.
Meat and cooking terms
USDA Prime, Choice and Select
The USDA grades beef by marbling. Prime has the most and is found mostly at steakhouses and butchers; Choice is the common supermarket grade and is excellent for steaks; Select is leaner and best marinated or braised. See our beef cuts chart.
Dry-aged beef
Beef hung in a cold, controlled room for weeks so it loses moisture and develops a deeper, nutty flavor. It costs more and is sold mostly by butchers.
Grass-fed beef
Beef from cattle raised on pasture. It is usually leaner with a more mineral flavor, so cook it a little less and rest it well.
Resting meat
Letting cooked meat sit for 5 to 10 minutes (longer for roasts) before slicing so the juices settle. The temperature rises a few degrees as it rests.
Slicing against the grain
Cutting across the long muscle fibers rather than along them, which makes flank, skirt and brisket much more tender to eat.
