Glossary of cooking terms A-M

for the glossary of cooking terms N-Z

Agar-Agar

A setting agent made from seaweed

Au Gratin

Baking or Grilling using cheese or breadcrumbs on a sauce base.

Barbeque

Spanish term describing roasting a whole animal outside - now more commonly used to mean putting some economy burgers onto a few hot coals and serving them up when still frozen in the middle and burnt on the outside.

Barcarbonate of Soda

Baking soda.

Bechamel

A ponsey sauce named after Louis de Bechamel. A white sauce flavoured with vegetables and bouquet garni.

Beat

To mix rapidly with a utensil such as whipping an egg with a fork.

Blanching

The act of boiling rapidly then cooling rapidly to retain flavour, colour and texture.

Brawn

Jellied meat spiced and preserved made from the head of a pig, sheep or ox. (lovely)

Calorie

A unit of heat that expresses the energy providing qualities of food

Cream - Double

Thicker heavier cream

Single

Thinner, lighter and with less calories.

Currants

Tiny rasins. Originally they were named after a grape variety from Corinth in Greece.

Dariole

A small mould that is used when baking, poaching and steaming.

Dredge

Sprinkling with with flour or sugar.

Dripping

Animal fat, seperated from the juices after roasting. My Dad used to eat it on bread.

Filo pastry

Very thin pastry

Fool

Cream and fruit puree

Garnish

The little bits that are served with a meal, generally just a bit of parsley.

Ghee

Clarified butter

Haggis

The mnced liver, heart and lungs of a sheep mixed with oatmeal and often some secret ingredients. It might not sound like a nice food but it is.

Icing sugar

Very fine white sugar used on top of cakes known elsewhere as confectioners sugar.

Junket

Milk solidified by rennet

Muslin bag

Very thick cheese cloth, use for draining things though such as when making jam.

for the glossary of cooking terms N-Z