Cooking
AL DENTE:
Italian term used to describe pasta that is cooked until it offers a slight resistance to the bite.
Blend
To blend ingredients is to mix two or more of them together with a spoon or whisk or an appliance such as a blender, mixer, or processor.
A cooking technique in which the temperature of a cold/room-temperature ingredient is slowly raised by adding small amounts of hot/boiling liquid.
Sugar sculpture
is the art of producing artistic centerpieces entirely composed of sugar and sugar derivatives.
Al Dente
A term, meaning "to the bite", used to describe the correct degree of doneness for pasta and vegetables.
BAKE:
To cook by dry heat, usually in the oven.
Cut In
To cut in is to use two knives or a pastry blender to combine cold fats (butter, margarine, or shortening) with flour or sugar without creaming or mixing air in the ingredients. A crumbly- or grainy-looking mixture is what results.
Bloom
What happens when chocolate is a) exposed to moisture (sugar bloom) or b) exposed to heat after tempering (fat bloom).
Spun sugar
Sugar syrup is made into long extremely thin strands which can be shaped to make things like birds nests.
Alfredo
A pasta sauce originally consisting of butter, cream, and the finest parmesan cheese available
BOIL:
To heat a liquid until bubbles break continually on the surface.
Dissolve
To dissolve is to mix a dry substance into a liquid until the solids have all disappeared. Fore example, bakers can dissolve sugar into water, yeast into water, and more.
Ganache:
An emulsion of chocolate and dairy (usually cream), and often other flavorings such as spices or liqueur.
Pulled sugar
The sugar has been cooked, and the now-liquid sugar is poured onto a silicone rubber mat (e.g., Silpat). Any coloring is now added. The sugar is then folded repeatedly into itself, until the sugar is, while still flexible, cool enough to handle.
Almond Paste
A sweet paste made from finely ground blanched almonds mixed with powdered sugar and enough glucose or syrup to bind it together.
CHOP:
To cut solids into pieces with a sharp knife or other chopping device.
Cut In
To cut in is to use two knives or a pastry blender to combine cold fats (butter, margarine, or shortening) with flour or sugar without creaming or mixing air in the ingredients. A crumbly- or grainy-looking mixture is what results.
Emulsifier:
Usually lecithin, usually derived from soy; the emulsifier stabilizes the chocolate to prevent bloom and improve shelf life, as well as imparting a smoother mouthfeel to the chocolate.
Blown sugar
a portion of pulled sugar is placed on a rubber pump which is tipped with either wood or metal.
Baking Powder
A leavening agent combining an acid with bicarbonate of soda to form the gas which enables baked products to rise.
CLARIFY:
To separate and remove solids from a liquid, thus making it clear.
Creaming
Creaming is the process of mixing sugars and fats like butter, margarine, or shortening together with a mixer, large spoon, or beaters until the mixture is creamy in its appearance.
Couverture:
Chocolate which contains at least 30% cocoa butter, which facilitates dipping.
Pastillage
A thick sugar paste, similar to gum paste, is molded into shapes.
Arrowroot
This is a starch similar in appearance and qualities as cornstarch.