Cooking Vocabulary: 150+ Kitchen and Culinary Terms

The kitchen has its own language—a rich blend of French culinary tradition, everyday English, and specialized technical terms. Whether you are a home cook deciphering a recipe, a culinary student preparing for class, or an English learner navigating food-related conversations, a strong cooking vocabulary is essential. This comprehensive guide defines over 150 terms across cooking techniques, knife skills, baking, equipment, sauces, and more, giving you the confidence to follow any recipe and discuss food with authority.

Essential Cooking Techniques

Cooking techniques describe the specific methods used to apply heat to food. Mastering these terms is the first step to understanding any recipe.

Dry-Heat Methods

Sauté

To cook food quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat, tossing or stirring frequently. The French word literally means "to jump"—referring to the food's movement in the pan.

Roast

To cook food (typically meat or vegetables) uncovered in an oven using dry heat and indirect radiation. Roasting develops caramelization and deep flavor through the Maillard reaction.

Bake

To cook food in an oven with dry heat. While similar to roasting, baking typically refers to bread, pastries, casseroles, and other dishes that undergo structural changes during cooking.

Grill

To cook food on a grate over direct, high heat—typically from charcoal, gas, or wood. Grilling produces characteristic char marks and smoky flavors.

Broil

To cook food directly under a high heat source in the oven. Broiling is essentially grilling upside down, providing intense top-down heat for browning and crisping.

Sear

To brown the surface of food (usually meat) at very high temperature to develop a flavorful, caramelized crust. Searing is often the first step before roasting or braising.

Stir-Fry

An Asian technique of cooking small, uniform pieces of food rapidly in a wok or large skillet over very high heat with constant stirring.

Deep-Fry

To submerge food completely in hot oil (typically 350–375°F / 175–190°C), cooking it quickly to a crispy, golden exterior.

Pan-Fry

To cook food in a moderate amount of oil in a flat pan over medium to medium-high heat, without submerging it entirely.

Moist-Heat Methods

Boil

To heat a liquid until it reaches 212°F (100°C at sea level), with vigorous bubbling. Boiling is used for pasta, potatoes, eggs, and blanching.

Simmer

To heat a liquid to just below the boiling point (roughly 185–205°F / 85–96°C), with gentle, small bubbles. Simmering is ideal for soups, sauces, and stews.

Poach

To cook food gently in liquid maintained at 160–180°F (71–82°C), well below a simmer. Delicate items like eggs, fish, and fruit benefit from poaching's gentle heat.

Steam

To cook food using the vapor from boiling water, without the food touching the liquid. Steaming preserves nutrients, color, and texture.

Blanch

To plunge food briefly into boiling water and then immediately transfer it to ice water to stop cooking. Blanching is used to loosen skins (tomatoes, peaches), set color (green vegetables), and partially cook ingredients.

Combination Methods

Braise

To sear food in fat, then cook it slowly in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. Braising transforms tough cuts of meat into tender, flavorful dishes.

Stew

Similar to braising, but the food is cut into pieces and submerged in liquid. Stewing produces hearty dishes with rich, blended flavors.

Knife Skills and Cutting Terms

Precise knife work is foundational in cooking. These terms describe the most important cuts every cook should know.

Dice

To cut food into uniform cubes. Standard sizes are large dice (¾ inch), medium dice (½ inch), small dice (¼ inch), and brunoise (⅛ inch).

Mince

To cut food into very fine, irregular pieces—smaller than a dice. Garlic, shallots, and herbs are commonly minced.

Julienne

To cut food into thin, uniform matchstick-shaped strips, typically 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 2 inches. Julienned vegetables are common in stir-fries and salads.

Chiffonade

To stack leafy herbs or greens, roll them tightly, and slice across the roll to produce fine ribbons. Basil chiffonade is a classic garnish.

Brunoise

A very fine dice (1/8 inch cubes), often produced by first julienning and then cutting across the strips. Used for delicate garnishes and refined sauces.

Chop

To cut food into irregular pieces of roughly the same size, less precise than dicing.

Slice

To cut food into broad, flat pieces of uniform thickness.

Bâtonnet

A cut producing sticks approximately ¼ inch × ¼ inch × 2–3 inches—thicker than julienne. French fries begin as bâtonnets.

Tournée

A seven-sided, football-shaped cut applied to vegetables (potatoes, carrots) for elegant presentation. It is one of the most challenging classical cuts.

Bias Cut

Slicing at an angle (rather than straight across) to increase the surface area, common when cutting scallions, carrots, or baguettes.

Baking Vocabulary

Baking is both an art and a science, with its own precise vocabulary for ingredients, processes, and textures.

Leaven

To cause dough or batter to rise through the introduction of gas. Leavening agents include yeast (biological), baking soda and baking powder (chemical), and steam (mechanical).

Proof

The final rise of shaped yeast dough before baking. Proofing allows the dough to expand to its full volume.

Knead

To work dough by pressing, folding, and stretching to develop gluten—the elastic protein network that gives bread its structure and chewiness.

Fold

To gently combine a lighter mixture (such as whipped egg whites) into a heavier one by using a broad spatula in a sweeping, circular motion, preserving volume and airiness.

Cream

To beat butter (often with sugar) until light and fluffy, incorporating air. Creaming is a fundamental step in many cake and cookie recipes.

Blind Bake

To bake a pie or tart crust without its filling, using pie weights or dried beans to prevent the crust from puffing up or shrinking.

Gluten

A network of proteins (glutenin and gliadin) that forms when flour is mixed with water and worked. Gluten gives bread its structure but is unwanted in tender pastries.

Fermentation

The metabolic process by which yeast converts sugars into carbon dioxide (for leavening) and alcohol (for flavor). Longer fermentation yields more complex flavors.

Caramelize

To heat sugar until it melts, turns golden brown, and develops a rich, complex flavor. The term also applies to browning the natural sugars in foods like onions.

Dough

A thick, pliable mixture of flour, liquid, and other ingredients. Doughs are kneaded and shaped—as opposed to batters, which are pourable.

Batter

A semi-liquid mixture of flour, eggs, and liquid, thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon. Cakes, pancakes, and muffins start as batters.

Sauces, Stocks, and Bases

Sauces are the soul of classical cooking, and their vocabulary reflects centuries of French culinary tradition.

Stock

A flavorful liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables, and aromatics in water for hours. Stocks are the foundation of sauces, soups, and risottos. Types include chicken, beef, fish, and vegetable stock.

Broth

Similar to stock but made by simmering meat (not just bones) in water, producing a lighter, more immediate flavor. Broth is often seasoned and served on its own.

Roux

A cooked mixture of equal parts fat (usually butter) and flour, used to thicken sauces and soups. Roux stages range from white (briefly cooked) to blond to dark brown.

Mother Sauce

One of five foundational sauces in classical French cuisine from which all other sauces derive: béchamel (white sauce), velouté (light stock sauce), espagnole (brown sauce), sauce tomat (tomato sauce), and hollandaise (emulsified butter sauce).

Reduction

A sauce or liquid that has been simmered until some of its water evaporates, concentrating flavors and thickening consistency.

Emulsion

A stable mixture of two normally immiscible liquids (like oil and water) achieved through vigorous mixing and often an emulsifier like egg yolk. Vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, and hollandaise are emulsions.

Deglazing

Adding liquid (wine, stock, or water) to a hot pan to dissolve the caramelized bits of food (fond) stuck to the bottom, creating a flavorful base for sauces and gravies.

Pan Sauce

A quick sauce made in the same pan used to cook protein, building on the fond through deglazing, reducing, and finishing with butter or cream.

Kitchen Equipment

Mandoline

A flat cutting tool with an adjustable blade for making uniform thin slices of vegetables and fruits. Essential for consistent cuts when precision matters.

Dutch Oven

A heavy, thick-walled pot (usually cast iron with an enamel coating) with a tight-fitting lid, ideal for braising, stewing, and baking bread.

Chinois

A conical fine-mesh strainer used to produce smooth sauces and stocks by filtering out solids.

Ramekin

A small, oven-safe dish used for individual portions of soufflés, crème brûlée, and baked eggs.

Mise en Place

French for "everything in its place"—the practice of preparing and organizing all ingredients and tools before cooking begins. Mise en place is the cornerstone of professional kitchen efficiency.

Sheet Pan

A flat, rectangular metal pan with low sides, used for roasting vegetables, baking cookies, and sheet-pan dinners.

Immersion Blender

A handheld blender that can be inserted directly into a pot or container to purée soups, sauces, and smoothies without transferring to a separate blender.

Flavor and Seasoning Terms

Umami

The fifth taste (alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter), described as a deep, savory, mouth-coating sensation. Foods rich in umami include soy sauce, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Season

To enhance the flavor of food by adding salt, pepper, herbs, spices, or other flavorings. "Season to taste" means adding these gradually until the flavor is balanced.

Marinate

To soak food in a seasoned liquid (the marinade) to infuse flavor and sometimes tenderize. Marinades typically contain an acid (vinegar, citrus juice), oil, and aromatics.

Brine

A solution of water and salt (sometimes with sugar and spices) used to soak food—especially poultry and pork—to enhance moisture and flavor.

Cure

To preserve and flavor food (usually meat or fish) by applying salt, sugar, nitrates, or a combination. Bacon, prosciutto, and gravlax are cured foods.

Zest

The outermost, colored layer of citrus peel, rich in flavorful essential oils. Zesting adds bright, concentrated citrus flavor without the bitterness of the white pith beneath.

Bouquet Garni

A bundle of herbs (traditionally parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaf) tied together and simmered in soups, stocks, and stews for flavor, then removed before serving.

Mirepoix

A flavor base of diced onions, carrots, and celery (typically in a 2:1:1 ratio), sautéed as the starting point for countless soups, sauces, and braises.

French Culinary Terms

French cuisine has shaped the vocabulary of professional cooking worldwide. Here are essential French terms every cook encounters.

À la carte

Ordering individual dishes from a menu rather than selecting a set meal.

Au gratin

A dish topped with breadcrumbs, cheese, or both and browned under a broiler or in an oven to create a crispy, golden crust.

Sous vide

A cooking method in which food is vacuum-sealed in a bag and cooked in a precisely controlled water bath at low temperatures for an extended time, producing exceptionally even results.

Flambé

To ignite alcohol in a pan to burn off the raw flavor and create a dramatic flame, often for desserts like crêpes Suzette or bananas Foster.

Confit

A preservation method in which food (traditionally duck) is cooked slowly in its own fat, then stored submerged in that fat. The technique produces meltingly tender results.

En croûte

Food wrapped in pastry dough and baked. Beef Wellington is the most famous example of cooking en croûte.

Coulis

A thin purée of fruits or vegetables used as a sauce—such as raspberry coulis drizzled over dessert.

Jus

The natural juices released from meat during cooking, often served as a light sauce alongside roasted dishes.

Food Preparation Terms

Render

To melt fat from meat (such as bacon or duck skin) by cooking slowly over low heat, producing liquid fat and crispy cracklings.

Score

To make shallow cuts in the surface of food (such as a ham or bread dough) to aid cooking, prevent curling, or create a decorative pattern.

Truss

To tie poultry or other meat with kitchen twine to maintain a compact shape during cooking, ensuring even heat distribution.

Temper

To gradually bring an ingredient to a desired temperature. In cooking, tempering often refers to slowly adding hot liquid to eggs to raise their temperature without scrambling them. In chocolate work, tempering is a precise heating-and-cooling process that produces a glossy, snappy finish.

Rest

To allow cooked meat to sit for several minutes after removing it from heat, permitting juices to redistribute throughout for a moister result.

Deglaze

See Sauces, Stocks, and Bases above—adding liquid to a hot pan to dissolve flavorful browned bits.

Cooking Measurements

Accurate measurement is critical in baking and important in cooking. Here are the standard terms and abbreviations.

• Teaspoon (tsp) — approximately 5 mL
• Tablespoon (tbsp) — approximately 15 mL (3 teaspoons)
• Cup — 240 mL (16 tablespoons)
• Fluid ounce (fl oz) — approximately 30 mL
• Pint — 2 cups (480 mL)
• Quart — 4 cups (960 mL)
• Gallon — 16 cups (3.8 liters)
• Ounce (oz) — a unit of weight, approximately 28 grams
• Pound (lb) — 16 ounces (approximately 454 grams)
• Pinch — a small, imprecise amount held between thumb and forefinger, roughly ⅛ teaspoon
• Dash — a small, imprecise amount, slightly more than a pinch

Tips for Learning Cooking Vocabulary

• Cook with intention. Practice new terms by following recipes that use unfamiliar techniques. Hands-on experience cements vocabulary far better than memorization.
• Watch cooking shows. Professional chefs use precise vocabulary naturally, providing context and pronunciation.
• Study etymology. Many culinary terms come from French—"sauté" means to jump, "braise" comes from braise (hot charcoal). Knowing origins makes terms memorable.
• Label your kitchen tools. Stick notes on equipment with their proper names.
• Read cookbooks and food writing. Well-written recipes and food memoirs use cooking vocabulary in context, deepening your understanding.
• Build your English vocabulary broadly. Cooking vocabulary connects to science (Maillard reaction, emulsification), geography (regional cuisines), and culture.

From the precise language of knife cuts to the poetic French terms that grace restaurant menus, cooking vocabulary enriches your experience in the kitchen and at the table. As you practice these terms, you will find that recipes become clearer, techniques become more intuitive, and the joy of cooking deepens. For more vocabulary guides, visit dictionary.wiki.