French Cooking Terms

Here is a short glossary of some french cooking terms to get you started.

Baveuse - Refers to an omelet whose center is still slightly liquid. (Literally something that is drooling, but that 's not too appetizing, is it?)

Blanc de Cuisson - A liquid made from water, flour and lemon juice used to keep foods from oxydizing and losing their color while cooking.

Blanchir - Placing something in boiling water for just a few minutes before removing it and placing it in cold water. This procedure allows vegetables to keep their colors and helps make tomatoes and fruits easy to peel.

Braiser -Cook something slowly, with just a little liquid and a lid on it.

Brider -Hold together a chicken or other meat with string or skewers while it is cooking.

Brunir - Cook a food just until it's surface is caramelized - does not necessarily mean that the food is cooked through.

Brunoise - Vegetables cut into very little pieces.

Chaud-Froid - Something that has been cooked but is served cold in gelatin.

Chemiser - Literally to put a shirt on. Use wax paper to keep foods from sticking to baking pans, etc.

Chiffonade - Herbs or salad leaves that have been rolled and very finely chopped.

Clouter - Clouter an onion mieans to stick cloves in it.

Confit - Meat or poultry that has been cooked and conserved in its own fat. Can also refer to fruits conserved in a sugar syrup.

Court-Bouillon - Liquid made from water, herbs, and either vinegar, lemon juice, or wine and used to cook fish.

Déglacer - To dissolve cooking juices attached to the sides of a pot or pan with a little hot liquid to create a sauce or the start of a sauce.

Depouiller - Add a cold liquid to a hot liquid in order to get the fat to rise to the top so it can be skimmed off.

Ecailler - To open an oyster, clam or mussel or to remove the scales from a fish.

Ecumer - Remove the fat and/or foam formed on the surface of a liquid using a ladle.

Emulsion - A liquid that has droplets of fat evenly distributed throughout. Mayonnaise is an emulsion.

Faisander - Hang game meat in a cool, dark and airy location so that it begins to decompose. This is done to add flavor to the meat.

Farce - Stuffing or dressing.

Flamber - To ignite alcohol that has been poured over a preparation. The alcohol burns and leaves just its flavor.

Frémir - To keep a liquid just below the boiling point.

Glace de Cuisne - Reduced meat stock.

Glacer - To decorate a cake or other pastry with a smooth and shiny layer of icing.

Julienne - Vegetables cut in very slender slices, smaller than matchsticks.

Liaison - The thickening of a sauce, perhaps with cream or corn starch, at the end of cooking.

Luter - To seal a cooking dish with dough made from flour and water.

Macédoine - Mixture of finely diced fruits and vegetables.

Macérer - To soak a food in a liquid (particularly alcohol) so that it takes on a new flavor.

Mijoter - To cook something slowly on the stovetop with the lid on.

Moudre - To grind, in particular spices and coffee.

Napper - To cover a dish with sauce.

Paner - To cover a food with flour, beaten egg, and/or bread crumbs.

Parmentier - Refers to recipes that include potatoes.

Poêler - Cook something in butter or oil with the lid on.

Rectifier - To correct the seasonings of a dish before serving.

Roux - Mixture of flour and butter or other fat used to thicken sauces and soups.

Sabler - To cut butter or another fat into flour until it is pebbly.

Sauter - To cook something in fat on high heat.

Tamiser - To sift flour or other powders.

Come back and visit my French cooking terms page often, I will be adding more French cooking terms as I encounter them in my culinary adventure in France.

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