The Six Cafe

DICTIONARY

Here are a few of my favorite and most commonly used baking terms!

A la carte

(adj.), listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal.

Aerate

(v.), To introduce air into a mixture by beating, whipping, whisking or sifting.

bain marie

(n.), (French for water bath) is a simple technique used for baking delicate deserts

coring

(v.), removing both the rough outer skin and the seeds from fruits and vegetables.

Cream

(v.), mixing butter and sugar together on a moderately high speed until well blended, fluffy and pale yellow.

Galette

(n.), A galette is a French pastry similar to a tart or a pie; it's essentially pastry dough wrapped over a filling made from fruit, sugar, and butter.

Kissing crust

(n.), the edge on a loaf of bread where it has touched another loaf in baking.

macerate

(v.), a technique by which an ingredient, usually fresh or dried fruit, is soaked in a flavored liquid

mise en place

(v.), everything in place, means to have all your ingredients, cookware and your kitchen prepped and ready to go before doing your cooking or baking.

pasteurization

(n.), This process involves heating products to 63°C (145°F) and holding them at that temperature for at least 30 minutes.

scald

(v.), to heat a liquid until just below the boiling point, 82°C (180°F)

tempering

(v.), to bring two liquids you plan to blend together to a similar temperature before combining them completely.

vandyke

(v.), cutting zigzags in the edges of fruit and vegetables halves to be used as a garnish.

whip

(v.), The process of beating an ingredient vigorously to incorporate air, which makes the ingredient frothy. A whip is basically a larger version of a whisk

whisk

(n.), A whisk is a cooking utensil which can be used to blend ingredients smooth or to incorporate air into a mixture

zest

(v.), Refers to the outer skin of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes.

dust

(v.), Refers to the process of lightly sprinkling a fine layer of a powdered or granulated ingredient onto food.

fold

(v.) the process of combining ingredients together gently without stirring, beating or otherwise agitating the mixture.

knead

(v.), to work the dough, usually by hand,

soft peaks

(n.), the whipping of ingredients such as egg whites or cream to a consistency where when you lift the beater and turn it upside down, the whipped cream or meringue softly falls into a curved peak.

stiff peaks

(n.), the whipping of ingredients such as egg whites or cream to a consistency where when you lift the beater and turn it upside down, the peaks stand straight up when the beaters are lifted.

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