Kids A-Z Cooking Terms

Cooking terms can be confusing at the best of times. Below is a list of the most used cooking terms that I use in my classes. They have simple explanations and I try and teach one term to my classes each week. They are key to understanding a recipe and over time these terms will become part of your child's vocabulary.

Try teaching them to your children and testing them on the spellings.

B Cooking Terms
Bake	Cook in the oven i.e. cakes, biscuits, pastries, pasta bakes
Bake blind	To bake pastry cases without their fillings
Baste	To spoon hot cooking liquid over food whilst cooking (helps food stay moist and keep it’s flavour)
Beat	Create a mixture by using a spatula, hand whisk or electric mixer i.e. pancake batter
Bind	Mix ingredients together using an egg or other thickening ingredient
Blend	Mix ingredients together until they are fully combined i.e. smoothie
Boil	To cook in a liquid brought to boiling point – rice, potatoes, pasta, soup
Brown	To cook food until it turns brown or a golden colour
C Cooking Terms
Chill	To place food in a fridge
Chop	To cut food into small even sized pieces
Cube	To cut food into small pieces i.e. cubes of meat, potato
Cream	To beat a fat (generally butter) together with sugar (baking term)
Crudite	Raw vegetables cut into sticks i.e. served with hummus
D Cooking Terms
Dice	To cut into small cubes
Dressing	A mixture added to dishes to add moisture and flavour i.e. Salads
F Cooking Terms
Fold in	Using a silver spoon or spatula to carefully add ingredients together
Fry	To cook in hot fat on a hob
G Cooking Terms
Grease	To rub fat or oil onto a cooking utensil to stop food from sticking i.e. cake tin
Grill	To cook under a grill i.e. cheese on toast
K Cooking Terms
Knead	To work a yeast dough in a pressing, stretching and folding motion with the heel of the hand i.e. bread dough
P Cooking Terms
Pit	To take out stones or seeds from foods i.e. olives, cherries
R Cooking Terms
Rubbing in	Mixing four and fat (i.e. butter) together with finger tips – crumble, pastry
S Cooking Terms
Season	To add salt, pepper, spices or herbs to a dish
Sift	To pass flour through a sieve to get rid of lump and add air
Simmer	To cook something on the hob on a low heat
Seperate	Egg: to part a yolk from it’s white
Stock	A savoury liquid added to a dish to add flavour – soup, gravy
W Cooking Terms
Whip	To beat ingredients together with a hand or electric whisk
Whisk	To beat ingredients together with a hand or electric whisk
Z Cooking Terms
Zest	To finely grate the outer skin of a citrus fruit (orange or lemon) to add flavour