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| Reduce or Reduction |
The technique of cooking liquids down so that some of the water they contain evaporates. Reduction is used to concentrate the flavor of a broth or sauce and, at times, to help thicken the sauce by concentrating ingredients such as natural gelatin. |
| Refresh |
To rinse just-boiled vegetables under very cold water to stop their cooking. |
| Resting |
Roasted meats should not be served straight out of the over, but should be allowed to rest in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil. (The foil keeps the meat warm; loose wrapping ensures that the outside of the meat doesn’t steam and lose its crispness.) Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become redistributed in the meat and aren’t squeezed out onto the platter during carving. |
| Roast |
The purpose of roasting is to create a golden brown crust on whatever it is we are roasting and, at the same time, make sure the meat, fish, or vegetable properly cooks in the center. When roasting, no liquid such as broth, wine, or water comes in contact with the food—only hot air, or, if the roast is being basted, hot fat. Roasting is both simple and complex—simple because there’s very little to do except slide the food into the oven; complex because if the temperature isn’t right, the food may never brown or cook properly. |
| Sauté |
To cook over high heat in a small amount of fat in a sauté pan or skillet. |
| Scald |
To heat milk just below the boiling point. Or, to immerse a vegetable or fruit in boiling water in order to remove its skin easily. |
| Sear |
To brown the surface of pieces of meats and or fish by submitting them to intense initial heat. |
| Shred |
To cut into fine strips. Shredding is similar to cutting into chiffonade but less precise. |
| Simmer |
To maintain the temperature of a liquid just below boiling. |
| Skim |
To lift and discard any unwanted foam or fat from the surface of a stock, broth, sauce, or soup. |
| Smother |
To cook in a covered pan with little liquid over low heat. |
| Spring-form pan |
A cake pan with a detachable bottom and a clamp on its side that can be released to easily unmold the cake. You make Tiramisu link in one of these. |
| Steam |
To cook in steam by suspending foods over (not in) boiling water, in a covered pot or steamer. |
| Stew |
A cooking method nearly identical to braising but generally involving smaller pieces of meat, and hence a shorter cooking time. Also, the dish prepared by using this method of preparation. |
| Stir-fry |
Chinese technique of cooking think slivers of meat, shellfish, and vegetables in hot oil. |
| Sweat |
To cook foods over gentle heat, usually covered or partly covered, until they release their moisture. Vegetables, meats, and seafood are often sweated when making soups, stews, and sauces so that the foods release their juices into the pan and surrounding liquid. Sweating is the opposite of sautéing. |
| Whip |
To beat a preparation with the goal of introducing air into it. Or, the balloon wire whisk often used to do so. |
| Zest |
The thin, brightly colored outer part of the rind of citrus fruits. The oils make it ideal for use as a flavoring. Remove the zest with a grater, citrus zester, or vegetable peeler. Be careful to remove only the colored layer, not the bitter-white pith beneath it. |
