Cooking Dictionary for Kids
Learning What Basic Terms Mean
When cooking with a child, you may come across words like dash, dissolve, and whip. Help your child know what these words mean to make cooking easier and less frustrating for her. Cooking should be a fun experience to share with your child, and this dictionary may help.
Al dente
An item, such as pasta or vegetables, cooked until it is tender but still firm, not soft.
Aromatics
Ingredients, such as herbs, spices, and vinegars, used to enhance the flavor and smell of food.
Bake
To cook in an oven.
Beat
To mix ingredients together with a fork, whisker, or mixer at a high speed. The purpose of this action is to add air to the mixture, which makes it smooth.
Blend
To mix two or more ingredients together with a spoon or mixer.
Boil
To heat liquid to the point that it bubbles vigorously. The point at which liquid boils is 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).
Broil
To bake something at a very high temperature in the oven under the broiler. This helps turn foods brown on top. If not watched carefully, though, it can burn food quickly. It is very important to follow cooking directions when using a broiler.
Celsius
A measure of temperature where 0 degrees is the freezing point and 100 degrees is the boiling point of water. You will often see this abbreviated as C.
Cheesecloth
A light, fine mesh gauze used for straining liquids and making sachets.
Chill
To place food in the refrigerator to make it cold.
Chop
To cut into small pieces on a cutting board.
Cool
To let food recently cooked stand at room temperature until no longer warm.
Cream
To mix butter and sugar together in a bowl with a spoon or whisk until it becomes creamy.
Cube
To cut food into small square pieces.
Dash
A small amount of an ingredient such as pepper or salt, meaning to shake out one drop or sprinkle from a shaker.
Dice
To cut into cubes of the same small size.
Dissolve
To stir a dry or powdered ingredient with liquid until it disappears.
Dollop
A small serving.
Dough
A mixture of flour and water that is thick enough to roll and knead. You can also drop it from a spoon.
Drain
To remove liquid from food by putting it into a colander to separate the food from the liquid. The liquid will "drain" into the sink or a pot.
Drizzle
To pour lightly from a spoon over food.
Dust
To lightly cover food with a dry ingredient, such as confectioner's sugar.
Fahrenheit
A measure of temperature where 32 degrees is the freezing point and 212 degrees is the boiling points. You will often see this abbreviated as F.
Fold
To combine ingredients using a gentle up and down motion with a spoon.
Grate
To rub food on a grater's punched holes to make small pieces of food.
Grind
To cut or crush food in a grinding machine or blender.
Knead
To mix dough into a smooth texture by pressing and folding with your hands until soft and smooth.
Measure
To use measuring cups and spoons to get the right amount of an ingredient.
Melt
To turn a solid into liquid by placing it over heat.
Mince
To chop very finely.
Mix
To combine ingredients together so they are blended evenly.
Peel
To remove the skin of a food using a peeling instrument (such as cucumbers and carrots).
Roast
To cook in the oven using dry heat.
Saute
To cook quickly in a pan over medium-high heat with a small amount of fat or liquid.
Shred
To rub a large food across a surface with medium to large holes or slits to make small pieces.
Sift
To put a dry ingredient in a sifter to break up the lumps and make it fine.
Simmer
To cook over a low heat to keep a food warm, but not let it boil.
Slice
To cut food into thin pieces with a knife.
Stir
To mix in a rounded motion with a spoon or whisk.
Toss
To mix several ingredients by lightly shaking the bowl the ingredients are in.
Whip
To beat rapidly, usually with a spoon, whisk, or blender, to add air into the mixture.
Whisk
To beat ingredients together with a wire whip until they are well blended.
Kids having fun cooking together
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