Core Concepts of Cookery THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT
COOKING
Cooking
- Preparation of food for consumption, using
heat
- The main purpose of cooking is to tenderize
food.
- Improve the taste for the physical aspects of
eating and nourishment of the body
What marks out the professional cook?
1. The ability to make food combinations into
attractive, nourishing and appropriate meals for
people;
2. A cook must always be conscious of the
expectations and needs of the guest or
customer;
3. Not only concerned with recipes, but also
with the ability to control the amount and
intensity of heat applied to a wide range of
foodstuffs; and
4. Skill-based competency.
Culinary Careers
1. Chef/Cooks/food Preparers
2. Caterer
3. Restaurant Owner
4. Culinary arts Professor
5. Cookbook author
6. Nutritionist
1. 95% of your gadgets are unnecessary. Throw
them away. They take away the need to develop
and practice skills. They cost money. Clutter
2. Knives should be sharpened ALL THE TIME.
Knife skills are everything.
3. Recipes are just guides. You are the master of
the kitchen. You can always cook without a recipe.
4. Food photography is a serious skill.
- a terrible photo of a brilliant recipe looks awful, a
great photo of a horrible recipe looks great.
5. Don’t Skip The Mise En Place.
6. Don't season too much too early.
7. Don’t try To Beat Egg Whites with A Bit of Yolk
8. Don’t Try To Catch A Falling Knife
9. Do not use a metal utensil on a nonstick pan.
10. The difference between herbs and spices is that
herbs come from the leaf of a plant. Spices come
from other parts of the plant.
11. Fresh lemon juice will remove onion scent from
hands.
12. Never pour left over oil into the sink.
13. Never pour water into hot oil.
14. Boiling oil is 100% hotter than boiling water.
15. When measuring baking ingredients (flour,
sugar, etc) level it off using a flat tool/utensil.
16. Never serve without tasting first.
17. Never put out a grease/oil fire with water
18. Never confuse a clove of garlic and a bulb of
garlic
19. A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook must
bring soul to the recipe.
20. No one is born a great cook, one learns by
doing.
 Culinary Terms
1. Al dente - Italian term used to describe pasta
that is cooked until it offers a slight resistance to the
bite.
2. Bake - To cook by dry heat, usually in the oven.
3. Barbecue - Usually used generally to refer to
grilling done outdoors or over an open charcoal or
wood fire.
4. Bard - To tie some type of fat (bacon or fatback)
around what you are cooking to prevent it from
drying out while roasting.
5. Baste - To spoon, brush, or squirt a liquid ( meat
drippings, stock, barbecue sauce, melted butter) on
food while it cooks to prevent drying out and to add
flavor
6. Batter - A mixture containing flour and liquid, thin
enough to pour.
7. Braise - A cooking method where meat or
vegetables are first browned in butter and/or oil,
then cooked in a covered pot in a small amout of
cooking liquid at low heat for a long period of time.
8. Blanch - To immerse in rapidly boiling water and
allow to cook slightly.
15. Flambé - To flame foods by dousing in
some form of potable alcohol and setting alight.
16. Fold - To incorporate a delicate substance,
such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites,
into another substance without releasing air
bubbles.
17. Glaze - To cook with a thin sugar syrup
cooked to crack stage; mixture may be
thickened slightly.
18. Knead - To work and press dough with the
palms of the hands or mechanically, to develop
the gluten in the flour.
19. Marinate - To flavor and moisturize pieces
of meat, poultry, seafood or vegetable by
soaking them in a liquid mixture of seasonings
known as a marinade.
20. Skim - To remove impurities, whether
scum or fat, from the surface of a liquid during
cooking, thereby resulting in a clear, cleaner-
tasting final produce.
21. Truss - To secure poultry with string or
skewers, to hold its shape while cooking.

9. Caramelize - To heat sugar in order to turn it

22. Whip - To beat rapidly to incorporate air
brown and give it a special taste. and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or
egg whites.
10. Chiffonade - Is the French term for a particular
knife cut where herbs and leafy greens are cut into
thin strips.

11. Cream - To soften a fat, especially butter, by

beating it at room temperature. Butter and sugar
are often creamed together, making a smooth, soft
paste.

12. Cure - To preserve meats by drying and

salting and/or smoking.

13. Deglaze - To dissolve the thin glaze of

juices and brown bits on the surface of a pan in
which food has been fried, sauteed or roasted.

14. Dredge - To sprinkle or coat with flour or

other fine substance.