Al dente  - Italian phrase that describes pasta when it is cooked slightly resistant to the tooth: firm yet cooked thoroughly; translated, it means to the tooth.

Beat - To stir rapidly in a circular motion, either by hand or with an electric mixer, to introduce air into the mixture to achieve a lighter, fluffy texture.

Blanch - To blanch vegetables or fruits, briefly submerge them in boiling water, then plunge them immediately and briefly into ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching heightens the color and flavor of foods and is often used before freezing food items. Also called parboil.

Blend - Combining two or more ingredients together to obtain a smooth mixture, using a spoon or electric mixer. To avoid lumps, stir the mixture in one direction only. One particular type of blending is folding in, or adding other ingredients to an already whipped mixture and mixing delicately so as not to remove the air contained in the mixture. This operation is more successful if the two ingredients are of the same temperature.

Broil - Cooking technique that places food directly above or below the heat source; for example, on a charcoal grill or under a gas or electric heating element.

Brown - Cooking method that uses high heat to cause the food’s outside surface to turn brown while the inside surface remains moist; adds rich flavor and appetizing color to foods.

Brush -  Using a tool, such as a pastry brush, to apply liquid (marinade or oil) to the surface of food.

Chop - To coarsely cut food into smaller pieces of roughly the same size using quick heavy blows of a knife or other sharp tool, such as a food processor.

Combine - To mix ingredients together.

Crisp-tender - An ideal degree of doneness, usually refers to vegetables that are tender yet retain their texture.

Crumble - To break food into smaller pieces by hand.

Deglaze - Cooking technique that removes excess fat from the cooking pan. Deglazing is done by adding a small amount of liquid, such as wine or stock and scraping up the pieces of browned food in the pan. This process creates the base for sauce mixtures, which are served with the food that was cooked in the pan.

Dice - To cut food into small cubes.

Drizzle - To sprinkle or pour a fine stream of liquid over food.

Emulsify - To combine two liquids of different densities by whipped them together with a whisk or a blender; vinaigrette, mayonnaise and cream, are three of the most common examples of emulsions. The emulsion obtained from the mixture of a watery substance and an oily one, such as vinaigrette, is unstable; the two liquids will separate when you stop mixing.  To make it stable, an emulsifier (such as mustard) is needed to bind them together. The most commonly used emulsifier in cooking is egg yolk, but pectin, soya lecithin, and gelatin also have similar properties.

Garnish - To add decorative touches to dishes being served.

Grate - To make firm foods, (e.g., hard cheese) into small particles by rubbing it against a serrated tool, such as a grater.

Gratinate - The finishing of an already cooked dish by putting it into the oven to form a crispy golden crust on the surface. There are two methods of gratinating: full, which involves cooking and gratinating raw food at the same time, and a quicker method, during which the crust is simply added to pre-cooked food. In the first case, the whole cooking process is done in the oven, with the food covered with enough liquid to allow it to cook without burning; the second method, normally used for pasta, involves sprinkling grated cheese and breadcrumbs on the top, adding oil or butter, and placing in the oven.

Marinate   To allow food, such as meat, poultry, fish or vegetables, to stand for a period of time in a liquid mixture. This mixture usually contains an acidic ingredient, such as wine or lemon juice, and is often seasoned with herbs. Marinating causes food to absorb the flavors of the liquid mixture; can be used to tenderize meats.

Mash - To smash or crush food, such as potatoes, into a smooth mixture.

Mince - To cut food into small, fine pieces.

Mix - To combine two or more foods into a uniform mixture using a stirring motion.

Puree - To blend or process food into a smooth, thick, paste-like consistency.

Reduce - To rapidly boil a liquid, such as sauce, stock, or wine, until its volume is reduced. This process, often referred to as a reduction, intensifies the flavor and thickens the consistency.

Refresh - To immerse a hot vegetable in ice water to set the color and flavor.

Reserve - To set aside an ingredient for use at a later time.

Saute - To cook quickly in a very hot pan using a small amount of fat or oil. This technique requires that food to be turned over frequently to allow it to cook evenly. (In meat recipes, the term “sauté” means to cook by browning.) A professional chef will saute using a characteristic wrist and hand movement to “throw” the ingredients up into the air and have them land back in the pan on the other side. Home cooks can simply turn the pasta and vegetables frequently with a wooden spoon, so that all the food gets flavored by the oil, butter, or sauce in the pan, and all surfaces are covered by a golden crust.

Shave - To slice, especially cold cuts of meat, very finely or thinly.

Simmer - To cook food in liquid, keeping it just below boiling. Simmering is different from boiling since the heated liquid reaches the surface in tiny bubbles.

Soffritto - An Italian term for a lightly sauteed mixture of vegetables that is the starting point for a sauce or soup (and many other dishes, such as casseroles). The process involves sautéing a mixture of chopped vegetables and herbs in oil or butter at a fairly low temperature. Most often, the essential ingredients for a soffritto are garlic or onion; both have a more delicate flavor and are more easily digested if cooked over a low heat for a short time. Many recipes suggest that this cooking should continue only to the point when the onion becomes transparent, or “slightly golden” at the most; similarly, if garlic is left on the heat for too long it darkens and becomes bitter. Those who prefer a lighter flavor may wish to replace the onion or garlic with shallots.

Steam - A cooking process that softens food placed in a covered pan or container on a rack or basket. Boiling or simmering water passes over the food to cook it (as opposed to submerging the food into water to cook it). This method retains the nutrients, flavors, taste, and texture of foods.

Steep - To extract or infuse the flavor of a dry ingredient, such as tea or coffee, by soaking in a hot liquid.

Strain - To pass through a filter, such as a strainer, to separate solids from liquids.

Toast - To lightly brown the surface of food with dry heat.

Toss - To combine ingredients quickly yet gently using two utensils and a lifting motion.

Whisk - To beat ingredients together using a wire tool called a whisk.

Whip - To stir air into a mixture or ingredient using a whisk in order to make the mixture swell and thicken. The classic example of this procedure is in the preparation of sweets, when whipping egg white or cream. The term, however, is also used in cooking to describe operations which bind and lighten a sauce with fats (oil, butter or cream) or egg yolk; this procedure involves whipping the sauce energetically, just before serving ,as the sauce obtained using this procedure is not very stable.

Wilt - To cook, sauté, or steam a vegetable until it becomes limp.