Cooking skills 101: common terminology

When you first take up cooking, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the many different cooking terms and phrases. In this article, we’re going to cover some of the most common cooking terms that you need to know when you’re getting started in the kitchen.

Cooking 101 - terms you need to know

Baste

If your recipe instructs you to baste your meat, it is asking you to keep it moist when cooking by periodically coating it with either its own juices or the marinade it is cooking in. You can use a basting brush or even a spoon.

Dash

A dash of an ingredient means that you should add just a small amount. For example, a dash of salt in a recipe is approximately ⅛ of a teaspoon.

Mince

Mincing is a technique that involves cutting your ingredients into very small pieces.  It is smaller than a diced ingredient.

Parboil

Parboiling means partially boiling your ingredients. Usually, this process helps to soften certain ingredients in your dish before the final stage of cooking.

Reduce

In a recipe, you might be asked to reduce a liquid solution. This involves gently boiling the liquid to reduce its volume.

Sauté

Sautéing is a cooking technique that involves cooking ingredients to cause them to brown or become fragrant. Sautéing uses fairly high heat and a wide, shallow cooking pan.

Sear

Searing is often a cooking technique used for meats. It involves cooking the ingredients on high heat to cause them to brown very quickly.

Steam

Steaming requires a slow cooker, steamer, saucepan, or pressure cooker. It involves using boiling water to cook ingredients, such as vegetables but the ingredient is kept separate from the water so that it is the stream that cooks it.

Steep

Steeping helps to enhance the color and flavor of ingredients. It involves leaving the ingredients in water that is just below boiling point.