Cooking Glossary

Candying

Cooking fruits or vegetables in a heavy sweet syrup.

Cannellini Bean

A large white Italian kidney bean used to add flavor to soups and stews.

Canola Oil

The common term for rapeseed oil. The popularity of canola oil is growing because of its low saturated fat content and high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fat. It is nearly tasteless, and is useful for cooking due to its high smoking point.

Caramelize

Slowly cooking sugar (or a sugar-heavy food) over low heat in order to convert the sugar into caramel.

Cartouche

Greased paper used to cover meats during cooking.

Casserole

A fire-proof cooking dish.

Cassoulet

A dish containing beans, pork, mutton, goose or duck.

Chantilly

Served or prepared with whipped cream.

Chateaubriand

Double steak cut from the beef tenderloin.

Coddle

To simmer or cook at a temperature just below the boiling point for a brief period.

Cracklings

The crisp remains that are left behind after frying fat.

Cream

To blend or beat to the consistency of cream.

Crush

To press into very fine particles.

Cube

To cut food into 1 to 2cm cubes.

Cut in

To mix together a dry ingredient such as flour and a solid fat like butter until they form into small particles. It can be done with a food processor or by hand.