Culinary Terms

Overview

Open a recipe card or a restaurant menu and you meet a private language: blanch, saute, julienne, table d'hote, mise en place. To an apprentice these words look like a foreign code, and a cook who guesses at them ruins good food. Learn the terms and the same card suddenly reads like clear, step by step instructions.

This lesson groups the everyday kitchen vocabulary into five families, preparation, cutting, mixing and finishing, cooking techniques, and menu and service French, and teaches each one with a plain meaning and a Nigerian example. By the end you will be able to read a recipe line or a menu entry and say exactly what the cook must do.

Objectives

  1. Define the common culinary terms used in the kitchen
  2. Explain the French and English culinary terms found in recipes
  3. Apply culinary terms correctly when following a recipe
  4. Interpret menu entries that use standard culinary terms
  5. Match culinary terms to the process they describe

Lesson Note

A new apprentice reports for her first day at a busy restaurant in Ikeja. The head cook hands her a recipe card that reads: mise en place, blanch the ugu, saute the onions, then reduce the sauce and garnish. She can read every letter and understand none of it, so she stands frozen while the orders pile up. The problem is not her cooking, it is her vocabulary. Every trade has its own words, and catering borrows most of its own from French because the modern professional kitchen was organised in France. A cook who knows these culinary terms reads a recipe the way you read this sentence: instantly, and without guessing.

Lesson Evaluation

Congratulations on completing the lesson on Culinary Terms. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.

You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.

  1. The culinary term 'mise en place' means: A. Cooking food slowly in liquid B. Having all ingredients prepared and arranged before cooking begins C. Decorating a finished dish D. Setting the dining table for guests Answer: B
  2. To blanch a vegetable is to: A. Fry it in deep oil until brown B. Cook it slowly for several hours C. Plunge it briefly in boiling water, then cool it quickly D. Blend it into a smooth paste Answer: C
  3. Which cutting term means to cut food into thin matchstick strips? A. Dice B. Mince C. Julienne D. Brunoise Answer: C
  4. On a menu, 'table d'hote' describes: A. Dishes each priced and ordered separately B. A fixed set of courses served at one fixed price C. A small dish served before the main meal D. The chef in charge of a kitchen section Answer: B
  5. To 'deglaze' a pan is to: A. Add liquid to lift the browned bits stuck to the pan B. Rub oil over the pan before frying C. Boil a sauce until it thickens D. Skim fat from the surface of a stew Answer: A

Recommended Books

The Theory of Hospitality and Catering
The Theory of Hospitality and Catering
Subtitle: Fourteenth edition
Publisher: Hodder Education
Year: 2021
ISBN: 978-1-3983-3295-9
Description: The standard theory text for catering students, covering the industry, food commodities, cooking, kitchen operations, hygiene and safety, menu planning and food and beverage service.
Food and Beverage Service
Food and Beverage Service
Subtitle: Tenth edition
Publisher: Hodder Education
Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-1-3983-0015-6
Description: The established reference on restaurant and banquet service, service staff and their duties, styles of service, table laying, and the service of food, wines and other beverages.
Practical Cookery
Practical Cookery
Subtitle: Eleventh edition
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: 2004
ISBN: 978-0-340-81147-4
Description: A long-established practical text taking students through methods of cooking, the preparation of food commodities and the production of dishes across the full range of the kitchen.

Past Questions

Wondering what past questions for this topic looks like? Here are a number of questions about Culinary Terms from previous years

WAEC SSCE - Catering Craft Practice - 2022

Question 1 Report

Give the meaning of the following terms used in the hospitality industry.

(a) Check-in; 

(b) Reservation;

(c) Forecast;

(d) Walk-in.

View Answer