Cook’s dictionary
Take a scroll through our A to Z of ingredients and techniques…
If you’re baffled by how to bake blind, or flummoxed by farro then find out more…with links to recipes, how-to guides and further reading.
Butterfly
To butterfly is a French technique used when a piece of meat is too thick to cook through without it drying out, or simply to reduce the cooking time of the meat.
Acidulated water
What is acidulated water? Find out in our delicious. cook's dictionary
Blanching
Blanching is a cooking technique in which vegetables are boiled briefly before being plunged into cold water to halt the cooking process.
Hoisin
Hoisin sauce is made by combining fermented soya beans, garlic, sugar and chilli and is used as both a condiment and glaze for pork and poultry
Sashimi
Sashimi is a Japanese dish of very fresh, raw fish, sliced thinly and often served with daikon, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.
Spelt
Spelt is a type of wheat with a nutty and sweet flavour. It is available in its whole or pearled form as well as a flour for baking.
Jalapeño chilli
Jalapeño chillies are commonly used in Mexican cooking and praised for their slightly sweet and smoky flavour. They are often used in salsas or sliced and used to top nachos and pizzas.
Emulsion
An emulsion involves whisking two liquids, that normally can't be combined, quickly in order for them to mix or blend, as very small droplets of each are dispersed in each other.
Reduce technique
To 'reduce' is a technique used to increase the intensity of flavour in sauces, casseroles and stews, by allowing the water to evaporate.
Fontina
Fontina is a semi-rubbery, semi-hard Alpine Italian cheese riddled with holes that’s commonly used in fondue.
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