Cooking Dictionary and Facts!!!!

[Cat]

Okay, feel free to add on to this thread with your own definitions and facts or elaborate on my own. I'm a moron and I usually get things mixed up so feel free to correct me in anyway. This dictionary sure as hell wont have everything, but we can try.

 

Okay lets start off with cooking oil smoke points. Why does the oil smoke point matter? It causes indoor air pollution and more importantly it'll drastically change the flavor of your meal.A number of factors will decrease the smoke point of any fat:

 

* Combination of vegetable oils in products

* Presence of foreign properties (batter)

* Temperature to which oil is heated

* Presence of salt

* Number of times oil is used

* Length of time oil is heated

* Storage of oil (exposure to oxygen, light, temperature)

 

I just copy and pasted this:

 

 

Below 212 F

--Cooking Methods

Boil, steam, scald, stew, simmer, steep, parboil, salad dressings

--Oils You Should Use

Unrefined canola oil (smoke point is below 225 F)

Unrefined flaxseed oil (smoke point is below 225 F)

Unrefined safflower oil (smoke point 225 F)

Unrefined sunflower oil (smoke point is below 225 F)

 

Below 320 F--Cooking Methods

Low-heat baking, light saut?, pressure cooking

--Oils You Should Use

Unrefined corn oil (smoke point is below 32 F)

Unrefined peanut oil (smoke point is below 320 F)

Semirefined safflower oil (smoke point is below 320 F)

Unrefined soy oil (smoke point is below 320 F)

Unrefined high-Oleic sunflower oil (smoke point is below 320 F)

Unrefined walnut oil (smoke point is below 320 F)

 

Below 375 F

--Cooking Methods Baking saut?, stir-fry, wok cooking

--Oils You Should Use

Semirefined canola oil (smoke point is below 350 F)

Refined canola oil (smoke point is below 400 F)

Refined corn oil (smoke point is below 450 F)

Unrefined olive oil (smoke point is below 320)

Refined peanut oil (smoke point is below 450 F)

Refined safflower oil (smoke point is below blow 450 F)

Unrefined sesame oil (smoke point is below 350 F)

Semirefined sesame oil (smoke point is below 450 F)

Semirefined soy oil (smoke point is below 350 F)

Refined soy oil (smoke point is below blow 450 F)

Semirefined sunflower oil (smoke point is below 450 F)

Refined high-oleic sunflower oil (smoke point is below 450 F)

Semirefined walnut oil (smoke point is below 400 F)

 

Below 500 F

--Cooking Methods

Sear, brown, deep-fry.

--Oils You Should Use

Refined avocado oil has a smoke point of below 520 F, the highest temperature of all the plant oils.

 

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to blanch - to cook vegetables in steam or water and then put into cold water so it stops cooking

 

to braise - meat is seared in fat and then rests in a covered dish

 

dredging - coating with flour

 

to broil - to cook food directly under dry heat

 

to julienne - slice foods into thin strips

 

a filet - boneless cut of the meat

 

marinate- covering food with a marinade(a sauce of some sort) over a period of time and letting it rest

 

to reduce - to boil a liquid until it is decreases by evaporation so the flavor comes out

 

garnish - decoration on the plate that is edible

 

devein- taking the vein out of the shrimp, most likely the shrimp's waste is going to be in the vein

 

to puree - to blend food into a paste

 

deglazing - to cook meat in a pan and afterwards there are pieces of the meat, you then add a liquid of some sort and scrape the bits and pieces off the bottom of the pan

 

mincing - to cut food into tiny pieces

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Random things:

 

The best salt to pinch with is kosher salt according to Alton Brown and seconded by myself.

[glory]

It is best to season from high above the food to even a season, while near the food you only get a small amount of it get covered.

 

the difference between a marinde and a brine.

 

A marinade contains acdic, salty, sweet, and spicy components.

A brine contains salt and sugar dissolved in water, but all that is really needed is salt and water.

A cure is just a brine without water.

 

Broiling is cooking above the oven, which is a great way to cook because you don't have to worry about flame ups from when fat drops into the coils/charcoal, the constant gas that flows through the food doesn't change its taste (like from smoke), but you don't get convection. So it will take a little longer than grilling.

 

Basic kitchen pots and pans you need

12 in cast iron skillet

5 quart casserole

8 inch teflon coated fry pan

3 quart saucier with lip

12 inch saute pant with lip

dutch oven

10 inch stainless steel fry pan

8-12 quart stock pot

probably another pan

 

other stuff:

electric skillet

 

tools:

tongs

cooling racks

heat-resistant rubber spatulas

heavy duty stainless steel bowl with a nearly round bottom

digital scale

therometers (5) (probe)

salad spinner

cutting boards

spray bottles

side towels

[mr_gee]

or you could drink 100 proof vodka then burn your food and enjoy it all the same

[meat`]

i'm a big meat eater so i'll add what i can relating to that.

 

i noticed dry rub is missing from the list, so:

 

dry rub - a mix of spices and herbs rubbed into the meat to flavor and tenderize before cooking. i leave a dry rub on for 15-20 minutes.

 

a little further info on marinades

 

it's common to stab the meat a little with a fork, not so much you mangle it but enough to allow the marinade to more quickly penetrate the entire piece.

 

it should be noted that the two most used methods of marination are:

 

the short marinade(15-20 minutes): it's common to stab the meat a little with a fork, not so much you mangle it, just enough to allow the marinade to more quickly penetrate the entire piece. you should make acidic marinades if using the short method, they penetrate the flesh quicker.

 

the overnight marinade(24 hours): with an overnight marinade you can also pierce holes in the meat to help the saturation but it is not usually necessary.

 

for a tougher cut of meat you will want a more acidic marinade to help tenderize the flesh and break down the muscular tissue - this happens naturally to a degree after the animal dies, and an acidic marinade will simulate the process and make a tough cut much more tender/

 

sugar - burns easily, tastes like crap when it burns, makes your meal taste like crap when it burns. for the love of god and your meal alike, please buy low sugar sauces or cook at low temperatures!

 

all i can think of atm -_-