Page 156 - Cook with Ease: Tips and Recipes for Small Families - Serving 1-2

Chapter 4:

Culinary Jargons

Have you ever been puzzled by the culinary jargons found

in cookbooks or in the recipes on newspapers or magazines? The
meaning of some commonly used jargons is explained below:

Cooking Term Explanation
Blanching Quickly plunge the food into boiling water and remove after
a brief interval.
For meat: To remove the bloody water and trim fat.
For vegetables: To half-cook those vegetables taking longer
time to soften. For example, blanching broccoli in advance
can reduce the time for stir-frying.
Swift deep frying Quickly plunge the food into boiling oil and remove it after
a brief interval to retain the juice and crispness of meat (e.g.
shrimps). This method increases the fat content of dishes and
is not recommended for frequent use.
Thickening Mix cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and add the
mixture to the dish at the end of cooking to thicken the sauce.

Shocking or refreshing Remove the food from heat and quickly plunge it into cold
or iced water to halt the cooking process. This rapidly cools
down the food (e.g. pasta, noodles) to avoid over-cooking
and keeps it crispy.

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