Ver•nac•u•lar
10x: 10x is professional slang for confectioner’s sugar. 10x, or “10 times” refers to the number of times sugar is processed to become a fine powder.
“86″: A slang kitchen term that means you’ve run out of a certain dish or item. For example, when the lamb dish runs out, the expediter or chef tells the waitstaff to “86″ the lamb dish from the menu, meaning that waiters must inform guests that lamb is no longer available. Sometimes pro-cooks will use the phrase to describe when a person gets fired from their job, e.g. “By the way, John got 86′d.” Ouch.
À LA MINUTE: To make at the last minute, right away, as a dish is ordered.
ALLUMETTE: Knife cut. This is a type of julienne, slightly thicker than the fine julienne, specific to potatoes. 1/4 x 1/4 x 2″
AMUSE BOUCHE or AMUSE GUELE: French, meaning, “amuse the mouth,” as in stimulating the appetite. Amuse bouche is bite-size, can be hot or cold and is served as a complimentary first course at many restaurants, typically fine dining. May or may not require the use of utensils.
ARTISANAL: Artisanal foods are made by hand. More expensive than manufactured food, but usually waaaaaay better.
BATONNET: Knife cut. Shape of a baton, thicker than julienne. Example: french fries. 1/4 x 1/4 x 2-2 1/2″
BÉCHAMEL: Mother sauce. Milk is heated with aromatics, typically with an oignon piqué, half a white onion studded with a clove and bay leaf. It is then thickened with a white roux and seasoned accordingly. Some derivatives are Mornay, Soubise, Céleri and Cardinal.
“BEHIND YOU!, HOT!, WATCH YOUR BACK!”: Three phrases in a kitchen that are taken for granted far too often. Whether you are a cook, a waiter, a manager, or a steward, one must absolutely use and more importantly pay attention, to any one of these phrases when navigating through a kitchen with all the dangerous stuff around. There’s nothing more frustrating (or dangerous) than transporting a hot, heavy pot of steaming stock and screaming “Hot, behind you!” to some guy who is in the way and not paying attention. One can only hold a hot pot full of stock for so long…
BRUNOISE: Knife cut. The tiniest of dices, a cube measuring only 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8″
CANAPÉ: Basically an hors d’oeuvre, but always served on bread or toasted bread bases, crackers, puff pastry, etc. Also finger food, no utensils should be required.
CHEF: Now there are chef de cuisines, chef de parties, executive chefs, chef owners, pastry chefs, sous chefs, etc… It all depends on the type of operation, be it a free-standing restaurant or a ginormous hotel/resort. Bottom line: the chef is THE head honcho for a kitchen operation. As far as I’m concerned, there’s only ever one “chef” in every kitchen, and only that one person deserves to be addressed as “chef.”
CHIFFONADE: Literally translates to “made of rags,” in French. Thin, narrow cut, shredded, like a flat julienne. Refers to leafy vegetables, or herbs, like basil.
“CHIX”: Kitchen slang for chicken.
CONFIT: Traditionally, confit is an old French method of preservation whereby meats are salted and cooked slowly in their own fat and then preserved in the same fat. Duck confit is a prime example. Nowadays, the term “confit” is applied to fruits and vegetables as well. For example garlic confit is garlic cloves cooked in fat, I’ve made them in duck fat or clarified butter with aromatics. Fruits can also be referred to as confit when cooked in fat or simple syrup mixtures.
DOCK: This is a method whereby dough gets pricked by a fork, a docker, a razor-type tool, or a knife. The holes help prevent air pockets from forming by allowing that air to escape. This way one has better control over cracks and ruptures in dough when it gets baked. For example, docking tart dough helps prevent large bubbles from forming. Also, those “slash” marks that one sees in loaves of bread are dock marks. All kinds of dough gets docked: puff pastry, tart shells, pizza dough, breads, etc.
E.V.O.: Extra virgin olive oil. Fyi, Rachael Ray did not invent that phrase (or EVOO, whatever she uses), its been in use for years.
EXPEDITER: Critical key person during food service. Usually a sous chef or chef takes on this role. This person basically makes sure that all the right food gets fired at the right times for all the tables in the dining room. They are the ones who are making sure that all 12 people at one table are getting all 12 plates at the same time. They must keep track of all orders and an eye on the time, communicating with both cooks and waitstaff. They also check quality of the food that is plated up, make sure last minute details are taken care of. This is a task not to be underestimated, especially when a dining room fills up in a matter of minutes, where guests order 2-3 course meals. Its actually a very fun job, unless you’re disorganized, in which case, good luck.
FAMILY MEAL: Staff meal in a restaurant. For some places, its an important ritual, for others, not so much…
FINE JULIENNE: Knife cut. Very thin cut, matchstick size. 1/16 x 1/16 x 1-2″
FINES HERBES: Classic French combination of chopped fresh herbs including parsley, chervil, tarragon and chives. Equal amounts of each herb. Added to dishes and sauces.
“FIRE”: Kitchen term used to describe when a dish or course has begun cooking, e.g. “Fire second course” means “start cooking second course.”
FNG: F**kin’ New Guy.
FOND: Fond is where the flavor’s at! As an example, if you sear off meat in a pan, all those caramelized bits that stick to the pan are the fond. Deglaze with some wine or stock, and you have the basis for a pan-sauce. Browned stocks utilize fond as well. Never use it if it gets burned even in the slightest, however…
GLACE (de VIANDE): Meat glaze, whereby meat jus is reduced to a syrupy consistency. When chilled, it has the texture of a rubber ball. Flavoring agent, typically for sauces.
HOLLANDAISE: One of the five mother sauces. An emulsion, classically made with a vinegar or wine reduction, egg yolks, clarified butter and lemon juice. An egg mixture is cooked and whipped repeatedly over medium heat (typically a hot water bath, but there are tricks…) until light and frothy, and hot butter is slowly incorporated into the mixture. Hollandaise must be kept at about 160˚F to prevent breaking. Some derivatives are Béarnaise, Foyot and Maltaise.
HORS D’OEUVRES: Bite-size pieces of food, eaten with fingers (unless its something served in a shot glass or a utensil, like noodles wrapped around a fork’s tines) usually served during receptions, before main meal. Can be hot or cold. Utensils should not be required aside from what was already stated.
“IN THE WEEDS”: (Or its more expletive form, “In the s***.”) A cook’s nightmare scenario and least favorite term a chef wants to hear aside from “That’s not my job,” or “I’m calling out sick,” or “We have no more chicken stock in the house,” amongst other phrases. Basically means that one is behind in their food prep, or is behind in putting out plates of food for service. Doesn’t sound that bad in writing, but believe me, it can be a painful situation.
JUS: French for “juice.” Can also refer to liquid from meat which is used for sauce. Stock is typically made, infused and reduced to make an intense, flavorful jus. ”Natural jus” on a menu refers to the sauce.
LARDON: Diced bacon that is rendered out and cooked. ”To lard” refers to strips of fat which are injected into meats with a larding needle, in order to add some moisture and flavor.
LARGE DICE: Knife cut. A cube measuring 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4″
LINE: This is the kitchen area where the foods are cooked and plated up for food service. If a kitchen is really small, the line may also be the prep area before and during service. The line is broken down into stations, cold and hot. (check “station” below)
LINE COOK: My absolute favorite job in the world. These are the guys who make it happen in a restaurant. Basically, each line cook works on his/her own station, does their own prep (for the most part, unless one works in a large or affluent high end establishment that can afford prep cooks and butchers,) and plates up the food during service. Working on the line is the best place to be if you like fast action and immediate results.
MACERATE: Maceration is a process by which food is soaked in a flavored liquid to infuse that food with that flavor (like cherries in brandy).
MEDIUM DICE: Knife cut. A cube measuring 1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3″
MICROGREENS: The teeniest, tiniest of greens, like micro-cilantro, micro-shiso, micro-red amaranth, rainbow mix…you get the picture… Great little accompanying salads in appetizers, say, to a grilled quail or sardines, what have you. Most often, used for garnishing plates just to add color or fill empty spaces. I love micros when used judiciously, but they are so abused these days in restaurants, they should be renamed “I don’t know what else to garnish this plate with so I’ll just dump some microgreens on it.”
MIGNARDISES: Sweet little bites served at the end of a meal, usually right before the check is given. Compliments of the house, think of them as the antithesis of the opening amuse bouche. Examples are little cookies, chocolates, pâtes de fruits, palmiers, truffles, candies, etc.
MIGNONETTE: French term describing medallion of meat.
MIGNONETTE SAUCE: Classic French accompaniment to oysters on the half shell. Made of cracked peppercorns, vinegar and shallots.
MIREPOIX: A vegetable base, used in making stocks and sauces. Classic mirepoix is 50% onion, 25% carrot and 25% celery. Mirepoix ingredients can change, for example, a fish stock would be made with “white mirepoix,” which generally consists of onion, leeks, fennel, celery, depending on chef’s preference.
MISE EN PLACE: French. Literal translation is “putting in place.” Basically, m.e.p. is a cook’s prep, whether it be ingredients or tools/equipment. The two most important factors to success in a professional kitchen is one’s mise en place and organization. If a cook doesn’t have his/her mise en place ready by service time, they are going to be in quite a fix, and that’s putting it gently…(refer to “in the weeds” above.)
MOTHER SAUCE: Also known as Grand Sauces, a classic group of base sauces, from which many derivatives can be made. The history is vast on this topic and debatable. But this is what I learned: Classically, there are 5 mother sauces: Sauce Espagnole, or Brown Sauce, Velouté, Béchamel, Tomato Sauce, and Hollandaise. Refer to rest of glossary for information on each mother sauce.
NAPPÉ: To coat food with a sauce, or more typically, the term refers to the consistency of the sauce itself. The sauce must be able to coat the back of a spoon to be considered nappé, like crème anglaise, for instance.
ON THE BIAS: A cutting style, meaning to cut something on an angle, versus cutting straight across.
“ON THE FLY!”: Phrase that means, “immediately.” For example, if an expediter says, “I need a chicken on the fly,” that means a cook must make a chicken plate as quickly as possible.
ORGANIC: Products that are considered organic come from farms that restrict the use of chemicals, GMO’s, pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics etc. Has nothing to do with environmental consequences, like sustainable farming.
“OUI, CHEF!”: When working in a highly-disciplined kitchen, one answers “Yes, Chef,” or “Oui, Chef” (in French surroundings typically). The concept implies that a cook shouldn’t be talking unless spoken to, i.e. they are completely focused on their work and nothing else. The phrase is a sign of respect (or sarcastic disrespect depending on situation).
PAYSANNE: Knife cut. This is a flat square cut, essentially you make large batonnets and slice them thin. 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/8″
PINCÉ: Slight caramelizing of a product, typically tomato. Helps alleviate acidity of the tomato. Often used in making stocks and sauces.
POIVRE MIGNONETTE: Coarsely-cracked peppercorns. I used to make large amounts of this manually by hand with a skillet and a cutting board for an old boss. So. Much. Fun. ; )
QUENELLE: Refers to a football shape which is formed with one or two spoons, often used for sorbet, ice cream, vegetable purées, garnishes, etc. Also refers mixture of ground protein which is usually bound with eggs and breadcrumbs, shaped into footballs and poached. Kind of like a dumpling.
RENDER: To “render” out fat basically means cooking fat out of meat or skin (think bacon or duck) over low heat. Fat is more or less melted out through various techniques. That fat is saved in order to cook with, e.g. rendered duck fat is used to cook duck legs to make confit. Same fat is used to store confit.
RILLETTE: Meat is slowly cooked in fat (poultry, pork, rabbit, fish), like confit, until tender enough to pull apart easily. The meat is then pulverized or shredded with some of the cooking fat to form a paste that can be used as a crude spread. Like a rough pâté. Delicious.
ROUX: A thickening agent made of flour and fat. Used to thicken sauces and soups, like gumbo. Ratio is commonly one part flour to one part fat. Roux can be cooked to attain different colors, white, blond and brown. As it is cooked longer, the thickening power of the flour decreases, but the flavor intensifies.
SAUCE ESPAGNOLE: A mother sauce, also referred to as Brown Sauce. This is classically made with brown veal stock, mirepoix, tomato purée, and a brown roux. This sauce can be used to make demi-glace, which is thicker and glossier. Some derivatives are Bordelaise, Chateubriand, Madeira and Sauce Robert. I haven’t seen this sauce made since culinary school, most restaurants do straight up reductions of stocks for sauces.
SERVICE: In a restaurant setting, “service” refers to the time that guests are allowed to enter an establishment and eat. Service begins when the restaurant doors open to the public and ends when the last remaining guests finish up their meals, which can go beyond closing time.
SHOEMAKER: Kitchen slang, derogatory term for a lazy/careless cook. Worst type of cook to be working with. Not sure where it originated from. First time I remember hearing someone use it was back in culinary school: one student overcooked a sirloin steak, another student came over, picked up the steak, tapped it repeatedly on a cutting board to demonstrate how well done it was and exclaimed, “Look, leather! That guy’s a total shoemaker.” Not really the most professional of terms to be using, but very common nonetheless.
SIMPLE SYRUP: A syrup made from equal amounts of water and sugar. The combination is brought to a boil until the sugar is dissolved, and it is used in many pastry applications, like sorbet, for instance.
SMALL DICE: Knife cut. A cube measuring 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4″
SOIGNÉ: French word that means “sophisticated elegance.” Used to describe dishes in kitchens. More or less the ultimate compliment a cook can receive. Pronounced “swan-yay,” more or less in my “best French accent”, har har, sorry, French teacher that I never had…
SOS: Sauce on the side. Try ordering your food this way if you like your sauce on the side, maybe you’ll surprise the waiter with your lingo.
SOUS CHEF: Middle management. No.2 in the kitchen chain-of-command, underneath the Chef, Executive Chef, or Chef de Cuisine (depends on type of establishment, there can even be an Executive Sous Chef in bigger operations). Does inventory, orders food and supplies, develops menu specials, oversees foodservice, solves problems, manages employees, etc…
SOUS VIDE: A cooking technique whereby the emphasis is on very slow cooking of foods in their own juices. Food is vacuum-packed and sealed into special bags, where all air is removed. The bags are then placed into a container filled with water and a thermal immersion circulator is inserted, which controls the temperature and circulation of heat. This technique renders the most tender and flavorful foods.
STAGIAIRE (stah-jee-air): A person who works in a professional kitchen for free to learn. My first job at a restaurant was a 4-month stage, fantastic experience.
STATION: A line is broken down into stations. Each cook works on a station. Typically there is a cold food station and several hot food stations. Each station is designated to serve up different categories of foods, ranging from fish to meat to vegetables to sauces to pastry and so forth. It depends on what system is being used in the kitchen. My favorite station was and will always be fish station.
STEWARD: A restaurant could not run without these guys. They are the ones who keep the dishes and glasses clean, wash the pots and pans, sweep the floors and remove the trash among other things. Its not an easy task to be scrubbing out multiple roasting pans and what not, over a sink of steaming hot water all day. They have my utmost respect.
SUPREME: Culinary term which means “to segment” a citrus fruit, whereby rind, pith and membranes are completely removed. Basically one takes a grapefruit, for example, cuts off the top and bottom, enough to see the flesh of the fruit. Place one cut end down on cutting board. With paring knife, cut away the rind, starting from top to bottom, following the contour of the fruit. Trim all around. Next, cut each segment out by placing knife between flesh and skin on all sides. The goal is to get whole segments out in single pieces.
SUSTAINABLE: Sustainable farming implies having the least amount of impact on the environment.
“THAT’S NOT MY JOB”: Do I really need to elaborate on this most selfish of statements? Seriously, worst freakin’ work ethic anyone can have, period. As long as the chef isn’t asking you to pick up his dry-cleaning or shampoo his dog, JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN. Food needs to get to the customers, that’s all there is to it. If pastry is getting slammed (or if that cook had to go potty), get off the hot line if you’re free and help, for cryin’ out loud. It won’t kill you, I promise. ”That’s not my job,” sheesh…
TOMATO SAUCE: One of the five mother sauces. Classically made with tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, salt pork, vegetables (like mirepoix) and aromatics. Some derivatives are Provençale, Meat and Chaudfroid.
TOURNEÉ: Knife cut. Vegetables cut into shape of a football. They can be all sizes, but generally measure 2″ long with seven sides. Also as a verb, it means “to turn,” referring to cutting vegetables in the shape of the same name.
TRAIL: ”Trailing” at a restaurant is a good way for a person to learn about a particular kitchen, and for the chef to learn about that person, who is generally seeking employment. I remember trailing at several restaurants to choose a place for my internship and for jobs. Basically I helped cooks, watched food service, spoke with the chef, and did some easy prep work. Some restaurants take advantage of this however, using people who are trailing for free labor. If the chef doesn’t allow or invite you to step aside to watch the action, that’s just flat out wrong. By all means don’t get in the way of the cooks, but don’t be afraid to communicate your interests and don’t be afraid to walk away if you are feeling used or abused. Also, some very high end restaurants won’t let you touch anything to ensure quality, don’t take it as an insult, just watch and learn. Lastly, a lot of the same high-end places require a person to trail several times before being considered for a job.
VELOUTÉ: A mother sauce, base for many white sauces. Classically made with “white” stock, like vegetable, fish, chicken, or veal. A white or blond roux is added to thicken the stock, and then other ingredients may be added to make other sauces. Some derivatives are Bercy, Normande, Suprême, and Bretonne sauces.
WALK-IN: Ginormous refrigerator, like a refrigerated walk-in closet. The best places have multiple walk-ins, one for each type of product, e.g. one for meat, one for fish, produce, dairy and freezer. Also helps when the doors to these have little windows so that one can see when they are about to exit, many an accident has happened when one opens the door, only to knock into someone’s back.
