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Culinary Definition – Learn the Culinary Terms
When it comes to cooking, foods and methods have a different culinary definition. Often times the culinary definition will vary from what the average person may know it as.
The basic culinary definition for culinary art is: the art of cooking. The word culinary is defined as something that is related to, or is connected with cooking or kitchens. A cullinarian is another term that is used in the culinary industry. The culinary definition of a culinarian is a person who works in culinary arts. More often, they are referred to as cooks or chefs.
When it comes to cooking poultry, such as chicken or turkey, the directions may often call for tenting. The culinary definition of tenting refers to loosely laying a large piece of aluminum foil over the breast of the bird to protect it from the slightly higher heat that often gathers at the top of an oven. This prevents the breast from browning to quickly.
Fruits are hugely popular and extremely versatile when it comes to cooking. The culinary definition of fruit refers to any edible, sweet part of a certain plant that looks like fruit. This definition is also used for some sweetish vegetables that may resemble fruit or are prepared as fruit, such as Rhubarb.
Other popular culinary items are vegetables. The culinary definition of a vegetable typically refers to an edible part of a plant or a plant itself that isn’t fruit. Some vegetables can be consumed raw while others can be – or should be – cooked in various ways.
When cooking, one term that may come up from time to time is aging. The culinary definition of aging refers to several different things. Cheese is often referred to as aged. Aging can also refer to the period during which freshly milled flour is allowed to rest as to allow it to whiten and produce a less sticky dough.
Many dishes in the American culture are referred to as “A La King”. The culinary definition of A La King refers to an American dish that consists of diced foods, often turkey or chicken, in a cream sauce that is flavored with pimentos, mushrooms, green peppers and occasionally sherry.
Perhaps one of the most versatile of kitchen tools is the grater. The culinary definition of grater is a tool that is used to reduce food to smaller pieces or thin strips by passing it over the sharp and raised edges of various sized slits and holes.
Many recipes for sauces call for the cook to reduce the mix. The culinary definition of reduce means to cook a particular liquid mixture until its quantity decreases by evaporation. This is process is used to thicken liquids and concentrate flavors.
Some candy recipes, dessert recipes and many other recipes call for the zest from lemon, limes, or other citrus fruits. The culinary definition for zest is to remove thin strips of rind from a citrus fruit. This is usually accomplished using a tiny kitchen tool, called a zester.
