Food Vocabulary

Front 1

blend (verb)

Back 1

to mix liquids and food in a blender to make it smooth
Blend the cooked carrots with some milk to make a nice soup.

Front 2

boil (verb)

Back 2

to cook food in boiling water
Boil the eggs for 3 1/2 minutes.

Front 3

bouillon (noun)

Back 3

stock made by boiling up meat or vegetables
Add chopped spring onions to bouillon to make a clear soup.

Front 4

bouquet garni (noun)

Back 4

a bunch of herbs tied together, added during cooking
Put a bouquet garni in the pot for extra flavour.

Front 5

broth (noun)

Back 5

a thin soup of meat or vegetables, often with barley
Today's chicken broth with rice is very good.

Front 6

brown (verb)

Back 6

to fry meat, turning it over often, until the outside is brown but the inside is not yet cooked.
Heat some oil in the pan and brown the pieces of steak all over.

Front 7

caramel (noun)

Back 7

sugar and water boiled until it thickens and turns brown
My favourite sweets are chocolates with caramel inside.

Front 8

caramelise (verb)

Back 8

to cook fruit or vegetables with sugar and water until they are covered with a sweet coating
Put sliced carrots

Front 9

casserole (noun)

Back 9

a dish made by cooking food in liquid in an oven
Home-made lamb casserole is our most popular dish in the winter.

Front 10

chop (verb)

Back 10

to cut into small, even pieces
Chop the onion finely.

Front 11

consistency (noun)

Back 11

the thickness of a food such as soup or sauce
If the sauce is too thick, add a little water until it reaches a better consistency.

Front 12

cream (verb)

Back 12

to beat eggs and sugar together until the mixture looks like cream and turns very pale in colour
Cream the eggs and sugar ready for the sponge cake.

Front 13

croutons (noun)

Back 13

small cubes of deep-fried bread, added to soup or salads
Would you like some croutons with your onion soup?

Front 14

dice (verb)

Back 14

to cut food into neat little cubes
Dice the carrots and potatoes ready to make soup.

Front 15

drain (verb)

Back 15

to pour away the water from food that has been boiled
The potatoes are done - now drain them.

Front 16

drizzle (verb)

Back 16

to pour a small amount of oil or sauce
Drizzle a little olive oil over the salad.

Front 17

entrée (noun)

Back 17

the main course of a meal
After the starter or hors d'oeuvre comes the entrée.

Front 18

fillet (noun)

Back 18

a piece of fish with the bones taken out
One haddock fillet is enough for two people.

Front 19

fillet (verb)

Back 19

to take the bones out, usually from fish.
Ask the chef to fillet the sea bass.

Front 20

fillet steak (noun)

Back 20

the best cut of steak
Fillet steak is very tender and very expensive.

Front 21

garnish (noun)

Back 21

decoration on a finished dish, usually made of salad
A few slices of radish and cucumber make an attractive garnish.

Front 22

garnish (verb)

Back 22

to decorate a finished dish with nicely cut salad vegetables
Serve the chicken on a bed of rice, and garnish with spring onions.

Front 23

gateau (noun)

Back 23

a rich cake with cream, usually a big cake cut into slices
We can offer you chocolate gateau and Black Forest gateau.

Front 24

hors d'oeuvres (noun)

Back 24

a starter
A little pate on hot toast makes a nice hors d'oeuvres.

Front 25

giblets (noun)

Back 25

the heart and gizzard of a chicken, usually packed in a bag inside an oven-ready chicken
Remove the bag of giblets from the chicken, and use them to make stock.

Front 26

marinade (noun)

Back 26

a mixture of ingredients poured over meat or fish some time before cooking to give it more flavour
Leave the meat in a marinade overnight before cooking it.

Front 27

marinate (verb)

Back 27

to soak meat in a marinade some time before cooking, to make it tender and tasty
Marinate the chicken overnight to give it plenty of flavour.

Front 28

mayonnaise (noun)

Back 28

a creamy dressing made of egg yolks beaten with oil and vinegar
I'd like an egg mayonnaise sandwich.

Front 29

melt (verb)

Back 29

to cook very gently in oil or butter, without frying
Gently melt the chopped onions in butter until they are pale yellow.

Front 30

omelette (noun)

Back 30

a dish of beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan
We have omelettes with mushroom

Front 31

parboil (verb)

Back 31

to boil food until it is only half-cooked
Parboil the potatoes until they are not quite hard

Front 32

pate (noun)

Back 32

a rich meat or fish paste
I'll have liver pate on toast for a starter.

Front 33

poach (verb)

Back 33

to cook fish or eggs quickly in boiling water
Break the eggs into the boiling water and poach them for 3 minutes.

Front 34

portion (noun)

Back 34

a helping of food for one person
They give you a good portion at this restaurant.

Front 35

puree (noun)

Back 35

fruit or vegetables which have been liquidised in a blender
Make a vegetable puree for the baby's dinner.

Front 36

puree (verb)

Back 36

to liquidise food until it is smooth, without lumps
It's a good idea to puree some dinner for the baby.

Front 37

quiche (noun)

Back 37

a baked tart filled with beaten eggs and other ingredients
The quiche is done when the egg is set golden brown.

Front 38

reduce (verb)

Back 38

to boil a sauce with the lid off, so that some of the water evaporates and the sauce thickens
Reduce the sauce until there's half of it left in the pan.

Front 39

salad dressing (noun)

Back 39

a sauce for salad, usually oil and lemon with salt and pepper
Mix oil and lemon juice and pour the dressing over the salad.

Front 40

seal (verb)

Back 40

to fry the outside surface of a piece of meat so that the juices are kept inside the meat
Seal the meat in hot oil before you add the chopped tomatoes.

Front 41

sear (verb)

Back 41

to grill or fry food at a very high temperature, very quickly
Sear the fish under the grill for three minutes each side.

Front 42

season (verb)

Back 42

to add salt, pepper or herbs
Season the salad with a little salt and pepper.

Front 43

seasoning (noun)

Back 43

salt and pepper
Check that the seasoning tastes right before you serve.

Front 44

sift (noun)

Back 44

to put flour through a sieve so that it is light and fluffy
Sift the flour ready for the sponge cake.

Front 45

simmer (verb)

Back 45

to cook slowly on a very low heat
Turn the gas down and simmer for 2 hours.

Front 46

skewer (noun)

Back 46

a long wood or metal pin to hold pieces of food together for cooking, onion and red pepper for the barbecue.
Make skewers of lamb

Front 47

skim (verb)

Back 47

to lift off film from the surface when a pot of meat begins to boil, carefully skim off the film.
When the meat begins to boil

Front 48

stock (noun)

Back 48

water in which meat, bones or vegetables have been boiled slowly, used for soups and sauces; also called bouillon
Boil the leftover chicken bones with carrot and celery to make a good chicken stock.

Front 49

texture (noun)

Back 49

the way food feels in your mouth
Rye bread has a close, heavy texture.

Front 50

thicken (verb)

Back 50

to add a mixture of flour and water so that the food is not watery
Thicken the gravy by adding a little flour and water.

Front 51

toss (verb)

Back 51

to lift and turn salad very lightly, so that the salad dressing spreads through the salad
Add a little dressing to the salad and toss two or three times.

Front 52

veal (noun)

Back 52

meat from a young calf
Fresh veal is pink, much paler than beef.

Front 53

vinaigrette (noun)

Back 53

a salad dressing made of oil, vinegar and herbs mixed together
Make your vinaigrette of the best olive oil and fresh lemon.

Front 54

yolk (noun)

Back 54

the yellow part of an egg
Sometimes you find eggs with a double yolk.