50 Obscure Cooking Terms You've Probably Never Heard Before
Are you an expert in cooking terminology? Take this test to find out!
view quiz statisticsWeird, Unknown and Obscure Cooking Terms
Do you think you know every cooking term there is to know? Are you just learning how to boil water? Whatever your kitchen knowledge may be, there are some cooking terms that you've probably never heard before.
I like to cook and I like to think I know a little bit about cooking, but when I was doing research for this article I was surprised at how many new things I learned.
On this list you'll find terms used for obscure cooking processes, as well as the equivalent of words you probably use everyday.
Try out the quiz on the right before you read the list to test your culinary knowledge. You may think you're a cooking genius, but I bet some of these will stump you. Then, peruse the list of 50 words and see which ones you know.
Good luck on the quiz and have fun learning something new.
Bain-Marie
A bain-marie is a water bath used to control the temperature when baking custards and cheesecakes.
Barding
Barding is covering meat and cooking it in fats, like bacon, to keep the meat moist and infuse it with flavor.
Baton
Batons are evenly cut pieces of vegetables that are shaped like batons, usually about 1/4" width.
A good example of a baton is a french fry or a carrot stick.
Blanche
Blanching is a method of preparing food for other uses by boiling it quickly. It can soften food, remove some of the saltiness, or aid in removing skin.
Bouquet Garni
A bouquet garni is a mix of herbs that are tied together in a small packet or bunch so they don't get mixed into a dish but still flavor it. Once the dish is done the herbs are easily removed from the pot.
Bruise
Bruising food is the technique of tearing apart or gently crushing food items, usually herbs or vegetables, to bring out their full flavor.
Butterfly
Butterflying meat and seafood is splitting it down the middle without cutting it all the way through. This cutting method is commonly used with shrimp and meats.
Chiffonade
To chiffonade is the cutting method of tightly rolling up greens or herb leaves, and cutting them into thin strips.
Cloche
A cloche is a dome shaped bread baker. It helps the bread retain moisture while getting a nice crust during baking.
Cocotte
The technique of baking food in a sealed pot, like a dutch oven, to keep in all of the juices.
Coddle
Coddling food, generally eggs, means to cook it very gently in water that is just below the boiling point.
Coulis
A coulis is a strained fruit sauce made with raw or cooked fruit.
Deglaze
Deglazing is the method of using liquid to remove the stuck on bits of food from the bottom of a pan after cooking, and turning them into a sauce.
Dress
Dressing is the technique of flavoring a salad with a sauce, or preparing fish or game for cooking.
Emulsify
Emulsifying is mixing two liquids that usually don't mix, like oil and vinegar, and making one liquid.
En Croute
En croute is cooking ingredients in a crust, like a hand pie or beef wellington.
En Papillote
En papillote is cooking ingredients in paper. This method of cooking results in tender, flavorful dishes and is often used with seafood.
Flute
Fluting is a baking term and is the name for the decorative designs in pie crust edges or around the outside of a cake.
Fluted pans are ones that have patterns around the outside that the baked cake mimics.
Fool
A dessert made with fruit mixed into cream, pudding or whipped cream.
Grunt
Grunt
There are 2 surprisingly different definitions of grunts in cooking:
- Type of fish
- A type of fruit cobbler or pie
Macedoine
A macedoine is a mixture of chopped vegetables or chopped fruits in syrup.
Macerate
Macerating is used with fruits and vegetables and is the process of softening it with liquid. It is the equivalent of marinating meats and poultry.
Mandoline
A mandoline is a slicer that can cut fruits and vegetables swiftly, thinly and evenly. It is useful for slicing large amounts of food.
Mezzaluna
A mezzaluna is a knife with two handles and a semi-circle blade. Both hands are needed to rock the knife back and forth and it's good for quickly chopping herbs.
Muddler
A muddler is a tool used by bartenders to crush herbs and fruits in a glass before pouring liquids in.
Opaque
Opaque is the stage during cooking seafood or chicken when the flesh just stops being translucent, but is not a dense solid color. The food is quite tender and, as long as the internal temperature meets the appropriate guidelines, is safe to eat.
Parboil
Parboiling is partially boiling foods to prepare them for cooking. It may remove bad tastes, salt or other unwanted items in the food.
Pare
Paring is the technique to remove the very outside of a fruit or vegetable.
Pearl
The term pearl is used in candy making. It represents the stage of cooking sugar when the syrup comes off of a metal spoon in drops.
Pith
The bitter soft stringy inside of citrus rind.
Plumping
Plumping is the process of letting food soak up liquid and get larger in size.
Poach
Poaching food is cooking it completely submerged in liquid and not bringing it to a boil.
Ramekin
A ramekin is a small bowl shaped dish used to cook custards or cheese dishes.
Reamer
A reamer is a tool to remove juice from citrus fruits.
Reconstitute
Reconstituting food or frozen liquids is the process of adding water to bring condensed food, like soup, to it's former consistency.
Refresh
Refreshing is the technique of pouring cold water on hot cooked vegetables to stop the cooking process.
Render
Rendering is the process of cooking meats to obtain the fatty juices.
Ricer
A ricer is a device used to mash potatoes or other soft foods. It has a cup with holes and a plunger type device that pushes the potatoes through the bottom.
Roux
A roux is a thickening agent for sauces, made from equal amounts of a fat and flour.
Section
Commonly used when discussing citrus, sectioning is the process of removing the fruit from the membrane.
Shave
Shaving food means to cut it extremely thinly. A vegetable peeler can be used shave vegetables. To shave meat it's best to freeze it slightly so it's hard and then slice.
Shuck
To shuck is to remove the inedible outer shell of a food item, like shellfish and corn.
Sieve
A sieve is a sifter or strainer that is used to separate out the parts of a mixture that are not needed, like seeds or large chunks.
Stripper
A stripper is a tool designed to remove the outer covering of various fruits and vegetables. There are strippers to remove long strips of citrus rinds and ones to remove corn from the cob.
Sweating
Sweating is cooking cut vegetables before they are added to another dish. Sweating the vegetables brings out more flavor.
Tagine
A tagine is a casserole dish with a cone shaped lid.
It is commonly used in Moroccan cooking.
Temper
Tempering is the technique of mixing cold and hot liquids gradually so the cold ingredients don't get ruined.
Toque
A toque is the tall white chef's hat.
Truss
Tying a up a chicken with string to ensure it does not fall apart during cooking.
Weep
Meringues and other foods weep when clear juices run out of them. Weeping can ruin the appearance and taste of certain foods.
Now that you are an expert...
Well, now that you are an expert in all things cooking related, get into the kitchen and make a fabulous meal.
You can poach a grunt, rice some potatoes, pare a pear, and have a fool for dessert. What could be better?
Sources
- Darling, Jennifer Dorland, Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, 1st edition, "Cooking Basics", Des Moines, Iowa: Meredith Corporation, 2003
- Ying, Mildred, The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 1st edition, "Cooking Basics", New York, NY: The Hearst Corporation, 1986
- Becker, Ethan, Becker, Marion Rombauer, & Rombauer, Irma, The Joy of Cooking, New York, NY: Scribner, 1997
Questions & Answers
© 2014 Glimmer Twin Fan
Comments
LOL--Update: Retook the quiz without re-reading the article first, and did far better. Why? We now have staying with us for a while, my step-daughter, who is a Cordon Bleu trained chef! ;-)
The quiz was really fun! I got them all, but I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen...
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Hi FatBoyThin - I'm glad you knew most of them. I learned a lot writing this hub. Hope you had fun reading. Thanks for stopping by.
I was surprised how many of these I knew - thought it was going to be a real puzzler!
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Words are definitely fun stuff RTalloni! There are a lot of them that I knew by other names so it was fun to research this article and see how to stump myself! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
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Hi Barbara - It's amazing how many different cooking terms there are out there. Hope you try to make a coulis sometime. They are really good. Thanks so much for stopping by!
This is proof that words are fun stuff. Enjoyed reading up on these cooking terms and finding that I was acquainted with half but must honestly say that I only really knew maybe a quarter of them. Some definitions I knew without knowing the correct term. Now I have the chance to learn them all, all in one nice neat hub.
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Thanks so much Arachnea - I picked some up when writing this hub too!
I need to bookmark this page to keep up with the kids on MasterChef Junior. At least I now know what a coulis is. Thank you!
Very interesting. Shared. I picked up a couple new terms as well.
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Hi Carb Diva - That is a good one and my mom had a spider. May just have to add that one to the list! Thanks for the word and for reading and commenting.
You missed the one I fooled my husband with a few years ago. As Christmas approached he asked what I wanted as a gift. I replied that I really would like to have a spider. ....he thought I was nuts until I explained that a spider is a large mesh dipper skimmer used in Asian cooking.
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Hi Easy Exercise - Well I'm glad you learned something new. I know I did when I wrote this hub. Thanks for the support!
Glimmertwinfan,
I just purchased three cookbooks and here I learned more in the few pages than in the hundreds of new pages I have added to my library. Five stars! Great hub! Voted up!
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Hi Carb Diva - This was a fun hub to write and I learned quite a few things while I was researching it. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I thought I was pretty good in the kitchen, but you fooled even me on a few of these. Thanks for an interesting, informative hub.
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I have sliced my finger a few times on my mandoline, but it definitely turns out lovely even slices. You can tell me your score, I'll keep it a secret (just kidding). Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hi Glimmer Twin - Hmmm - well, I am not telling my score. One I was certain of was the Mandoline, not long since we purchased one and someone who lives here quickly mandolined his finger. Ouch!
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60 isn't too bad tillsontitan - Thanks for reading and glad you liked the hub. It was a fun one to write and a little different for me. Thanks for the support too.
I scored 60 on the test so I was feeling pretty good about myself till I read the rest of your hub. Lots of work put into this one with lots of new information absorbed! Great idea for a hub that was both fun and educational to read.
Voted up, useful, and interesting.
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Hi ps - Thanks for the angels! I am definitely having fun stumping folks with some of these. Thanks for reading and commenting.
You were right ...I only knew 13 of these. Now I will learn the others and when I am on a Cooking show I can give you credit for my new found knowledge.
Angels are on the way to you ps
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Hi aviannovice - I did not know you cooked for a living. Then I'm glad I stumped you, even a little bit (just kidding). Thanks for stopping by!
Very nice material! Even though I cook for a living, I didn't know all of these!
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DzyMsLizzy - My dad always made me poached eggs like that so that is what I thought it was too. It's interesting to see what terms people know and don't know. Glad you enjoyed the hub and thanks for the support and reading.
Interesting. I'm familiar with making a roux; I've used a mezzaluna before, but never knew what it was called. I have antique ones from the family; one is only single-bladed. They were used with a shallow wooden bowl, but mostly, we used them on mushrooms--especially dried and re-constituted ones--but with a chopping, not a rocking motion. Gosh--been doing it wrong all these years!! LOL I missed the question on poaching, because to me, a poached egg is cooked in a made-for-the-purpose pan that holds the eggs in a cup, suspended OVER the water, and it is the steam that cooks them. It's the only way I've ever had a poached egg. ;-)
Barding or Larding, I don't do, as I am a vegetarian, so I'm surprised I got the right answer there. However, even as a vegetarian, I have family members who fuss that, "It isn't Thanksgiving without turkey," so I do know how to truss a bird. :(
Voted up, interesting and useful.
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Hi Teaches - I was in the mood to do something different so I'm happy you enjoyed it. That's so nice to hear. I had fun researching this one too. Thanks for commenting and reading.
I enjoyed this new post of yours, different but good. I knew some of the terms but most are quite foreign. They sound like names of characters in movies. Well done.
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Glad you enjoyed it KoffeeKlatch Gals - 60% isn't bad. Next time you take a quiz like this you'll score 100% now that you've read this (LOL). Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it.
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Hi Miss Muse - I've made cheesecakes with and without a bain-marie and I did not see a difference although the one without did crack a little bit on the top. Good luck trying it out and thanks for reading.
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70% is pretty good vandynegl! There are some recipes that may be daunting because of some of the words, but hopefully this helps some folks out. Thanks for stopping by!
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Hi tirelesstraveler - I bet it helped working for a caterer to know some of these terms. There are probably more that you may know because of that experience. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Thanks so much for stopping by and reading Nyamache. I enjoyed writing this one and researching.
I love this hub. I can't believe how much I didn't know. I took the quiz and got a 60%
I like the Bain-Marie, haha, I've tried to make cheesecakes before and never used a Bain Marie for one...I should try it.
These are great to know, especially when exploring some cookbooks and you have to pass on a recipe because you don't know the meaning of the words! I actually scored a 70% on the quiz, which was surprising!
Thanks for writing!
You got me on 11 or 12. Have worked with a caterer friend for many years.
This is an educational hub to learn some cooking terms. I only know a few of them.
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So how many did you know tirelesstraveler? Did I stump you on a couple? Glad you stopped by to read. Thanks for commenting.
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Hi Nell - This hub is the perfect way to study up on terms and then impress your friends with a fancy dinner party. They'd be surprised. Thanks for stopping by.
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Glad you liked it Bill. It was a little different for me, but fun. Now I need to go catch up with my hub reading after my summer hiatus. Thanks for reading.
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Definitely cygnetbrown.
Fun to see how many I actually know. Nice work.
Well I have trouble figuring out what to cook, how to cook and making sure I don't burn it! lol! so cooking terms are totally beyond me!
Hi Glimmer. I only knew a handful of these terms. Guess that's why I don't do a lot of cooking. Thankfully my wife is a wonderful cook. Very interesting hub. Thanks for the education. Have a great weekend.
It could also have to do with the country of origin as well. For instance, did you know that poultry comes from the French, but the words hen come from Anglo-Saxon English?
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cygnetbrown - I was surprised when I did the research for this hub that there were so many words that I used other words for. I think a lot of the words are based on location. Southerners may know some of them, but not others, etc... Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Hi imtii - Thanks so much for the vote and for reading my hub. I'm glad you found it informative.
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Ha Ha Ha someonewhoknow! I love it and I'm glad you added this great touch of humor to my hub. Thanks for stopping by.
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Glad you found this hub useful Sami. Hope it helps in the kitchen and thanks so much for reading and commenting.
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Hi carrie Lee Night - I'm glad you enjoyed the hub so much and learned some new terms. Have fun trying some of them out and thanks for stopping by!
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Hi FlourishAnyway - Thanks for all of the support! I love bacon grilled cheese sandwiches myself, so I'm with you on good non-fancy foods but you can always swing back to one of these terms if you want to impress a friend. I appreciate you stopping by!
I knew several of these by name, but there were many more that I have used that I didn't know the name!
I am not really a great fan of cooking but sometimes I have to make my food when there is no one to do that for me. And I never did know cooking like this exist. Though you made everything easy. I am giving you a uo vote :)
I "pity' the "Fool" because I hate "pits" in my "Fool" just a little cooking humor to lighten up the food! I mean mood.
Very useful! I'm a novice (aka nonexistent) chef, so I could use these when I fix family meals.
Great and useful hub! :). I consider myself an avid cook but half of these terms were fresh news to me :). Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed the read :)
I liked this a lot. Some of the terms were Greek to me! I loved the quiz, and I think you have me pegged. I'm a good cook of non-fancy foods. When I was first married, I tried making all kinds of fancy meals, but my husband let me know that he was just fine with "bacon sammiches." I was so disappointed. Pinning this and sharing, too!
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Thanks Barbara - I thought I'd try something new with this hub. I'm glad you like the format. Hopefully lots of folks will enjoy it.
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Hi Mary - I'm so glad you enjoyed the hub. I had a lot of fun writing it and learned a lot too. I also really appreciate all of the support and shares.
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I'm very impressed CyperShelley! You must be very knowledgeable around the kitchen. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
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Thanks so much for reading ChitrangadaSharan! I appreciate it and am happy that you enjoyed it. Thanks also for the vote!
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jellygator - Glad you like it and that you stopped by to read. Have a great day!
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Hi MsDora - Isn't it funny how many of these terms have different words that we use commonly. I thought that was one of the most interesting things about writing this article. I'm happy you found it helpful. Enjoy your day!
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DrBill-WmL-Smith - Well I'm impressed that you knew a couple of terms. Maybe there is another term for burnt toast. Glad you liked the hub and I appreciate you stopping by to read and comment.
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Hi Jackie - Well I'm glad I stumped you a little bit (just joking). It's amazing how many terms there are for things. Hope you are enjoying your summer and thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks for reading and commenting incomeguru. I'm glad you found the hub interesting.
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Thanks purl3agony! I think it's pretty good that you knew half of them. Now just throw a dinner party for your friends and show off a little bit! Have a great day!
I like your use of the quiz. It makes the reader go down and read all of the terms. Great idea!
I took the quiz before I read the Hub! I was curious to see just how well I would do: I only scored 60%!! Guess I'm just an old fashioned cook. This is a fun and informational Hub. I enjoyed reading it very much!
Voted UP, etc. and shared! I'm Pinning to my Food board.
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Hi Kaili - It took a little while to assemble, but I enjoyed it. It's different from what I normally write. Funny how so many of the terms are french. Glad you enjoyed that hub and thanks for reading and commenting.
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Thank you for reading and commenting Hendrika. I'm impressed that you know most of them. You must know your way around a kitchen. Glad you liked the hub.
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Hi Kevin - Thanks so much for reading, pinning and taking the quiz (including answering my forum post). I cook a lot and didn't know many of these terms. Like you, I like using my slow cooker. Thanks again.
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Glenn - I'm pleased you learned something from the hub and found it informative. I was fun for me to write. and now I can impress your friends with some fancy kitchen lingo. Thanks for stopping by!
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Hi OldRoses - Glad I stumped you on a few (just kidding). I found quite a few that I was clueless on. Thanks for the vote and comments.
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Paula - Owning a restaurant is a definite bonus for knowing these terms. I imagine that must have been extremely difficult work, but rewarding and I definitely know what you mean about a kitchen being closed till morning! Glad you liked the hub. It was a fun one to write. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Enjoyed this informative article - there were only four things I didn't know - so I'm quite chuffed with myself. I do enjoy cooking though so that's probably why.
Interesting and informative hub!
We do perform most of these cooking procedures, without knowing the proper terms.
Thanks for sharing this useful hub! Voted up!
Fun and educational. Thank you!
Educational and interesting! Thank you for sharing these terms--some of which we do without knowing the name of what we're doing.
Oh, my! I even burn the toast! My wife-watched Food Fighters the other day, and I heard one or two of those terms thrown around. Amazing I remembered hearing them. Anyway, thanks for sharing. A great reference! ;-)
I will have to be honest; there is more here I don't know than what I do know. Thanks for the lesson!
Interesting hub! Sincerely, I've never heard of all these cooking terms before. Not common in Lagos, Nigeria. Voted up.
I heard of about half of these, but have NEVER done ANY of them :) Thanks for clearing up a few mysteries for me!
Wow...what a great Hub! I knew most of these since French is my second language e.g. baton, bouquet garni. So interesting...must have taken you a while to pull it all together. Voted way up and more and tweeting.
Some interesting ones here, but I must say I knew most of them. Still, a few is completely new to me
This was both useful and amazing. When I took the quiz, as I went through it, even though I hardly cook, I began to think that I knew quite a few. At the end I was surprised to find out that I only had 20%! As I read the rest I found out why. I still will not cook much because I do not have the time for it. If anything, I will use the slow cooker or toaster oven. I voted this up, shared and pinned it.
Kevin
I discovered how little I know about kitchen utensils and cooking terms. I only knew six of these. This was a great learning experience. Now, if I can only remember half of it.
Great hub! You're right, I did think that I knew every cooking term but there were a few in this hub that I didn't know. Thanks for the information. I love learning new things. Voted up.
GTF....This is an interesting and "different" type of informational hub. Great idea too! I did know a majority of these terms. Has nothing to do with my skills or JOY for cooking (ugh!).....but growing up, my family had a popular restaurant. We ALL worked there....no choice involved. It was a great experience I must admit. We're all extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of the business.
At home, as a Mom who raised 4 boys......my favorite cooking term was always: "Kitchen Closed Til Morning.".....
Excellent Hub GTF.....You've informed a whole lot of people!!....Up+++
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Some of the words are so close in meaning and I also had never heard of barding before I wrote this hub. It was fun to research this one. Thanks for stopping by and reading!
Interesting hub! I know most of these terms but had never heard of barding before. And I got the poaching question wrong, too. I think I was confusing it with braising.
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Thanks Bill - I've been in a slump lately so I thought I'd shake things up a bit and try this. It was fun and you definitely need to study up on your cooking terminology LOL! Glad you stopped by.
Well that was a bit different for you, but I liked it. I counted...I knew five of these. :) I guess I have some learning to do, eh? Thanks for the cooking education and I hope all is well in your world.
bill
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