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Chow Baby Food Glossary Category: Food and Drink > Baby food Date & country: 13/09/2007, USA Words: 494

Rancidity
Off-flavor in fats, or in food products containing fats, caused by oxidation.

Rasher
A thin slice of bacon, or a portion consisting of three slices of bacon.

Raw sugar
A minimally-processed light-brown sugar resembling coffee crystals. Often used for sprinkling because it is harder to dissolve than standard granulated sugar.

Red pepper
Whole, ground, or crushed hot red peppers.

Refine
To remove impurities, color, or strong flavor. In olive oil processing, involves the removal of free fatty acids and other flavor components,

Ricotta
A soft, unripened Italian cheese made as the by-product of the whey of other cheeses. Slightly sweet and grainy. Used often in Italian sweets (such as Cassata alla Sicilian) and as a pasta filling.

Ricotta salata
A lightly salted sheep's milk cheese from Sicily that has been pressed and dried.

Riddling
An important step in removing sediment from Champagne. Bottles are placed in racks and then turned by hand or machine over weeks or months until upside down and the sediment has settled on top of the corks.

Rock salt
A large crystal form of salt that is mixed with cracked ice to freeze ice cream.

Rose water
An aromatic liquid made by distilling rose petals. Used often in Middle-Eastern pastries. Available in many Middle-Eastern groceries.

Rosemary
A flowering, aromatic shrub belonging to the mint family. Leaves are used fresh or dried in stuffings and roasted dishes of lamb, pork, beef, poultry, and wild game.

Royal icing
A mixture of confectioners' sugar and egg whites that dries hard. The traditional icing for English wedding cake and is often used to make filigree designs.

Sabayon
A frothy custard of egg yolk, sugar, and wine made by whisking the ingredients over simmering water. Served warm as a dessert or sauce.

Saccharin
A sugar substitute without nutritive value made from coal tar.

Sachet bag
A cloth bag filled with select herbs used to season soups or stocks.

Saffron
The dried stigma of a species of the purple crocus flower. Used in Spanish and Italian foods for mild flavor and yellow coloring.

Sage
An aromatic shrub belonging to the mint family. Leaves are used fresh or dried to season stuffings, pork, poultry, and veal dishes.

Sahlab
An extract from the tubers of orchids. Used as a thickening agent. Available in most Middle-Eastern markets, but quite expensive; cornstarch may be used as a substitute.

Salamander
A small broiler used to brown or gratin foods.

Saturated fat
A fat molecule that has chemically bonded with the maximum number of hydrogen atoms it can hold. Found naturally in foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, as well as in coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. Usually solid at room temperature.

Savarin
A yeast dough cake similar to a baba, but without the currants. Baked in large or small ring molds, soaked with a syrup usually flavored with rum or kirsch and then painted with a fruit glaze. The center of the ring is filled with whipped cream or pastry cream, and sometimes also fresh or poached fruit.

Savory
A balsam-like herb. Used in fish and poultry dishes.

Scallion
A bulb-less, white onion with hollow green sprouts. Used to infuse dishes with a mild onion taste. Also known as green onion.

Scotch Bonnet chile
One of the hottest peppers in the world, about 30-50 times hotter than a jalapeno. Resembles a walnut in shape and size, and may range in color from green to orange. Careful handling when preparing, including the use of gloves, is necessary to avoid burning the skin.

Seafood seasoning
A blend of pungent spices and savory herbs. Used in seafood and fish sauces and dishes.

Seasoned pepper
A mixture of black pepper, other spices, and sweet pepper flakes. An alternative to plain black pepper.

Seasoned salt
A mixture of salt, herbs, and spices. An alternative to plain salt, usually lower in sodium.

Semisweet chocolate
See Bittersweet chocolate.

Serrano chile
A hot chile pepper that is smaller and thinner than a jalapeno, but similarly hot.

Sesame seed
Tiny, shiny, creamy white seeds with a nut-like flavor. Used in baking on breads and rolls, and in seed and oil form in Asian cooking.

Shallots
A type of small, pungent onion. Used to flavor a wide range of savory dishes; great in vinaigrettes. Available fresh or freeze-dried in most grocery stores.

Sherbet
A smooth frozen ice flavored with fruit and sugar or with a mixture of fruit, sugar, and milk or cream.

Shiitake
A strongly-flavored mushroom used in both fresh and dried forms. Also called Chinese, black or oriental mushroom in its dried form.

Shortening
Cooking fat made by hydrogenation of vegetable oil, or by combination of meat fat and vegetable oil. Name refers to the important function of fats in baked goods — that of shortening strands of gluten formed from flour in batters and doughs to increase tenderness.

Shrimp spice
Mixture of whole spices, such as bay leaves, peppercorns, mustard seed, and crushed red peppers. Added to the stock or water for cooking seafood or fish.

Sieve
A fine, mesh strainer.

Smoke point
Temperature at which heated oil smokes. Varies with the content of free fatty acids and other volatile compounds the in oil. A high smoke point is desirable, especially when using oil for frying.

Soba
A dark brown buckwheat noodle used in Northern Japanese cooking. Available in most grocery stores.

Sorbet
A smooth frozen ice made with flavored liquids, either sweet or savory. Unlike sherbet, it never contains dairy products.

Sorrel
Bright green herb with a lemony flavor. Used in soups, or added to salads in place of vinegar or lemon juice.

Soy sauce
A brown, salty liquid made from soy beans. Used in many oriental dishes.

Sponge cake
A type of cake that is leavened by beating air into whole eggs and sugar, or by beating the sugar with the yolks and whites separately. Typically low in fat, even when they contain butter, and often split into layers, moistened with a flavored sugar syrup, and filled.

Spoom
A fruit or wine-based ice to which Italian meringue is added when the ice is halfway frozen. Traditionally served in a stemmed glass.

Spread
A low-fat alternative to butter or margarine, usually made from vegetable oils that are hydrogenated to the desired consistency. Other ingredients are added to provide flavor, texture, and color.

Squab
A young, domesticated pigeon with dark meat. The bird is usually about four weeks old and weighs one pound or less. Often served rare.

Stability
In describing fats, resistance to deterioration.

Strudel dough
A traditional, rich Viennese dough stretched to a large tissue-thin sheet before being filled to make a strudel. Available in specialty markets or by mail-order. Phyllo dough can be substituted to make small strudels.

Sugar syrup
When equal amounts of sugar and water are mixed in a solution and brought to a boil, it forms a simple syrup. As the syrup boils, the sugar becomes more concentrated and the syrup more dense. The various stages of the cooked sugar solution can be measured with a candy thermometer. Beyond simple syrup, which is used to moisten cakes, more advanced stages of cooked sugar solution are used for fondant, buttercream, boiled icing, and Italian meringue. Sugar cooked to between 320 and 350 degrees Fahr…

Sumac
A Middle-Eastern spice made from the grated skin of a dark berry. It has a slightly acidic, astringent flavor.

Sundae
A dessert of ice cream with toppings, which may include flavored syrup, dessert sauce, nuts, whipped cream, and fruit. Originated in Massachusetts in response to a law prohibiting the sale of all soft beverages on Sunday. An enterprising soda jerk combined all the ingredients of an ice cream soda, except the soda, to make a law-abiding treat to eat on Sunday.

Superfine sugar
Pulverized granulated sugar. Can be made at home in a blender, or bought ready-made. Also called Caster sugar.

Sweet chocolate
A chocolate similar to semisweet chocolate, but with more sugar and less chocolate liquor added. Available in most grocery stores. Can be substituted for semisweet in recipes for greater sweetness without a significant change in texture.

Tabasco
Trade name for a hot Mexican pepper condiment. The peppers are salted and cured for three years, then blended with vinegar and strained. Used in soups, sauces, salad dressings, and marinades, and by the fearless as a substitute for ketchup.

Tahini
An oily paste made from ground sesame seeds. A sweetened dark variety also exists. Available in health food stores and the ethnic section of most grocery stores.

Tamarind paste
A vitamin-rich, tangy, prune-like pulp from the pods of a tropical Asian tree. Used as a flavoring in curries and chutneys, drinks, jams, and sorbet.

Tarragon
An aromatic herb with a tangy taste. Used in Bearnaise sauce, and egg, seafood, and poultry dishes.

Tart
A shallow, straight-sided pie, usually with only a bottom crust. Baked in a pan with a removable bottom, in a flan form, or free-form on a sheet.

Thyme
A rich-flavored herb. Used in seafood chowders, sauces, stocks, and meat dishes.

Toasting nuts
Brings the nut oils to the surface, to enhance flavor. Useful in low-fat cooking, to provide nut flavor in smaller portions. Also facilitates removal of nut skins. To toast nuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, spread the nuts in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for six minutes. To remove the skins, immediately wrap the toasted nuts in a kitchen towel, let them steam for five minutes, then roll them in the towel until the skins rub off.

Tofu
A soybean curd that comes in white cheese-like squares packed in water. May be soft, firm, or extra-firm. Used in many Asian and vegetarian recipes. Available in most grocery stores.

Tomatillos
Small, green tomatoes. Enclosed in a paper-like husk that is removed before cooking. Adds acidic flavor to sauces.

Torte
The Eastern European name for a cake. Plural is torten.

Tortillas
Mexican pancakes that are made of either flour, or masa harina. Used as an excellent foundation for all sorts of fillings.

Toss
To mix with a rising and falling action, as for pizza crust.

Triglyceride
Three fatty acid molecules plus one glycerol molecule.

Tripe
The edible lining of beef stomach.

Truss
To bind poultry for roasting with string or skewers.

Turmeric
A dried and ground bright yellow rhizome of a root plant of the ginger family. Used to spice and color dishes, mainly in Indian and Southeast Asian curries. Also used in yellow food coloring.

Unsaturated fat
A type of fat that is liquid at room temperature.

Unsweetened chocolate
Chocolate with no added sugar. Generally composed of 55percent cocoa butter and 45 percent chocolate mass from the bean. Also called baking chocolate.

Velouté
A sauce made with veal stock, cream, and tightened with a white roux.

Vert
The French term for green.

Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)
Molecules consisting of a large amount of triglycerides and some cholesterol within a very thin protein covering that supply cells with triglycerides. See also Lipoprotein.

Viande
The French term for meat.

Vichyssoise
Traditionally, a cold potato and leek soup thickened with cream and garnished with chives. Now may also refer to many other tuber-based soups.

Vitamin E
A fat-soluble vitamin like A, D and K; vitamin C and B-vitamins are water-soluble. Functions in body as an antioxidant to protect cell membranes, especially in the lungs, where cells receive maximum exposure to oxygen. A natural component of olive oil.

Volatile matter
Substance that vaporizes, or passes off by evaporation. For fats and oils, volatile compounds are released when fat or oil is heated.

Waldorf salad
A salad of apples, celery, nuts, whipped cream, and mayonnaise, served on a bed of lettuce.

Walnut
A nut native to Asia. Walnuts grow inside green pods which turn brown and wood-like when they dry.

Walnut oil
The nutty-flavored oil extracted from the walnut. Used for cooking or drizzling on greens, pasta, and vegetables.

Wasabi
A pungent green paste made from a rhizome of the watercress family. Also called Japanese horseradish.

Water bath
See Bain Marie.

Whisk
A mixing tool designed so its many strands of looped wire make it effective for beating. Also, to beat with a whisk until well mixed.

White chocolate
A confection containing no chocolate, but with a similar consistency. Made from cocoa butter, blended with milk and sugar. Used for both eating and cooking.

Winterization
Slow chilling of oil followed by filtration.

Worcestershire Sauce
A spicy sauce typically composed of water, vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, anchovies, spices and flavorings. Used for marinating meats, and, sparingly, flavoring sauces. Available in most grocery stores. Lea & Perrins is a notable brand.

Ximenia
A small plant found in hot climates that bears a fruit known as the mountain plum or wild lime.

Yeast
A live culture leavening agent used in doughs and batters. Usually available in a dry, bead-like form that can be compressed into cakes, although sometimes available in a fresh form. Requires activation within the range of 110 degrees Fahrenheit to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (the temperature of a comfortable bath). Lower temperatures do not activate it, higher ones kill it.

Yogurt cheese
Yogurt that has been strained through cheesecloth to reduce water content, forming a soft cheese. Used as a low-fat alternative in baking or for cream cheese.

Yorkshire pudding
A light brioche-like custard made of flour, eggs, salt, and milk that is baked with standing rib roast (prime rib).

Zaatar
A mixture of savory, thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. Available prepared in most Middle-Eastern groceries. The quality of zaatar varies widely.

A.P.
As Purchased.

E.P.
Edible portion.

O'Brien
With diced pimiento and green pepper.