Cook’s dictionary
Take a scroll through our A to Z of ingredients and techniques…
If you’re baffled by how to bake blind, or flummoxed by farro then find out more…with links to recipes, how-to guides and further reading.
101 articles
Cook's dictionary
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Blanching
Blanching is a cooking technique in which vegetables are boiled briefly before being plunged into cold water to halt the cooking process.
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Fontina
Fontina is a semi-rubbery, semi-hard Alpine Italian cheese riddled with holes that’s commonly used in fondue.
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Piri piri
Piri piri is the name of both the African bird’s eye chilli and the marinade, made from oil, cayenne pepper and salt, for the Portuguese chicken dish.
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Spelt
Spelt is a type of wheat with a nutty and sweet flavour. It is available in its whole or pearled form as well as a flour for baking.
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Hoisin
Hoisin sauce is made by combining fermented soya beans, garlic, sugar and chilli and is used as both a condiment and glaze for pork and poultry
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Sashimi
Sashimi is a Japanese dish of very fresh, raw fish, sliced thinly and often served with daikon, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.
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Jalapeño chilli
Jalapeño chillies are commonly used in Mexican cooking and praised for their slightly sweet and smoky flavour. They are often used in salsas or sliced and used to top nachos and pizzas.
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Emulsion
An emulsion involves whisking two liquids, that normally can't be combined, quickly in order for them to mix or blend, as very small droplets of each are dispersed in each other.
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Reduce technique
To 'reduce' is a technique used to increase the intensity of flavour in sauces, casseroles and stews, by allowing the water to evaporate.
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Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a Middle-Eastern dish made of bulgur wheat, tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion, mint, parsley, oil and lemon juice.
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Asafoetida
Asafoetida is a resin with a strong and unpleasant smell. Despite its unusual scent, asafoetida imparts an onion-y flavour to cooking, and is thought to aid digestion and reduce flatulence.
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Curry leaves
These scented Indian leaves are used a little like bay leaves in Western cooking and have an aromatic – almost citrusy – flavour.
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Aduki bean
Aduki beans are a small, reddish bean that originates in east Asia. To cook the dried variety, soak overnight then bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes until tender.
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