Do your recipe directions use words you’ve never heard of before? Just curious and looking to learn more about various methods? Use our definition charts to look them up!
This page includes definitions from P through Z.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
table{font-size:120%; width:100%;margin:10px; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse}.
{background:#f18f46}. |{width:30%;margin-top:-5px; margin-bottom:-5px;}.
Term |{width:70%;margin-top:-5px; margin-bottom:-5px;}.Definition
|
{background:#f0d5af}. | Pastillage | Royal icing with the addition of gelatin (and additional sugar.) |
| Pastry Cream | An egg custard usually thickened with corn starch. The addition of the corn starch makes for a thicker custard than it’s cousin, crème Anglaise, and also allows the eggs to be cooked to the boiling point without curdling. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Pate a Bombe | Is a second method for making the base for a Bavarian cream. In a pate a bombe, whipped egg yolks and a sugar syrup are combined as is done in an Italian meringue. The bloomed and dissolved gelatin is added to the bombe mixture and then the whipped cream is folded in before the gelatin sets. |
| Pate Bombe | A hot sugar syrup poured slowly into whipping egg yolks. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Pate Fermentee | Pre-fermented old dough. |
| Pectin | Naturally occurring in fruits (in the peel) and is most commonly used for jams, jellies, preserves and pate de fruit. It comes in two forms: powdered and liquid and must be heated to be a gelling agent. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Poaching | Is a method by which a whole, firm fruit is submerged and cooked in a liquid that is based on a sugar syrup (usually four parts liquid to one part sugar). The liquid can be fruit, water or wine based and can be flavored with herbs and spices. The poaching adds flavor to the fruit, tenderizes it and makes it more palatable. The fruit is cooked until the flesh gives to a knife tip but retains its shape and is slightly firm. |
| Poolish | Wet sponge made of 50% flour and 50% water with one quarter of the yeast from the formula. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Pots de Crème | Pots de crème translates to ‘pots of cream.’ Pots de crème is a rich custard made with both eggs and egg yolks, milk and heavy cream and baked in a special molds that have a lid with a small hold for steam. |
| Preserve Based Sauce | Add simple syrup to thin preserves. Example Melba sauce. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Reduction | Removal of excess moisture (usually 2/3) through heat resulting in a sauce having a more concentrated flavor, color, consistency. |
| Royal Icing | Powdered sugar, egg whites and an acid are creamed to a smooth, fluffy consistency. In the US it is primarily used as a garnish, for decorating, and assembly of gingerbread houses. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Sabayon | Cooked sauce made with eggs and sugar cooked to a ribbon stage over a water bath then Marsala wine is added. Sabayon do not last long because of the air that is incorporated. |
| Scald | Heat milk until tiny bubbles form around the edge, but do not boil. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Semi-freddo | Is an Italian frozen dessert made from semi-frozen or completely frozen mousse, formed in molds and sliced for serving. |
| Sherbet | Like a sorbet, a sherbet is made from sugar-syrup bases with the addition of fruit, fruit juice and sometimes alcohol. The sugar syrup provides the body so it is important that it is cooked to a certain density. The density of the sugar syrup is also important because it affects how well the product can freeze. The addition of a milk product differentiates a sherbet from a sorbet. Sherbet are more difficult to produce than ice creams because they lack the same total solids. Some characteristics include: a minimum of .35% fruit acid, 25-45% overrun, 25-35% sugar content (which gives a lower melting point), a coarse texture due to the lack of butterfat and other solids and feel cooler while eating because of the coarser texture and the lower melting point. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Simple Syrup | Equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar is dissolved. Once flavored, it can be applied to cakes for added moisture and flavor. It can also be used to sweeten tea and cocktails. |
| Slow Baking | Slow baking can be wet or dry. In wet slow baking a water bath is used to insulate and protects the delicate ingredients in the product as well as promoting even baking, preventing the product from drying out or having a crack in the top. Items using a wet slow bake are put in a low temperature oven, 300-325 degrees F. Items that utilize a wet slow bake include custards (crème caramel, flan, crème brulee, pots de crème and bread pudding.) Dry slow baking is used for meringues. In dry slow baking the meringue is placed in a oven with a temperature of 200-225 degrees F. until the structure is set or placed in a gas oven with only the pilot light on for heat and left over night. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Soaker | Non-yeasted soaked grain mixture. Enzymes break down the sugars present. |
| Sorbet | Is made from sugar-syrup bases with the addition of fruit, fruit juice and sometimes alcohol. The sugar syrup provides the body so it is important that it is cooked to a certain density. The density of the sugar syrup is also important because it affects how well the product can freeze. Sorbets are more difficult to produce than ice creams because they lack the same total solids. Some characteristics include: a minimum of .35% fruit acid, 25-45% overrun, 25-35% sugar content (which gives a lower melting point), a coarse texture due to the lack of butterfat and other solids and feel cooler while eating because of the coarser texture and the lower melting point. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Souffle | Souffle is a French term that comes from the verb ‘soufflé’ which means ‘to blow up.’ There are two parts to a soufflé: the base and the egg whites. There are two types of bases: a pate a choux type base and a custard type base. With both types of bases, the egg whites need to be folded in when the base is warm but not hot. The pate a choux type base is well suited to the addition of fruit because it can support the weight of the fruit additions. The custard type base often uses a liqueur for flavoring. Soufflés are ideally baked in a ramekin dish as the striated sides help distribute the heat evenly. Since they will collapse shortly after removal from the oven (preheated to a moderate temperature of 325 degrees), soufflés are cooked a la minute. Custard style soufflés do not need to be baked in a water bath and can be baked at a higher temperature of 400 to 410 degrees. |
| Spices | Pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds, stems of various plants and trees. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Spirits | Are often defined as the liquid containing ethyl alcohol and water that is distilled from an alcohol liquid or mash. |
| Spoom | Like a sorbet and a sherbet, a spoom is made from sugar-syrup bases with the addition of fruit, fruit juice and sometimes alcohol. The sugar syrup provides the body so it is important that it is cooked to a certain density. The density of the sugar syrup is also important because it affects how well the product can freeze. The addition of an Italian meringue is folded into them during freezing and they are often made from wine or champagne. Spooms are more difficult to produce than ice creams because they lack the same total solids. Some characteristics include: a minimum of .35% fruit acid, 25-45% overrun, 25-35% sugar content (which gives a lower melting point), a coarse texture due to the lack of butterfat and other solids and feel cooler while eating because of the coarser texture and the lower melting point. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Starter | An active mixture of flour, water and yeast culture (60% water and 40% flour.) |
| Sugar Bloom | Occurs when there is moisture on set chocolate and can cause the surface of the chocolate to turn gray or white and can look like film, streaks, circles or dots. Sugar bloom must be scrapped off prior to melting as moisture in chocolate will cause it to seize. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Swiss Buttercream | Swiss meringue and butter. |
| Tempering | Is the process that provides the environment for the cocoa butter to crystallize properly and provides the desirable shiny finish, smooth mouth feel and snap when the chocolate is set. There are six methods of tempering: table, vaccination/shaving, resting, microwave, machine and cold-water bath. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Tuile | Batter made with made with invert sugar that spreads while baking. Bake 375-400 to caramelize sugar. Good for mousse cups, cones, roll into logs/cigarettes. |
| Tulip | Very versatile batter. Similar to hippen paste but no almond. Can be piped or stenciled onto a silpat or sheet pan back coated with butter and flour (use this if cutting needs to happen.) Shape after baking- timing is key. |
{background:#f0d5af}. | Yeast Fermentation | Enzymes in yeast breakdown sugars for food and when the yeast breaks down the sugar, CO2, alcohol, and energy and produced. |
| Zabaglione | See Sabayon. |
Definitions A – O
