caffe freddo a chilled espresso. caffeine a strong stimulant found in coffee. caffe latte see latte.
cappuccino an espresso capped with foamed milk and sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon or powdered chocolate.
caramel a latte with caramel flavoring.
carbony professional taster's term for a burned taste, typical for a very dark roast.
cinnamon roast professional taster's term for a light roast.
crema the brown foam on the surface of a cup of espresso.
dark roast a bittersweet roast, sometimes with a hint of caramel flavor. French and espresso are dark roasts. Italian and Spanish are even darker and have a smokey, somewhat burned taste.
demitasse a small or half-size cup for serving straight espresso.
doppio a double shot of espresso.
decaf decaffeinated coffee.
decaffeinated having the caffeine removed.
earthiness professional taster's term for a flavor reminiscent of dirt.
espresso arabica bean coffee made with hot water or steam that is pressed through fine, compressed coffee and served in a small cup.
espresso con panna an espresso topped with whipped cream.
espresso machiato espresso with steamed milk or foam on top.
frappuccino a chilled or iced cappuccino.
French roast a very dark roast with a bittersweet, somewhat smoky flavor.
granita a latte with frozen milk.
Guatemalan an aromatic variety of coffee with a rich, nutty flavor.
hazelnut a variety of coffee flavored with hazelnut.
Irish cream a rich and creamy-flavored blend.
Italian a dark, bittersweet roast with a slightly smoky flavor.
java slang term for any coffee. Joe slang term for coffee.
Kona a rich gourmet coffee grown on volcanic rock on the mountain slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa on the west coast of the island of Hawaii.
latte an espresso with steamed milk. Also known as caffe latte.
light roast a roast characterized by a sharp and acidic taste.
machine oil slang for a bad cup of coffee.
Mexican a light-bodied coffee grown in Mexico.
mochaccino cappuccino with chocolate.
paint remover slang for a bad cup of coffee.
paint thinner slang for a bad cup of coffee.
robusta a common bean but less flavorful than Arabica.
sour professional taster's term for unpleasantly sharp.
soy latte a latte made with soy milk.
Sumatran a heavy-bodied coffee grown in Sumatra.
supremo the highest grade of coffee.
sweet professional taster's term for coffee lacking bitterness or harshness.
Turkish coffee a coffee served with the fine grounds.
unleaded slang for coffee with no caffeine.
vanilla nut a variety blended with vanilla beans to provide a vanilla flavor.
Viennese roast a mix of medium-roasted beans with a smaller amount of dark French-roast beans.
vienna a rich-bodied, light roast.
cooking terms
(Also see French cooking terms)
acidulated water water with a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar, used to preserve the color of sliced fruits.
al dente Italian term meaning, "to the bite," which refers to the doneness of pasta, which should be not too soft and not too hard.
alfresco eaten outside.
bain marie see water bath.
baron a thin strip of a vegetable.
baste to pour, squirt, brush, or spoon melted butter or cooking juices on a food to prevent it, especially a roast, from drying out.
baton a slender, sticklike piece cut from a vegetable, roughly % x % x 2 inches long.
beat to stir or strike briskly with a spoon or whisk, or to blend with an electric mixer until a substance becomes fluffy.
binder an ingredient added to other ingredients to help them blend more readily.
blacken to fry and char, especially fish, in hot pepper and spices.
blanch to boil or scald a vegetable briefly, to reduce cooking time.
blend to mix thoroughly.
braise to sear meat in fat and then simmer in stock in a covered pan.
bread to cover with bread crumbs. broil to cook with radiant heat over a food. brown to fry until brown.
butterfly to cut a piece of meat or poultry almost all the way through down the middle and spread open.
caramelize to cook sugar until it liquefies and turns golden brown. Can refer to the cooking of natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables as well.
carbonado to score and broil meat.
charbroil to broil or grill to the point of burning or charring.
clotted cream a cream that is made thicker and richer by cooking.
coddle to cook in water very gently and slowly without boiling.
creole made with sauteed onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and seasonings.
deep-fry to submerge a food completely in fat or oil and fry it.
deglaze to add wine or stock to a pan and scrape off bits of meat or other browned matter from a cooking, and use everything in a sauce.
dehydrate to remove water or to dry to preserve. desiccate to dry or dehydrate.
devil to add hot seasonings, such as cayenne or mustard, to a food.
dice to cut into tiny cubes.
draw to remove the internal organs, as in a game animal.
drawn butter butter that is melted, clarified, and seasoned.
dredge to coat with flour, bread crumbs, or cornmeal.
dry roast to roast without oils.
duchess pureed potato enriched with cream and molded into ornamental shapes, which are baked and then arranged around a roast or fish platter.
emulsify to bind two ingredients together by stirring, whisking, shaking, or adding a third ingredient that acts as a blending agent.
escargot butter butter flavored with lemon, parsley, and garlic.
fillet to cut out the bones of meat or fish.
five-spice powder a Chinese spice mix consisting of cinnamon, pepper, star anise, clove, and fennel.
Florentine in the style of Florence, Italy, served with spinach and a cheese sauce.
fold to use gentle cutting strokes to combine a mixture.
forcemeat any meat or fish finely chopped and seasoned and used for a stuffing.
fricassee to cut up and brown.
fritter any meat, fish, vegetable, or fruit dipped in batter and either deep fried or sauted.
garnish to decorate a dish, as with parsley.
glaze to coat with sugar syrup, egg, etc.
gratin topped with bread crumbs and/or cheese and browned in the oven.
grecque in the Greek style, with tomatoes, peppers, and fennel.