Cooking technique glossary

Meaning. Heat softens plant fibres, firms proteins, evaporates water, melts fat, browns surfaces, kills harmful bacteria, and concentrates flavour. The same onion is sharp raw, sweet when sweated, jammy when caramelised, and bitter when burnt.

Beginner use. Control heat instead of defaulting to high.

Meaning. Water controls texture and temperature. Wet food steams; dry food browns. Crowded pans release water and steam food instead of browning it.

Beginner use. Dry mushroom/meat surfaces and avoid overcrowding when you want colour.

Meaning. Fat transfers heat, prevents sticking, carries aromatic compounds, creates richness, helps browning, and forms emulsions with water-based liquids.

Beginner use. Gently cook garlic, chilli, herbs and spices in oil to spread aroma.

Meaning. Salt enhances flavour, reduces bitterness, helps proteins retain moisture, seasons internally when given time, draws water out, and changes texture.

Beginner use. Salt earlier for internal seasoning; salt later for final adjustment.

Meaning. Acid brightens food and cuts richness — lemon, lime, vinegar, tomato, kimchi, wine, yoghurt and citrus all do this.

Beginner use. If food tastes flat, heavy or dull, it may need acid, not more salt.

Meaning. Browning creates deep flavour through the Maillard reaction (proteins + sugars) and caramelisation (sugars breaking down).

Beginner use. Brown food usually tastes deeper than pale food — as long as it is brown, not burnt.

Meaning. Everything in place before heat: garlic chopped, onions diced, sauce measured, pan ready. Heat keeps moving whether you are ready or not.

Beginner use. Use for fast cooking: aglio olio, stir-fry, fried rice, omelette, steak, garlic butter prawns.

Meaning. Curl the non-knife hand inward, tuck fingertips back, and guide the knife with your knuckles. Most knife injuries happen when fingertips are exposed.

Beginner use. Use whenever slicing, chopping or dicing.

Meaning. Cut food into rough pieces. Chopping increases surface area, which means faster cooking and more flavour release.

Beginner use. Use for mushrooms, herbs, cooked veg, rough onions and leftover meat.

Meaning. Cut food into cubes: large ~2cm, medium ~1cm, small ~0.5cm, brunoise very tiny. Even cubes cook evenly.

Beginner use. Small dice for sauces/fried rice; large dice for stews/roasting.

Meaning. Cut very finely. Mincing breaks more cell walls and releases stronger flavour, but tiny pieces burn faster.

Beginner use. Use for garlic, ginger, chilli, herbs. For aglio olio, sliced garlic is easier to control.

Meaning. Cut thin, flat pieces. Thin slices cook fast; thick slices cook slower.

Beginner use. Use for garlic, onion, mushrooms, meat, cucumber and chilli.

Meaning. Cut thin matchsticks. They cook quickly and evenly while keeping a tender-crisp texture.

Beginner use. Use for carrots, cucumber, ginger, peppers, spring onions.

Meaning. Roll leafy herbs/greens and slice into thin ribbons. This prevents bruising and gives delicate strips.

Beginner use. Use for basil, mint, spinach, shiso, leafy herbs.

Meaning. A diagonal slice. It increases surface area, cooks faster, contacts sauce better, and looks nicer.

Beginner use. Use for scallions, asparagus, long beans, carrots, sausages.

Meaning. Gentle heat for slow cooking. Lets heat move through food without burning the outside.

Beginner use. Melting butter, warming cream, scrambled eggs, gentle garlic, reheating sauces, infusing oil.

Meaning. Controlled gentle heat for extracting flavour without aggressive browning.

Beginner use. Aglio olio garlic oil, cream sauces, onions that should soften but not brown, eggs, butter sauces.

Meaning. General-purpose heat — enough energy for steady cooking without instantly burning aromatics.

Beginner use. Sauté vegetables, finish pasta in sauce, pan sauces, fried eggs, reheating leftovers.

Meaning. Strong heat for browning and fast evaporation. Drives off surface water so browning can happen.

Beginner use. Brown mushrooms, sear chicken, stir-fry vegetables, pan-fry dumplings, reduce watery sauces.

Meaning. Aggressive heat. Quickly drives off water and browns, but burns small ingredients easily.

Beginner use. Boiling water, wok cooking, steak searing, charring vegetables. Avoid for garlic, butter, cream, delicate herbs, cheese sauces.

Meaning. Food continues cooking after leaving the heat because stored heat keeps moving inward.

Beginner use. Pull pasta early if it will finish in sauce; rest meat before cutting.

Meaning. Cook in liquid with aggressive bubbling. Water moves food around and transfers heat quickly.

Beginner use. Pasta, noodles, potatoes, dumplings, blanching vegetables.

Meaning. A strong boil that does not stop when stirred or when food is added.

Beginner use. Best for pasta, noodles, dumplings, potatoes.

Meaning. Gentle bubbling below a boil. Cooks without harsh agitation, so food stays intact and meat is less likely to toughen.

Beginner use. Soups, stews, tomato sauce, curry, braises, beans.

Meaning. Tiny occasional bubbles just below a full simmer. Very gentle cooking prevents proteins tightening too hard.

Beginner use. Poached chicken, fish, stock, delicate soups, custards.

Meaning. Simmer or boil to evaporate water and concentrate flavour, salt, sugar, gelatin and starch.

Beginner use. Watery sauce? Reduce it until less water remains.

Meaning. Briefly cook in boiling water. Softens, sets colour, removes harshness, and can reduce bitterness.

Beginner use. Broccoli, green beans, spinach, tomatoes, leafy greens.

Meaning. Move hot blanched food into ice water to stop carryover cooking.

Beginner use. Keeps green vegetables bright and crisp; useful for boiled eggs and herbs.

Meaning. Cook gently in liquid below a simmer. Gentle heat keeps delicate proteins tender.

Beginner use. Eggs, chicken breast, fish, pears.

Meaning. Cook quickly in a small amount of fat over medium to medium-high heat. Oil transfers heat; moisture evaporates; food softens or browns.

Beginner use. Garlic, onions, mushrooms, vegetables, small meat pieces.

Meaning. Cook vegetables gently in fat without browning. Salt and low heat draw out water and sweetness.

Beginner use. Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, leeks for soups and sauces.

Meaning. Use high heat to brown the outside. Searing creates Maillard flavour; it does not seal in juices.

Beginner use. Dry the surface, do not overcrowd, use enough heat, let food sit before moving.

Meaning. Cook until colour develops. Colour equals flavour — when brown, not burnt.

Beginner use. Meat, mushrooms, onions, butter, bread, roasted vegetables.

Meaning. Cook sugars until brown and deeper sweet/nutty/bitter flavours form. True caramelised onions take 30–45 min.

Beginner use. Onions, carrots, sugar, fruit, tomato paste.

Meaning. Browning between amino acids and reducing sugars. It needs dry, hot surfaces; too much water blocks it.

Beginner use. Dry surface + hot pan + patience = browning.

Meaning. Add liquid to a hot pan to dissolve browned bits. Those bits are concentrated flavour.

Beginner use. Use water, stock, wine, pasta water, soy + water, vinegar, tomato juice.

Meaning. A sauce made in the same pan after cooking meat/veg: browned bits + liquid + seasoning + reduction + fat.

Beginner use. Sear chicken, remove it, add garlic/liquid, scrape, reduce, finish butter off heat.

Meaning. Gently extract flavour into fat or liquid. Many aromas dissolve better in fat than water.

Beginner use. Garlic oil, chilli oil, herb oil, tea, broth, cream sauces.

Meaning. Briefly cook spices or pastes in fat to release fat-soluble aromas and remove raw harshness.

Beginner use. Curry powder, chilli flakes, cumin, paprika, Sichuan pepper, mala paste, gochujang, tomato paste.

Meaning. Apply dry heat until aromatic. Drives off moisture and makes flavours nuttier and more intense.

Beginner use. Sesame seeds, nuts, spices, breadcrumbs, rice, bread.

Meaning. Cook with dry heat in an oven; usually gentler than broiling or grilling.

Beginner use. Bread, cakes, casseroles, baked pasta, potatoes.

Meaning. Cook with dry oven heat to evaporate surface moisture and brown. Oil helps heat transfer.

Beginner use. Chicken, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes. Do not overcrowd the tray.

Meaning. Intense top-down radiant heat. Browns surfaces very quickly; watch closely.

Beginner use. Melting cheese, browning pasta tops, crisping chicken skin, charring peppers, gratins.

Meaning. Cook over direct heat, usually from below. Direct radiant heat creates fast browning and char.

Beginner use. Meat, seafood, vegetables, skewers.

Meaning. Cook in a moderate amount of oil in a pan for browning and crispness.

Beginner use. Eggs, fish, dumplings, chicken cutlets, tofu.

Meaning. Oil comes partway up the food, giving more even heat contact than pan-frying.

Beginner use. Cutlets, fritters, tofu, eggplant, schnitzel.

Meaning. Fully submerge food in hot oil. Correct temperature forms a crust fast; cool oil makes greasy food.

Beginner use. Fries, fried chicken, tempura. Not essential early on.

Meaning. Small pieces cooked quickly over high heat while moving constantly. Prep everything first.

Beginner use. Vegetables, rice, noodles, thin meat slices, tofu. Cook in batches and sauce near the end.

Meaning. Combine fat and water into a smooth mixture by breaking fat into tiny suspended droplets. Starch, egg yolk, mustard, garlic, cheese and movement help.

Beginner use. Aglio olio = olive oil + pasta water + starch + tossing.

Meaning. A sauce separates into fat and water because of too much fat, too much heat, not enough water, or not enough emulsifier.

Beginner use. Fix with a splash of water/pasta water and whisk/toss hard over lower heat.

Meaning. Add cold butter at the end to enrich and gloss a sauce. Butter forms a temporary emulsion.

Beginner use. Use off heat or very low heat for pan sauces, tomato sauces, kimchi pasta, steak/fish sauces.

Meaning. Increase sauce body through reduction, starch gelatinisation, fat emulsification, protein coagulation, cheese, or blended solids.

Beginner use. Reduce, add slurry, cream, cheese, egg yolk carefully, or blend veg.

Meaning. Make a sauce less thick by adding liquid. For pasta, pasta water loosens while adding starch and salt.

Beginner use. Use for pasta sauce, cream sauce, curry, stew, noodle sauces.

Meaning. A sauce clings lightly to a spoon because it has enough viscosity from reduction, starch, cream, egg or gelatin.

Beginner use. A useful cue for cream sauces, custards, reductions, pan sauces.

Meaning. Adjust the final balance, not just salt — balance salt, acid, fat, sweetness, bitterness, heat, umami and aroma.

Beginner use. Flat: salt/acid. Heavy: acid. Sharp: fat/sweet/dairy. Salty: dilute/starch/fat. Thin: reduce/fat/umami.

Meaning. Let cooked meat sit before cutting so temperature and juices redistribute.

Beginner use. Small meats ~5 min; large roasts longer.

Meaning. Cook meat gently first, then sear hard at the end for crust and less overcooked grey band.

Beginner use. Useful later for thick steak, pork chop, lamb, large chicken pieces.

Meaning. Spoon hot fat or liquid over food while it cooks. Transfers heat to the top and coats with aromatic fat.

Beginner use. Butter + garlic + herbs over steak/fish/chicken.

Meaning. Soak food in saltwater. Salt helps meat retain moisture and season inside.

Beginner use. Chicken, pork, turkey, fish.

Meaning. Salt ahead without water. Salt draws moisture out, then salty liquid reabsorbs; the surface dries and browns better.

Beginner use. Chicken thighs, steak, pork chops, fish, roast chicken.

Meaning. Soak in a flavoured mixture. Marinades mostly affect the surface; salt penetrates deeper than many flavours.

Beginner use. Structure: salt + aromatics + fat + acid + optional sweetness. Do not over-marinate delicate proteins in strong acid.

Meaning. A Chinese tenderising method using starch/egg/oil/soy/baking soda to protect meat from high heat and moisture loss.

Beginner use. Beginner version: soy + cornstarch + a little oil + optional tiny baking soda for sliced chicken/beef.

Meaning. Add alcohol to a hot pan and ignite the vapour. Adds aroma/drama but is not necessary early and can be dangerous.

Beginner use. Do not pour alcohol directly from a bottle into a hot pan.

Meaning. Slow-cook food in fat at low temperature for tender texture and rich flavour.

Beginner use. Garlic confit is approachable, but garlic-in-oil storage must be refrigerated and handled safely.

Meaning. Sear first, then slow-cook with liquid. Collagen turns into gelatin, making tough cuts tender.

Beginner use. Sear protein, sauté aromatics, deglaze, add liquid, simmer gently until tender.

Meaning. Cook small pieces fully or mostly submerged in liquid. Flavours mingle and tough bits tenderise.

Beginner use. Beef stew, chicken curry, vegetable stew, lentils, beans.

Meaning. Cook sealed food in temperature-controlled water for precise doneness. Useful but equipment-heavy.

Beginner use. Not needed for early survival cooking.