Wondering what some of the cooking terms mean? Well let us try to sort that out for you, and if there are terms that we've missed (as I'm sure there will be) please let us know so we can add them.
Rack
A rib section of meat. Rib ends may be decorated with papillotes.
Raclette
A cheese dish related to fondue, and perhaps it’s earliest form. A chunk of cheese that melts smoothly and easily is brought to the table melting under a broiler or in one of the raclette stoves for making the dish. It is served with a boiled potato for each diner and side dishes of tiny cocktail onions, dill pickles, and gherkins. Diners scrape the melting portion of the cheese onto a bit of mashed potato, and add a spicy relish to each bite. The word racler means to scrape.
Radish
A member of the mustard family grown for its root (Raphanus sativus); generally, the crisp white flesh has a mild to peppery flavour and is usually eaten raw.
Ragout
Stew.
Ragừ
Meat sauce that may or may not contain tomato.
Ramekin
A small, ovenproof dish, usually ceramic.
Rarebit
Melted cheese poured onto toast. It is one of a group of dishes called ‘savoury’ sometimes served after the sweet at a formal English meal.
Rasher
A thin slice of bacon.
Raisin
A sweet dried grape.
Raspberry
A small ovoid or conical-shaped berry (Rubus idaeus) composed of many connecting drupelets (tiny individual sections of fruit, each with its own seed) surrounding a central core; has a sweet, slightly acidic flavour; the three principal varieties are black, golden and red.
Raspings
Very finely grated stale bread.
Ratatouille
Mediterranean mixture of vegetables cooked slowly until they make a well-bound compote.
Ravigote
Cold sauce, made with mayonnaise base, chopped green herb, and tarragon vinegar with a tart taste
Ravioli
Small, square noodle dough cases filled with seasoned ground meat, grated seasoned cheese, or finely chopped seasoned vegetables and served with a meat or marinara sauce.
Reconstitute To take a dried food such as milk back to its original state by adding liquid.
Reduce or Reduction
The technique of cooking liquids down so that some of the water they contain evaporates. Reduction is used to concentrate the flavour of a broth or sauce and, at times, to help thicken the sauce by concentrating ingredients such as natural gelatine.
Refresh
To rinse just-boiled vegetables under very cold water to stop their cooking.
Relish
A cooked or pickled sauce usually made with vegetables or fruits and often used as a condiment; can be smooth or chunky, sweet or savoury and hot or mild.
Remoulade sauce
A highly seasoned cold sauce similar to tartar sauce, but using mustard and ground pepper added.
Render To melt down fat to make drippings.
Rennet
A substance used to coagulate milk for cheese-making, or to set certain puddings, such as junket.
A rib section of meat. Rib ends may be decorated with papillotes.
Raclette
A cheese dish related to fondue, and perhaps it’s earliest form. A chunk of cheese that melts smoothly and easily is brought to the table melting under a broiler or in one of the raclette stoves for making the dish. It is served with a boiled potato for each diner and side dishes of tiny cocktail onions, dill pickles, and gherkins. Diners scrape the melting portion of the cheese onto a bit of mashed potato, and add a spicy relish to each bite. The word racler means to scrape.
Radish
A member of the mustard family grown for its root (Raphanus sativus); generally, the crisp white flesh has a mild to peppery flavour and is usually eaten raw.
Ragout
Stew.
Ragừ
Meat sauce that may or may not contain tomato.
Ramekin
A small, ovenproof dish, usually ceramic.
Rarebit
Melted cheese poured onto toast. It is one of a group of dishes called ‘savoury’ sometimes served after the sweet at a formal English meal.
Rasher
A thin slice of bacon.
Raisin
A sweet dried grape.
Raspberry
A small ovoid or conical-shaped berry (Rubus idaeus) composed of many connecting drupelets (tiny individual sections of fruit, each with its own seed) surrounding a central core; has a sweet, slightly acidic flavour; the three principal varieties are black, golden and red.
Raspings
Very finely grated stale bread.
Ratatouille
Mediterranean mixture of vegetables cooked slowly until they make a well-bound compote.
Ravigote
Cold sauce, made with mayonnaise base, chopped green herb, and tarragon vinegar with a tart taste
Ravioli
Small, square noodle dough cases filled with seasoned ground meat, grated seasoned cheese, or finely chopped seasoned vegetables and served with a meat or marinara sauce.
Reconstitute To take a dried food such as milk back to its original state by adding liquid.
Reduce or Reduction
The technique of cooking liquids down so that some of the water they contain evaporates. Reduction is used to concentrate the flavour of a broth or sauce and, at times, to help thicken the sauce by concentrating ingredients such as natural gelatine.
Refresh
To rinse just-boiled vegetables under very cold water to stop their cooking.
Relish
A cooked or pickled sauce usually made with vegetables or fruits and often used as a condiment; can be smooth or chunky, sweet or savoury and hot or mild.
Remoulade sauce
A highly seasoned cold sauce similar to tartar sauce, but using mustard and ground pepper added.
Render To melt down fat to make drippings.
Rennet
A substance used to coagulate milk for cheese-making, or to set certain puddings, such as junket.
Rhubarb
A member of the buckwheat family, its thick, celery-like stalks of can reach up to 2 feet long, which are the only edible portion of the plant — the leaves contain oxalic acid and can therefore be toxic. Though rhubarb is generally eaten as a fruit, it's botanically a vegetable.
Resting
Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become redistributed in the meat and aren’t squeezed out onto the platter during carving.
Rice
The starch seed of a semiaquatic grass (Oryza sativa), probably originating in Southeast Asia and now part of most cuisine; divided into three types based on seed size; long-grain, medium-grain and short-grain, each of which is available in different processed forms such as white rice and brown rice.
Ricer
A utensil that forces food through tiny holes, giving potatoes, for instance, the texture of cooked rice.
Rice Vinegar
A mild white vinegar good for salads and used in Chinese cuisine.
Ricotta
A fresh, creamy white cheese, smoother than cottage cheese, with a slightly sweet flavour.
Rigatoni
Italian for large groove and used to describe large grooved, slightly curved pasta tubes.
Rillettes
A pâté of pork that is somewhat coarser than liver pâtés.
Risotto
A creamy rice dish made with short-grain or Arborio Italian rice.
Roast To cook uncovered in the oven.
Roe
Fish eggs. Caviar is the most famous use of roe.
Roma tomatoes
Oval-shaped tomatoes, which are great for cooking and eating.
Romaine
Mild flavoured,long narrow, and crisp leaves of salad greens of which the outer leaves are a fairly dark green and the inner leaves are light in colour.
Romano cheese
A hard, salty grating cheese. Pecorino Romano is the best known, and is made with sheep’s milk, while many other types are made with cow’s milk or a blend of cow’s and goat’s milk.
Rosemary
A herb (Rosmarinus officinalis) with silver-green, needle-shaped leaves, a strong flavour reminiscent of lemon and pine and a strong, sharp camphor-like aroma; available fresh and dried.
Roquefort
A French blue vein cheese.
Roulade
A slice of meat or fish rolled around a stuffing.
Roux
A mixture of flour and butter used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies.
Royale
A mixture of cream and eggs baked into a custard for garnishing a consommé and broth.
Rusks
Twice-toasted bread or cake.
Rutabaga
Also called Swede, this is a yellow winter turnip, more strongly flavoured than the white and purple turnips of spring. It is excellent with turkey and duck, and in soups and stews.
A member of the buckwheat family, its thick, celery-like stalks of can reach up to 2 feet long, which are the only edible portion of the plant — the leaves contain oxalic acid and can therefore be toxic. Though rhubarb is generally eaten as a fruit, it's botanically a vegetable.
Resting
Resting allows the meat to relax so the juices become redistributed in the meat and aren’t squeezed out onto the platter during carving.
Rice
The starch seed of a semiaquatic grass (Oryza sativa), probably originating in Southeast Asia and now part of most cuisine; divided into three types based on seed size; long-grain, medium-grain and short-grain, each of which is available in different processed forms such as white rice and brown rice.
Ricer
A utensil that forces food through tiny holes, giving potatoes, for instance, the texture of cooked rice.
Rice Vinegar
A mild white vinegar good for salads and used in Chinese cuisine.
Ricotta
A fresh, creamy white cheese, smoother than cottage cheese, with a slightly sweet flavour.
Rigatoni
Italian for large groove and used to describe large grooved, slightly curved pasta tubes.
Rillettes
A pâté of pork that is somewhat coarser than liver pâtés.
Risotto
A creamy rice dish made with short-grain or Arborio Italian rice.
Roast To cook uncovered in the oven.
Roe
Fish eggs. Caviar is the most famous use of roe.
Roma tomatoes
Oval-shaped tomatoes, which are great for cooking and eating.
Romaine
Mild flavoured,long narrow, and crisp leaves of salad greens of which the outer leaves are a fairly dark green and the inner leaves are light in colour.
Romano cheese
A hard, salty grating cheese. Pecorino Romano is the best known, and is made with sheep’s milk, while many other types are made with cow’s milk or a blend of cow’s and goat’s milk.
Rosemary
A herb (Rosmarinus officinalis) with silver-green, needle-shaped leaves, a strong flavour reminiscent of lemon and pine and a strong, sharp camphor-like aroma; available fresh and dried.
Roquefort
A French blue vein cheese.
Roulade
A slice of meat or fish rolled around a stuffing.
Roux
A mixture of flour and butter used to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies.
Royale
A mixture of cream and eggs baked into a custard for garnishing a consommé and broth.
Rusks
Twice-toasted bread or cake.
Rutabaga
Also called Swede, this is a yellow winter turnip, more strongly flavoured than the white and purple turnips of spring. It is excellent with turkey and duck, and in soups and stews.
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