Culinary Arts & Cooking Vocabulary: 100 Key English Terms
Professional kitchens run on short, precise English: on the pass, in recipes and prep lists, in food safety records and on menus. This glossary explains the words chefs and kitchen staff use every day for cooking methods, knife cuts, equipment, ingredients, measurements, kitchen roles, hygiene, menus and service, each with examples from real kitchen work.
100 terms
10 topics
59 core terms
201 example sentences
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No account needed. Read the meaning, see where the term is used, then study the examples. Click any word in the lesson for help. You can also select a word and press Alt + Enter.
Cooking Methods & Techniques
boil
verb
Meaning
To heat a liquid until it bubbles strongly, or to cook food in such a liquid. Water boils at 100°C at sea level.
Where you use it
Used for water, pasta, potatoes, eggs and green vegetables. Chefs say bring to the boil (UK) or bring to a boil (US), then often turn it down to a simmer. A rolling boil is a strong boil that does not stop when you stir.
Examples
Bring the water to the boil and salt it before you add the pasta.
Don't let the sauce boil or the cream will split.
Common phrases
bring to the boil · rolling boil · boiled potatoes · boil for ten minutes · come to the boil
To cook food gently in liquid kept just below boiling point, so that only small bubbles rise slowly to the surface.
Where you use it
Used for stocks, soups, sauces and stews, which become cloudy or tough if they boil hard. Recipes say bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. As a noun: keep it at a gentle simmer.
Examples
Let the stock simmer for four hours and skim it now and then.
Turn the soup down; it should just be simmering, not boiling.
Common phrases
bring to a simmer · gentle simmer · simmer for · leave to simmer · simmer gently
To cook small pieces of food quickly in a little hot fat in a pan, moving or tossing them so they brown evenly. From French sauter, "to jump".
Where you use it
Used for vegetables, mushrooms, pieces of meat and seafood. In a brigade kitchen the cook in charge of this work is the sauté cook or saucier. The past form is sautéed; you also see sauté pan.
Examples
Sauté the mushrooms in butter until they're golden.
Don't overcrowd the pan, or the vegetables will steam instead of sauté.
Usage note
In English the word is often written without the accent (saute), but it is still pronounced soh-TAY.
Common phrases
sauté in butter · sautéed vegetables · sauté pan · lightly sauté · sauté station
To cook meat, poultry or vegetables with dry heat in an oven, usually at a fairly high temperature so the outside browns. As a noun, a roast is a joint of meat cooked this way.
Where you use it
Used for meat, chicken, root vegetables and also for nuts, seeds and coffee beans. Common phrases are roast chicken, roasted vegetables and Sunday roast. In UK kitchens the cook in charge of roasts is the roast chef (rôtisseur).
Examples
Roast the lamb at 180°C and let it rest for twenty minutes before carving.
The roasted root vegetables go with the beef special tonight.
Usage note
Roast and bake both use the oven. Roast is used for meat and vegetables; bake is used for bread, cakes, pastry and dishes like lasagne.
Common phrases
roast chicken · roasted vegetables · roast in the oven · slow-roast · roasting tray
To cook food with dry heat in an oven, especially bread, cakes, pastry, biscuits and dishes covered with a crust or sauce.
Where you use it
Used for the whole pastry and bakery section and for dishes like baked fish or baked potatoes. Recipes give a temperature and time (bake at 180°C for 25 minutes). Baking needs exact weights, so pastry chefs weigh everything.
Examples
Bake the tart shells blind for fifteen minutes before you fill them.
We bake our own bread every morning.
Common phrases
bake at 180°C · bake blind · freshly baked · baking tray · bake until golden
To cook food over or under strong, direct heat, giving it brown marks and a smoky flavour. As a noun, a grill is the equipment used for this.
Where you use it
Used for steaks, fish, kebabs and vegetables. The grill station and the grill cook are part of many restaurant kitchens. Chefs talk about grill marks and char-grilled dishes.
Examples
Grill the sea bass skin side down first.
He's been on the grill station all week.
Usage note
In British English, grill also means cooking under heat from above, which Americans call broil. In American English, grill usually means cooking over heat.
Common phrases
grill station · char-grilled · grill marks · grilled fish · on the grill
To cook food by putting it completely under hot oil, usually between about 160°C and 190°C, until it is crisp and golden.
Where you use it
Used for chips, fried chicken, tempura, calamari and doughnuts. Kitchens use a deep fryer (or deep-fat fryer) with baskets, and the oil must be filtered and changed regularly. Pan-fry and shallow-fry mean cooking in less oil.
Examples
Deep-fry the calamari for two minutes; any longer and it gets rubbery.
The oil in the deep fryer needs changing; everything is coming out dark.
Usage note
Fry alone can mean any frying. Say deep-fry when the food is fully covered in oil and pan-fry when it is cooked in a little oil in a pan.
Common phrases
deep-fried calamari · deep fryer · deep-fry until golden · change the fryer oil
To cook food in the hot vapour rising from boiling water, without the food touching the water itself.
Where you use it
Used for vegetables, fish, dumplings, rice and puddings. Professional kitchens steam in combi ovens or steamers; at home a steamer basket over a pot is common. Steamed food keeps its colour, shape and many nutrients.
Examples
Steam the broccoli for three minutes so it stays bright green.
The dumplings are steamed to order in bamboo baskets.
Common phrases
steamed vegetables · steam to order · steamer basket · steam for five minutes
To cook food gently in liquid that is hot but not bubbling, roughly 70–85°C, such as water, stock, wine or milk.
Where you use it
Used for eggs, fish, chicken breast and fruit such as pears. The liquid is often flavoured with herbs, wine or spices. Poached eggs are a classic test of a breakfast cook. Poaching is gentler than simmering.
Examples
Poach the salmon in court bouillon for about eight minutes.
We poach the eggs to order; never in advance.
Usage note
Poach also means hunting animals illegally and, in business, hiring away another company's staff: "They poached our sous chef."
To put food briefly into boiling water and then usually straight into iced water to stop the cooking, fixing the colour and partly cooking it.
Where you use it
Used for green vegetables before service, for loosening tomato and almond skins and for preparing chips. The cold-water step is called refreshing (UK) or shocking (US). Blanched vegetables are finished quickly to order.
Examples
Blanch the green beans and refresh them in iced water.
Score the tomatoes and blanch them for ten seconds so the skins come off easily.
Common phrases
blanch and refresh · blanched almonds · blanch in salted water · blanched vegetables
To brown the surface of meat or fish quickly in a very hot pan or on a grill, creating a dark, tasty crust.
Where you use it
Used for steaks, scallops, tuna and joints of meat before roasting or braising. Chefs ask for a hard sear or a good sear, and the pan must be smoking hot. Seared tuna is cooked outside and raw inside.
Examples
Sear the scallops for one minute on each side.
Your pan isn't hot enough to sear the beef properly.
Usage note
Many people say searing "seals in the juices". It does not; it adds flavour and colour.
Common phrases
sear the meat · pan-seared · hard sear · seared tuna · sear on both sides
To brown food first and then cook it slowly in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid, so that tough cuts become tender.
Where you use it
Used for lamb shanks, beef cheeks, short ribs, pork belly and vegetables like fennel and cabbage. Braising can be done in the oven or on the stove. The liquid becomes the sauce. Stewing is similar but uses smaller pieces and more liquid.
Examples
We braise the lamb shanks for three hours in red wine.
Strain the braising liquid and reduce it for the sauce.
Common phrases
braised lamb · braising liquid · slow-braise · braise in the oven · red wine braise
To boil or simmer a liquid so that some of the water evaporates, making it thicker and its flavour stronger. The result is called a reduction.
Where you use it
Used for sauces, stocks, wine and cream. Recipes say reduce by half or reduce until syrupy. Chefs talk about a red wine reduction or a balsamic reduction. Do not add salt early, because it gets stronger as the sauce reduces.
Examples
Reduce the wine by two thirds before you add the stock.
The sauce isn't reduced enough; it's still too thin.
Common phrases
reduce by half · red wine reduction · reduce until syrupy · reduce the sauce
To heat sugar, or food that contains sugar such as onions, until it turns brown and develops a rich, sweet, slightly bitter flavour.
Where you use it
Used for onions, root vegetables, fruit and sugar work in pastry. Recipes say cook until caramelized or caramelize the onions slowly. In British English it is often spelled caramelise. Crème brûlée tops are caramelized with a blowtorch.
Examples
Caramelize the onions slowly for forty minutes; don't rush them.
The sugar on the brûlée isn't caramelized enough. Give it another pass with the torch.
Usage note
Chefs often say caramelize for browning meat too, but strictly that browning is a different reaction, called the Maillard reaction.
Common phrases
caramelized onions · caramelize the sugar · until caramelized · lightly caramelized
Cooked so that it is soft but still slightly firm when you bite it, especially pasta, rice and vegetables. From Italian, meaning "to the tooth".
Where you use it
Used for pasta, risotto and vegetables. Restaurant kitchens often cook pasta slightly less than al dente and finish it in the sauce. Chefs test it by biting a piece.
Examples
Cook the linguine until just al dente, then finish it in the pan with the clams.
This risotto is overcooked. It should be al dente in the middle.
Common phrases
cook until al dente · just al dente · al dente pasta · slightly under al dente
A method of cooking food sealed in a vacuum bag in a water bath held at an exact, usually low, temperature for a long time. From French, meaning "under vacuum".
Where you use it
Used for meat, fish, eggs and vegetables to get exact doneness from edge to edge. The food is usually seared or finished on the grill before serving. Kitchens need a vacuum packer and a water bath with an immersion circulator, and strict HACCP controls.
Examples
We cook the short ribs sous vide at 62°C for 48 hours.
The sous vide bath must be checked and logged every morning.
Usage note
Pronounced soo-VEED. Do not confuse sous vide with sous chef: both use French sous (under).
Common phrases
cook sous vide · sous vide bath · sous vide machine · vacuum-pack
To cut food into pieces with a knife, usually quickly and without needing every piece to be exactly the same size.
Where you use it
The most general cutting verb in recipes and kitchen instructions. Recipes say roughly chopped or finely chopped; chefs ask you to chop onions, herbs or nuts. When the size must be exact, more precise words such as dice or mince are used.
Examples
Chop the parsley finely and keep it in a damp cloth until service.
The vegetables for the stock only need to be roughly chopped.
Common phrases
finely chop · roughly chop · chopped onions · chop herbs · chopping board
To cut food into small, even cubes. As a noun, dice also means the cubes themselves, as in a fine dice of carrot.
Where you use it
Used for onions, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables when the pieces should cook evenly and look neat. Chefs specify the size: small, medium or large dice, or a size in millimetres. Brunoise is a very small dice.
Examples
Dice the onions for the sofrito, about five millimetres.
These potatoes are diced too big; they won't cook in time.
Common phrases
finely dice · small dice · medium dice · diced onion · dice evenly
To cut something into thin, flat pieces. As a noun, a slice is one of these pieces, such as a slice of bread or lemon.
Where you use it
Used for bread, meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables. Chefs specify thickness: thinly sliced, sliced into rounds, sliced on the bias (at an angle). Meat is often sliced against the grain to make it tender.
Examples
Slice the beef against the grain, about half a centimetre thick.
Put two slices of lemon on each fish plate.
Common phrases
thinly slice · slice against the grain · slice on the bias · a slice of · sliced into rounds
A large all-purpose kitchen knife with a broad, slightly curved blade, usually 20 to 25 cm long, used for most chopping, slicing and dicing.
Where you use it
The knife cooks use most. Many chefs own and carry their own knives in a knife roll. You sharpen and hone it, and you are expected to keep it clean and never leave it in the sink. Also called a cook's knife.
Examples
Use your chef's knife for the onions; that paring knife is too small.
My chef's knife needs sharpening before the weekend.
Common phrases
sharpen a chef's knife · 8-inch chef's knife · knife roll · hold a chef's knife
To cut or grind food into very small pieces, finer than chopping. In British English, mince as a noun also means minced meat.
Where you use it
Used for garlic, shallots, ginger and herbs, and for meat put through a mincer. Recipes say minced garlic or finely minced shallots. Americans say ground beef where the British say beef mince or minced beef.
Examples
Mince two cloves of garlic for the dressing.
The lamb mince for the köfte arrived this morning.
To remove the skin of a fruit or vegetable. As a noun, peel is the skin of fruits such as oranges, lemons and potatoes.
Where you use it
A daily prep job, often given to commis chefs: peel the potatoes, carrots or onions. You use a peeler or a small knife. Kitchens also say peel prawns (remove the shell). Peelings are the pieces of skin that come off.
Examples
Peel ten kilos of potatoes for tomorrow's mash.
Keep the orange peel; we'll candy it for the dessert.
Usage note
Peel is the skin itself; zest is only the thin coloured outer layer of citrus peel.
Common phrases
peel the potatoes · vegetable peeler · orange peel · peeled prawns · peel and dice
A classic knife cut of thin, even strips like matchsticks, about 2–3 mm thick and 5 cm long. Also used as a verb: to julienne carrots.
Where you use it
Used for carrots, peppers, leeks, ginger and citrus peel in garnishes, salads and stir-fries. Cutting a julienne first is also the first step to a brunoise. Chefs judge a commis by how even their julienne is.
Examples
Cut the carrots into a fine julienne for the spring rolls.
Your julienne needs to be more even; some pieces are twice as thick.
Common phrases
fine julienne · julienne of vegetables · cut into julienne · julienne strips
A very fine dice of vegetables, about 3 mm cubes or smaller, made by cutting a julienne across into tiny even squares.
Where you use it
Used for garnishes, sauces, consommé and dressings, where small, perfectly even pieces matter. A fine brunoise is even smaller. It is a classic test of knife skills in culinary schools and trials.
Examples
Garnish the consommé with a brunoise of carrot, celery and leek.
For the trial, they asked me to cut a shallot brunoise.
Usage note
Pronounced broon-WAHZ.
Common phrases
fine brunoise · brunoise of vegetables · cut into brunoise · shallot brunoise
A boneless piece of fish or meat, such as a fish fillet or beef fillet. As a verb, to fillet means to remove the bones and cut out these pieces.
Where you use it
Used in fish and butchery work. Cooks fillet whole fish with a flexible filleting knife, and menus list sea bass fillet or beef fillet. Fillet steak is a tender cut from the beef tenderloin.
Examples
Can you fillet these ten sea bream before lunch?
Each portion is one salmon fillet of about 160 grams.
Usage note
British English says FIL-it; American English often says fi-LAY and may spell beef fillet as filet, as in filet mignon.
Common phrases
fish fillet · fillet a fish · filleting knife · beef fillet · skinless fillet
A small knife with a short blade, usually 7–10 cm long, used for peeling, trimming and detailed work on fruit and vegetables.
Where you use it
Every cook's knife roll has one next to the chef's knife. Used for coring tomatoes, peeling, turning vegetables and checking whether potatoes are cooked. To pare means to remove the outer layer thinly.
Examples
Use a paring knife to take the core out of the tomatoes.
Stick a paring knife in the potatoes; if it slides out easily, they're done.
Common phrases
small paring knife · use a paring knife · paring knife and peeler · knife roll
A flat board made of plastic or wood on which food is cut. Professional kitchens often use boards of different colours for different types of food.
Where you use it
Cutting board is more American; British kitchens usually say chopping board. Colour-coded boards help prevent cross-contamination; a common UK system is red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, yellow for cooked meat, green for salad and fruit, brown for vegetables and white for bakery and dairy.
Examples
Never cut raw chicken on the green cutting board.
Put a damp cloth under your cutting board so it doesn't slide.
An enclosed, heated box used for baking, roasting and keeping food warm. Professional kitchens use deck, convection and combi ovens.
Where you use it
You preheat, turn on, turn down or open the oven, and put food in or take it out of the oven. A fan oven (UK) or convection oven (US) blows hot air and cooks faster, so recipes may give a lower temperature for it.
Examples
Preheat the oven to 200°C before you start the potatoes.
The bread comes out of the oven at seven every morning.
Usage note
Oven is pronounced UV-un, with the vowel of up, not "o-ven".
Common phrases
preheat the oven · in the oven · fan oven · convection oven · oven temperature
A piece of kitchen equipment with burners or hot plates on top for cooking in pans, often with an oven underneath.
Where you use it
Stove is common in American English, with stovetop for the cooking surface. British kitchens say cooker for the whole appliance and hob for the top. Professional kitchens also talk about the range, a heavy line of burners, and flat-top or induction hobs.
Examples
Keep the stock on the back of the stove so it stays hot.
Never leave a pan of oil unattended on the stove.
Usage note
Turkish soba is a room heater, but stove is the cooking appliance (ocak). In old or outdoor use, stove can also mean a heater or camping stove.
Common phrases
on the stove · gas stove · induction stove · turn off the stove · back of the stove
A deep, round metal pan with one long handle and often a lid, used for boiling, simmering and making sauces.
Where you use it
Every station uses saucepans of different sizes. Chefs often just say pan or pot; a large pot for stocks is a stockpot. Turn handles inwards so nobody knocks the pan off the stove.
Examples
Warm the milk in a small saucepan; don't let it boil.
Turn the saucepan handle in, or someone will knock it over.
Common phrases
small saucepan · heavy-based saucepan · saucepan with a lid · in a saucepan
A shallow, flat-bottomed pan with a long handle and sloping sides, used for frying, sautéing and searing.
Where you use it
Also called a skillet, especially in American English. Kitchens use non-stick, stainless steel, carbon steel and cast iron frying pans. A sauté pan has straight, higher sides.
Examples
Heat the frying pan until it's smoking before you add the steak.
Use the non-stick frying pan for the omelettes.
Usage note
Pan alone can mean almost any cooking vessel. Say frying pan when you mean the shallow one.
Common phrases
non-stick frying pan · cast-iron frying pan · heat the frying pan · in a frying pan
A tool made of loops of wire on a handle, used to beat air into eggs and cream or to mix sauces smoothly. As a verb, to whisk means to beat with this tool.
Where you use it
Used in both pastry and savoury cooking. You whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, whisk a sauce to remove lumps and whisk in butter at the end. A balloon whisk is the large round type; machines use a whisk attachment.
Examples
Whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Grab a whisk; the béchamel is getting lumpy.
Common phrases
balloon whisk · whisk until smooth · whisk in the butter · whisk egg whites · whisk together
A tool with two connected arms that you squeeze together to pick up, turn or serve food without touching it.
Where you use it
Used on the grill, at the fryer and on buffets. Tongs is always plural: a pair of tongs, these tongs. For food safety, kitchens keep separate tongs for raw and cooked food.
Examples
Use the red tongs for raw chicken only.
Can you pass me those tongs? I need to turn the ribs.
Usage note
Say "the tongs are", not "the tongs is", just like scissors.
Common phrases
a pair of tongs · kitchen tongs · serving tongs · turn with tongs
A professional oven that can cook with dry hot air, steam or a combination of both, often with programmes and a core temperature probe.
Where you use it
Found in most hotel and banquet kitchens. Used for roasting, steaming, baking, slow cooking overnight and regenerating chilled food. Cooks set the mode, temperature and humidity, or choose a saved programme.
Examples
Put the lamb shoulders in the combi oven overnight at 120°C with 30% humidity.
We steam all the vegetables for the banquet in the combi oven.
Common phrases
combi oven programme · steam mode · set the combi oven · regenerate in the combi
A professional grill with a strong heat source above the food, used to brown, glaze, melt cheese or keep plates warm.
Where you use it
Usually mounted above the range or on the wall at the pass. Cooks say put it under the salamander or flash it under the salamander to gratinate a dish quickly. It does the job of a home oven grill (UK) or broiler (US).
Examples
Flash the gratin under the salamander just before it goes.
Keep the plates warm on top of the salamander.
Common phrases
under the salamander · flash under the salamander · salamander grill · glaze under the salamander
A refrigerator that cools hot cooked food very quickly with strong cold air, so it passes through the danger zone in a short, controlled time.
Where you use it
Essential for cook-chill production, batch cooking and banquets. Cooks blast chill stocks, sauces, rice and braises before storing them. A blast freezer does the same but freezes the food.
Examples
Put the bolognese in the blast chiller; don't leave it to cool on the bench.
The blast chiller log shows the start and end temperature of every batch.
A large refrigerated room that staff can walk into, used to store bulk food. Short for walk-in fridge, cooler or freezer.
Where you use it
Kitchens say put it in the walk-in or grab it from the walk-in. Storage follows strict rules: raw below cooked, everything covered, labelled and dated, FIFO. Temperatures are checked and logged daily.
Examples
The fish delivery goes straight into the walk-in.
Can you organise the walk-in? I can't find anything in there.
Usage note
In hotels and restaurants, a walk-in is also a guest who arrives without a booking. The context tells you which one is meant.
Common phrases
walk-in fridge · walk-in freezer · in the walk-in · walk-in temperature
A thermometer with a thin metal spike that is pushed into the thickest part of food to measure its core temperature.
Where you use it
Used for cooking, cooling, reheating and receiving deliveries, and required for HACCP checks. Cooks wipe the probe with a sanitizing wipe between foods. Probes are checked regularly in iced water (about 0°C) and boiling water (about 100°C).
Examples
Check the chicken with the probe thermometer before it goes to the pass.
Who has the probe thermometer? The fish delivery is here.
Usage note
In kitchen talk it is often just the probe, and probe is also a verb: "Probe the chicken."
Common phrases
probe the meat · digital probe thermometer · probe wipes · calibrate the probe
One of the foods or other items, such as flour, oil or salt, that are combined to make a particular dish.
Where you use it
Used in recipes, ordering and allergen information. Chefs talk about fresh, seasonal or local ingredients, list ingredients on a recipe card and check them for allergens. Main ingredient and key ingredient are very common.
Examples
We only use local ingredients on the summer menu.
Can you check every ingredient in the sauce for nuts? Table nine has an allergy.
Usage note
Stress the second syllable: in-GREE-dee-ent.
Common phrases
fresh ingredients · main ingredient · seasonal ingredients · list of ingredients · source ingredients
To add salt, pepper or other flavourings to food to improve its taste. Well seasoned means the salt and flavour are at the right level.
Where you use it
One of the most common words in a kitchen. Chefs taste and say "It needs seasoning" or "Check the seasoning"; recipes say season to taste. Seasoning is the noun. A pan or grill can also be seasoned by heating oil on it.
Examples
Season the steak just before it goes on the grill.
Taste the risotto. Is it seasoned enough?
Usage note
In the kitchen, season usually means mainly salt (and pepper), not adding many spices. Spicy means hot or full of spices, not well seasoned.
Common phrases
season to taste · season well · check the seasoning · well seasoned · under-seasoned
A flavoured liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables and aromatics in water for a long time, used as the base for soups, sauces and braises.
Where you use it
Kitchens make chicken, beef, veal, fish and vegetable stock. Brown stock uses roasted bones; white stock does not. Chefs say make, strain, skim or reduce a stock. Stock also means the goods kept in store, as in stock check.
Examples
The veal stock has been simmering since six this morning.
Skim the fat off the chicken stock before you strain it.
Usage note
Stock is usually made mainly from bones and is unseasoned; broth is usually made from meat, seasoned and good enough to eat on its own.
Common phrases
chicken stock · brown stock · fish stock · strain the stock · stockpot
A seasoned liquid or paste, often with oil, acid such as lemon or yoghurt, herbs and spices, in which meat, fish or vegetables are soaked before cooking.
Where you use it
Marinades add flavour and can make the surface more tender. Recipes say how long to marinate: overnight, at least two hours. Used marinade that touched raw meat must not be served unless it is boiled first.
Examples
The chicken for the şiş sits in a yoghurt marinade overnight.
Don't leave the fish in an acidic marinade too long or it will start to 'cook'.
Usage note
Marinade is the noun (the liquid); marinate is the verb (to soak food in it). Many people mix them up.
Common phrases
yoghurt marinade · leave in the marinade · marinate overnight · discard the marinade
One of the five basic sauces of classic French cooking, as set out by Escoffier: béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise and tomato. Many other sauces are made from them.
Where you use it
Taught early in culinary school as the base of sauce work. A sauce made from a mother sauce is a derivative or small sauce, for example Mornay from béchamel or béarnaise from the hollandaise family.
Examples
In the first month of school we learned all five mother sauces.
Velouté is a mother sauce made from a white stock and a blond roux.
Common phrases
five mother sauces · classic mother sauces · derivative sauce · French mother sauces
A mixture of equal amounts of fat, usually butter, and flour cooked together and used to thicken sauces and soups.
Where you use it
The base of béchamel and velouté. A roux is cooked to different colours: white, blond or brown, depending on the sauce. Chefs say make a roux, cook out the roux (to remove the raw flour taste) and add the liquid gradually.
Examples
Make a white roux and add the hot milk slowly, whisking all the time.
Cook the roux for a few more minutes; it still tastes of flour.
Usage note
Pronounced roo, like the end of kangaroo. The x is silent.
Common phrases
make a roux · white roux · brown roux · cook out the roux
A smooth mixture of two liquids that do not normally mix, such as oil and water or vinegar, held together by whisking and often by egg yolk or mustard.
Where you use it
Mayonnaise, hollandaise and beurre blanc are emulsions; a vinaigrette is a temporary one. When an emulsion separates, chefs say it has split or broken. The verb is emulsify.
Examples
Add the butter slowly or the emulsion will split.
The mustard helps keep the dressing a stable emulsion.
Common phrases
stable emulsion · the emulsion splits · emulsify the sauce · break an emulsion
The thin, coloured outer layer of the skin of citrus fruit, full of aromatic oils, grated or cut off to add flavour. As a verb, to zest means to remove it.
Where you use it
Used in pastry, dressings, marinades and garnishes. Cooks use a microplane or a zester and avoid the white pith underneath, which is bitter. Recipes often say the zest and juice of one lemon.
Examples
Finish the fish with a little lemon zest and olive oil.
Only take the zest; the white part underneath is bitter.
Common phrases
lemon zest · orange zest · zest and juice · finely grated zest
Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, and sometimes other fresh farm products, as bought and stored by a kitchen.
Where you use it
Used in purchasing and menu writing: produce supplier, produce order, seasonal produce, local produce. Chefs check produce on delivery for quality and freshness and reject what is not good enough.
Examples
The produce delivery arrives at seven; check every box.
Our menu changes with the local produce available each season.
Usage note
Stress changes the meaning: the noun is PROD-uce (fresh food), the verb is pro-DUCE (to make).
Common phrases
fresh produce · seasonal produce · local produce · produce supplier · produce order
Food products that do not need refrigeration and are kept on shelves, such as flour, rice, pasta, sugar, pulses, spices and canned goods.
Where you use it
Kept in the dry store, which must be cool, clean and free from pests. Dry goods are ordered weekly, rotated using FIFO and stored off the floor in sealed containers once opened.
Examples
Do a dry goods stock check before you place the weekly order.
All dry goods must be stored in sealed, labelled containers.
Common phrases
dry goods store · dry goods order · dry store · dry goods supplier
A set of instructions for making a dish, with a list of ingredients, their quantities and the steps, times and temperatures needed.
Where you use it
Kitchens keep standard recipes so that a dish tastes the same whoever cooks it. You follow, adapt, scale up or cost a recipe, and a new cook is told to "stick to the recipe".
Examples
Follow the recipe exactly; the guests expect the same cheesecake every time.
We need to scale this recipe up from ten portions to forty for the banquet.
Usage note
Recipe has three syllables: RES-uh-pee. Turkish speakers sometimes say "ri-SIPE". Do not confuse it with receipt, the paper you get after paying.
Common phrases
follow a recipe · standard recipe · scale up a recipe · recipe card · adapt a recipe
The amount of a food served to one person. As a verb, to portion means to divide food into equal amounts for serving.
Where you use it
Portion control keeps costs steady and plates consistent. Chefs portion meat and fish by weight during prep, and recipes state the portion size (180 g portion). Portion out and pre-portioned are common.
Examples
Portion the salmon into 160-gram pieces and label them.
These portions are too big; we're losing money on every plate.
Common phrases
portion size · portion control · portion out · pre-portioned · single portion
A large spoon, and a standard measure in recipes equal to three teaspoons, which is 15 ml in the UK and US.
Where you use it
Written tbsp, tbs or T in recipes. Professional kitchens prefer weights in grams, but tablespoons are still used for small amounts of liquids and spices. Level and heaped tablespoons are different amounts.
Examples
Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the dressing.
Is that a level tablespoon or a heaped one?
Usage note
An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, so check where a recipe comes from. Do not confuse tbsp (tablespoon) with tsp (teaspoon).
Common phrases
a tablespoon of · level tablespoon · heaped tablespoon · measuring spoon
A small spoon, and a standard measure in recipes equal to about 5 ml, or one third of a tablespoon.
Where you use it
Written tsp or t in recipes and used for salt, spices, baking powder and extracts. In professional baking, small amounts are often weighed instead, because spoons vary.
Examples
The recipe says one teaspoon of baking powder, not one tablespoon.
Add half a teaspoon of cumin and taste.
Common phrases
a teaspoon of · half a teaspoon · level teaspoon · measuring teaspoon
In the amount that gives the flavour you want, decided by tasting rather than by an exact measure. Used mostly with salt, pepper, sugar and acid.
Where you use it
A fixed phrase at the end of recipe instructions: season to taste, add lemon juice to taste. In a professional kitchen it means the cook must taste and adjust, not skip the step.
Examples
Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Add the chilli to taste, but remember not everyone likes it hot.
Common phrases
season to taste · add to taste · salt to taste · sweeten to taste
To heat an oven, grill or pan to the required temperature before you put the food in.
Where you use it
Usually the first line of a baking or roasting recipe: preheat the oven to 180°C (or 350°F). In professional kitchens ovens and grills are turned on early so they are fully preheated by service.
Examples
Preheat the oven to 220°C for the bread.
Did anyone preheat the grill? We have orders coming in.
Usage note
American recipes give temperatures in Fahrenheit: 350°F is about 180°C, and 400°F is about 200°C.
Common phrases
preheat the oven · preheated oven · preheat to 180°C · preheat the grill
The amount or number of portions a recipe produces; also the usable weight of an ingredient left after trimming, boning or peeling.
Where you use it
Standard recipes state their yield (Yield: 12 portions). Chefs calculate yield percentage to cost dishes correctly: a whole fish may give only about half its weight as fillet. Also used as a verb: the recipe yields 2 litres.
Examples
The yield on this beef is only 65% after trimming.
The soup recipe has a yield of five litres, about twenty portions.
The cost of the ingredients used to make a dish or menu, often shown as a percentage of the selling price.
Where you use it
Head chefs are responsible for food cost and report it weekly or monthly. Food cost percentage = ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100; many restaurants aim for roughly 25–35%, depending on the business. Waste, theft and large portions raise it.
Examples
Our food cost went up to 38% last month because of the price of olive oil.
Cost every new dish before it goes on the menu; I need the food cost per plate.
Common phrases
food cost percentage · control food cost · food cost per plate · reduce food cost
A trained professional cook, especially one who leads a kitchen or a section of it. In the kitchen, staff also use it as a form of address for their seniors.
Where you use it
Used as a job title (head chef, sous chef, pastry chef) and as a form of address: cooks answer instructions with "Yes, chef" and call for attention with "Chef!". Outside work, people say chef for almost any professional cook.
Examples
Chef wants all the sauces tasted before service.
She trained in Lyon and now works as a chef in a hotel in Bodrum.
"Six covers on table four, chef." "Yes, chef!"
Usage note
Chef is pronounced /ʃef/ (like "shef"), not /tʃef/. A chef is usually the leader; the general word for a person who cooks is cook.
Common phrases
head chef · trained chef · work as a chef · "Yes, chef" · chef's whites
The second in command in a kitchen, who helps the head chef, supervises the cooks and runs the kitchen when the head chef is away.
Where you use it
From French, meaning "under chef". The sous chef often runs the pass during service, writes rotas, checks mise en place and trains junior staff. Large kitchens may have a senior sous chef and junior sous chefs.
Examples
The sous chef is running the pass tonight because Chef is off.
After four years as a chef de partie, he was promoted to sous chef.
Usage note
Sous is pronounced like Sue; the final s is silent.
Common phrases
senior sous chef · junior sous chef · promoted to sous chef · sous chef position
The person in charge of a kitchen, responsible for the menu, the team, food quality, ordering and costs. Also called chef de cuisine.
Where you use it
Inside the kitchen everyone simply calls the head chef Chef. The head chef writes menus, sets standards, hires and trains staff and controls food cost. Hotels and groups also have an executive chef, who manages several kitchens or outlets.
Examples
The head chef changes the menu every season.
You'll need the head chef's approval before you change the recipe.
Usage note
Executive chef is a higher, more managerial role than head chef in hotels and restaurant groups; in a single restaurant the two titles are often used for the same person.
Common phrases
head chef position · report to the head chef · executive chef · chef de cuisine
A cook who works at one station on the line, the row of cooking equipment where orders are cooked during service.
Where you use it
Mostly American English; British kitchens tend to use chef de partie and commis instead. Line cooks are often named by station: grill cook, sauté cook, fry cook. Working the line means cooking during service.
Examples
We're hiring two line cooks for the summer season.
She started as a line cook and became sous chef in three years.
Common phrases
work the line · experienced line cook · line cook position · hire a line cook
A junior chef at the start of their career who works under a chef de partie, doing prep and learning each section of the kitchen.
Where you use it
The entry-level title in brigade kitchens, especially in Europe and hotels. Often shortened to commis: first commis, second commis. A commis usually rotates through sections such as larder, pastry and sauce.
Examples
The commis chef is on veg prep all morning.
I started as a commis chef in a five-star hotel in Antalya.
Usage note
Commis is pronounced KOM-ee in most English kitchens; the final s is usually silent.
Common phrases
junior commis chef · first commis · work as a commis chef · commis chef position
A chef in charge of one section of the kitchen, such as fish, sauce, grill or pastry, often with one or more commis chefs working under them.
Where you use it
A standard job title in hotels and brigade-style restaurants, often shortened to CDP. Job ads mention senior and junior CDPs. Partie means section, so the title literally means chef of the section. Americans more often say line cook or station chef.
Examples
She's the chef de partie on the fish section.
We're looking for a pastry chef de partie with hotel experience.
Usage note
Pronounced shef duh par-TEE. The plural is chefs de partie.
Common phrases
senior chef de partie · junior chef de partie · CDP · chef de partie position
A chef who specialises in desserts, pastries, breads and other baked goods and usually runs the pastry section of a kitchen. Also called a pâtissier.
Where you use it
Pastry work needs precise weights and temperatures, so the pastry section often has its own area, fridges and equipment. Hotels may have an executive pastry chef. The section is called pastry or the pastry kitchen.
Examples
Ask the pastry chef if she can do a gluten-free birthday cake for Saturday.
Our pastry chef makes all the bread in-house.
Usage note
Turkish pasta usually means cake, while English pasta is Italian noodles. Pastry is dough or baked goods such as tarts and croissants.
Common phrases
executive pastry chef · pastry section · pastry kitchen · head pastry chef
A kitchen worker who washes dishes, pots and equipment, keeps the kitchen clean, takes out rubbish and helps with deliveries and basic prep.
Where you use it
British English, often shortened to KP. Americans usually say dishwasher (also the machine). Hotels call this department stewarding and the staff stewards. A good KP keeps the whole kitchen moving during service.
Examples
The kitchen porter needs the big pots back before we close.
We're short of a kitchen porter tonight, so everyone helps with the pans.
Usage note
In hotels, a porter usually carries guests' luggage. In a kitchen, porter means this cleaning and support role.
Common phrases
kitchen porter (KP) · head kitchen porter · dishwasher · stewarding department
The traditional way of organising a professional kitchen into a clear chain of command and sections, developed by the French chef Auguste Escoffier in the late 19th century.
Where you use it
Also called the kitchen brigade or brigade de cuisine. The order runs from executive or head chef to sous chef, chefs de partie, commis and kitchen porters. Most modern kitchens use a simplified version.
Examples
The hotel still runs a full brigade system with twelve sections.
In a small bistro the brigade system is much simpler: chef, sous chef and two cooks.
Common phrases
kitchen brigade · classic brigade system · brigade de cuisine · full brigade
The spread of harmful bacteria or allergens from one food, surface, tool or person to another, for example from raw meat to a salad.
Where you use it
A key term in food safety training and inspections. Kitchens prevent it with colour-coded boards and knives, separate storage (raw below cooked), hand washing and cleaning between tasks. Allergen cross-contact is the same problem with allergens.
Examples
Store raw meat on the bottom shelf to avoid cross-contamination.
The inspector was worried about cross-contamination between the raw fish and the sushi rice.
A substance in food, such as nuts, milk, eggs, gluten or shellfish, that can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Where you use it
EU and UK rules list 14 major allergens that must be declared on menus or on request. Kitchens keep an allergen matrix for every dish, and servers pass allergy information to the kitchen on the ticket. Chefs say a dish contains or is free from an allergen.
Examples
Every new dish needs to go on the allergen chart before it goes on the menu.
Table twelve, nut allergy. Make sure there are no allergens in the dressing.
Usage note
Allergen is the substance; allergy is the person's condition; allergic is the adjective: "She is allergic to sesame."
Common phrases
allergen information · allergen chart · allergen matrix · major allergens · declare allergens
The range of temperatures, roughly 5°C to 60°C (41°F to 140°F), in which harmful bacteria grow fastest. Exact limits differ slightly between countries.
Where you use it
A key idea in food safety training. Kitchens keep cold food cold and hot food hot, cool cooked food quickly with blast chillers and limit the time food spends in the danger zone. Inspectors check fridge and hot-holding temperatures.
Examples
Don't leave the rice on the bench; it's been in the danger zone for too long.
Use the blast chiller to get the stock through the danger zone quickly.
Common phrases
temperature danger zone · in the danger zone · out of the danger zone · time in the danger zone
First in, first out: a stock rotation rule that older stock is used before newer deliveries, so that food does not go out of date.
Where you use it
Used for every fridge, freezer and storeroom. When a delivery arrives, new stock goes to the back and older stock is moved to the front. Clear date labels make FIFO work. Pronounced FYE-foh.
Examples
Put the new cream at the back; we work FIFO in this walk-in.
The inspector asked how we apply FIFO in the dry store.
Common phrases
FIFO system · rotate stock using FIFO · work FIFO · FIFO rotation
The date on a food label after which the food should not be eaten, cooked or served for safety reasons, even if it looks and smells fine.
Where you use it
Found on high-risk chilled foods such as fresh meat, fish and dairy. Kitchens also write their own use-by dates on labels for food they prepare. A best-before date is about quality, not safety.
Examples
This chicken is past its use-by date. Throw it away and log it.
Every container in the fridge needs a label with a use-by date.
Common phrases
past its use-by date · check the use-by date · use-by date label · within the use-by date
To reduce the number of germs on a clean surface or piece of equipment to a safe level, using heat or a chemical product called a sanitizer.
Where you use it
Used in cleaning schedules and food safety training. Surfaces are first cleaned to remove dirt and grease, then sanitized. British spelling is sanitise. Cooks sanitize boards, knives and work surfaces between tasks.
Examples
Clean and sanitize the board before you switch from chicken to salad.
The sanitizer spray needs two minutes of contact time to work.
Usage note
Cleaning removes visible dirt; sanitizing kills most germs. Kitchens need both, in that order.
The temperature at the centre or thickest part of a piece of food, measured with a probe thermometer to check that it is cooked, cooled or reheated safely.
Where you use it
Used in HACCP records and cooking instructions. Food safety rules set minimum core temperatures; many guidelines use about 75°C for poultry and reheated food. Chefs also use core temperature for doneness, for example a medium-rare steak.
Examples
Probe the chicken and write the core temperature on the sheet.
The core temperature of the lamb should be about 55°C for pink.
Common phrases
check the core temperature · reach a core temperature of · record core temperatures · core temperature probe
To let frozen food become soft and unfrozen before cooking it. Defrost means the same and is just as common.
Where you use it
Safe kitchens thaw food in the fridge, under cold running water or as part of cooking, never on the bench at room temperature. Thawed food is labelled with the date and not refrozen raw.
Examples
Move the prawns to the fridge tonight so they thaw slowly for tomorrow.
Never thaw meat on the bench; use the walk-in.
Usage note
The th in thaw is the sound in think, and the word rhymes with saw: /θɔː/, not "tav".
Common phrases
thaw in the fridge · thawed overnight · thaw completely · defrost
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points: a food safety system that identifies the points where food could become unsafe and sets checks and limits to control them.
Where you use it
Food businesses in the EU, the UK and many other countries, including Turkey, must have a food safety system based on HACCP principles. In the kitchen it means daily records: delivery checks, fridge temperatures, core temperatures, cooling and cleaning logs.
Examples
Fill in the HACCP sheet every time you cool a batch of stock.
The inspector reviewed our HACCP records for the last three months.
Usage note
Usually pronounced as a word, HASS-up, rather than letter by letter.
Common phrases
HACCP plan · HACCP records · HACCP training · critical control point
Any illness caused by eating food or drink contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. In everyday English it is usually called food poisoning.
Where you use it
Used in food safety training, inspections and regulations. Common causes discussed in training include Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and norovirus. Kitchens prevent it through temperature control, hygiene and avoiding cross-contamination.
Examples
Most cases of foodborne illness come from poor temperature control or dirty hands.
Any staff member with vomiting must stay home to prevent a foodborne illness outbreak.
The list of dishes a restaurant offers, with their descriptions and usually their prices; also the planned set of dishes for a meal or event.
Where you use it
Chefs write, change, cost and test menus. Common types are à la carte, set, tasting, seasonal and banquet menus. You put a dish on the menu or take it off the menu. Front of house staff must know the menu well.
Examples
The new spring menu launches next Monday.
We're taking the duck off the menu; it isn't selling.
Common phrases
on the menu · seasonal menu · change the menu · menu tasting · take off the menu
A small dish served as the first course of a meal, before the main course. Appetizer is the usual American word.
Where you use it
Used on menus and in orders: "Two starters to share." Waiters ask "Would you like a starter?" In the kitchen the cold starters are often made in the larder or garde manger section. A sourdough starter is something else: a fermented dough culture.
Examples
Table five want their starters and mains together.
The burrata is our most popular starter.
Usage note
In American English, entrée means the main course, but in French it means a starter. Use starter or appetizer to avoid confusion.
Common phrases
cold starter · hot starter · starters to share · starter portion · order a starter
The largest and most important dish of a meal, usually served after the starter and before dessert. Often shortened to main.
Where you use it
Used on menus and during service: "Two mains away" or "Fire mains on table eight." Menus may list main courses as mains or, in American English, as entrées. Kitchens time the mains so a table's dishes leave the pass together.
Examples
The lamb is our best-selling main course this month.
Table three have finished their starters; get ready to fire the main courses.
Common phrases
main course dishes · for the main course · mains · choice of main course
A smaller dish, such as vegetables, salad, rice or potatoes, served alongside the main course. Often shortened to side.
Where you use it
Menus list sides separately: "Sides: fries, green salad, seasonal greens." Guests order a side of something, and servers ask "Any sides with that?" In the kitchen, sides are often made on the garnish or veg station.
Examples
The steak comes with one side dish of your choice.
We're out of mash, so offer roast potatoes as the side dish.
Usage note
Turkish garnitür usually matches side dish, not garnish.
Common phrases
a side of · side salad · choice of side dish · sides to share
One of the separate parts of a meal served one after another, such as the starter, the main course and the dessert.
Where you use it
Used to describe menus and timing: a three-course meal, a seven-course tasting menu. The kitchen and the floor talk about the next course, pacing courses and clearing between courses.
Examples
The wedding menu is four courses with a choice of main.
Give table nine a few minutes before the next course.
Usage note
Do not confuse course (part of a meal) with coarse (rough, not fine), as in coarse salt. They sound the same.
Common phrases
three-course meal · first course · next course · between courses · five-course dinner
A dish that is not on the regular menu but is offered for a limited time, often for one day, using seasonal ingredients or extra stock.
Where you use it
Chefs create specials to test ideas, use seasonal produce or sell surplus stock. Servers present today's specials to guests, often from a specials board. The kitchen tells the floor how many portions of the special are available.
Examples
Tonight's special is grilled turbot with saffron butter.
We only have twelve portions of the special, so tell the guests early.
Common phrases
today's special · daily special · specials board · chef's special · lunch special
Describing a menu where each dish is listed and priced separately, so guests choose and pay for individual items rather than a fixed meal.
Where you use it
Used for menus, restaurants and service: à la carte menu, à la carte restaurant, cooked à la carte (to order). In hotels it contrasts with the buffet and with set menus. Also used as an adverb: we only serve à la carte in the evening.
Examples
Guests on all-inclusive can book the à la carte restaurant twice a week.
The à la carte menu changes every season, but the set lunch changes weekly.
Usage note
It is often written without the accent: a la carte. Pronounce it ah-lah-KART.
Common phrases
à la carte menu · à la carte restaurant · à la carte service · order à la carte
A menu with a fixed number of courses and a fixed price, usually with a small choice of dishes for each course or no choice at all.
Where you use it
Common for lunches, groups, weddings and events. Also called a fixed-price menu, prix fixe or table d'hôte. It makes prep and costing easier than an à la carte menu because the kitchen knows what to expect.
Examples
The set menu is three courses for 45 euros at lunch.
For groups over twelve we only offer the set menu.
Common phrases
set lunch menu · three-course set menu · fixed-price menu · set menu for groups
A menu of many small courses chosen by the chef, served one after another to show the kitchen's style and best dishes, usually at a fixed price.
Where you use it
Typical of fine-dining restaurants. Often five to fifteen courses, sometimes with a wine pairing. Also called a dégustation menu. The kitchen needs exact timing and many small portions prepared in advance.
Examples
The eight-course tasting menu is served to the whole table.
We need to adapt the tasting menu for a guest who doesn't eat shellfish.
Common phrases
seven-course tasting menu · tasting menu with wine pairing · chef's tasting menu · dégustation menu
The period when a restaurant is open and the kitchen is cooking and sending out orders, such as lunch service or dinner service.
Where you use it
Kitchen life is organised around service: prep before service, during service, after service. Chefs call "Service!" or "Service, please!" when plates on the pass are ready to be taken. A busy night is a heavy or hard service.
Examples
All prep has to be finished thirty minutes before service.
We did 180 covers at dinner service last night.
Usage note
Service charge is a different thing: the extra amount added to a guest's bill.
Common phrases
before service · during service · lunch service · dinner service · busy service
A printed or written order sent from the dining room to the kitchen, showing the table, the dishes and any special requests or allergies.
Where you use it
During service the person on the pass reads tickets aloud ("calling tickets") and hangs them on a rail. Also called a check or chit in the US and a docket in the UK and Australia. Many kitchens now use screens (KDS) instead of paper.
Examples
New ticket: two soups, one risotto, no dairy on the risotto.
Check the ticket again; the guest asked for the steak medium rare.
Common phrases
call a ticket · new ticket · ticket rail · on the ticket · ticket times
The counter between the kitchen and the dining room where finished plates are checked, often under heat lamps, before servers take them out.
Where you use it
Usually called the pass. The head chef or sous chef runs the pass: reads tickets, calls orders, checks every plate and calls "Service!" when it is ready. In the US the person doing this job is often the expeditor or expo.
Examples
Put it on the pass and wipe the rim first.
Chef runs the pass on Friday and Saturday nights.
Common phrases
on the pass · run the pass · work the pass · hot pass · plates on the pass
To arrange cooked food on a plate so that it is ready to be served and looks attractive. The noun plating means the way a dish is arranged.
Where you use it
Used during service and in menu development. Chefs say plate up (UK) or plate the dish, and they discuss plating style. Every plate should match the chef's photo or spec sheet.
Examples
Plate the lamb when I call it, not before.
Her plating is clean and simple; the food speaks for itself.
Common phrases
plate up · plate the dish · plating style · plated dessert · ready to plate
A small item of food, such as herbs, a slice of lemon or a sauce dot, added to a dish to make it look and taste better. As a verb, to garnish means to add this.
Where you use it
Used on recipe cards and at the pass: garnish with chives, finish with garnish. In classic brigades the garnish station (entremetier) prepares vegetables and starches, which is a different, older meaning.
Examples
Garnish each soup with a few drops of herb oil.
The garnish should be edible; no plastic flowers on my plates.
Usage note
False friend: in Turkish restaurants garnitür often means the side dish (rice, fries, vegetables). In English that is a side dish or side; garnish is mostly decoration.
Common phrases
garnish with · herb garnish · finish with a garnish · garnish station
The parts of a restaurant that guests see, such as the dining room and bar, and the staff who work there: hosts, servers, bartenders and managers.
Where you use it
Often shortened to FOH. The kitchen and FOH must communicate well about allergies, timing and items that have run out. As an adjective it is hyphenated: front-of-house staff, front-of-house manager.
Examples
Tell front of house we're 86 on the risotto.
The briefing is at 5:30 for both kitchen and front-of-house staff.
Common phrases
front-of-house staff · front-of-house manager · FOH team · brief front of house
The areas of a restaurant that guests do not see, such as the kitchen, storerooms and dishwashing area, and the staff who work there.
Where you use it
Often shortened to BOH. Used in job ads, training and management: back-of-house staff, back-of-house operations. It includes cooks, kitchen porters and storeroom staff.
Examples
All back-of-house staff must wear hairnets and closed shoes.
We're redesigning the back of house to make the dish area bigger.
Common phrases
back-of-house staff · BOH team · back-of-house operations · back-of-house area
In a kitchen, to start cooking a dish or a course for a table, called out by the chef at the pass when the timing is right.
Where you use it
A kitchen call: "Fire table six!" "Fire two lamb!" "Fire mains on twelve." Cooks answer "Firing!" or "Yes, chef." Orders may come in first and be fired later, when the guests are ready for that course.
Examples
Fire table four's mains; they've just finished their starters.
Don't fire the fish until I call it.
Usage note
Fire also means to dismiss someone from a job, so the context matters: "Fire table six" is about food, not staff.
Common phrases
fire a table · fire mains · fire the next course · "Firing!" · ordered and fired
A short warning called out in a kitchen to tell someone you are walking behind them, so they do not step back or turn into you.
Where you use it
Said loudly and often during service, especially in narrow kitchens. Cooks add details: "Hot behind!" for hot pans, "Sharp behind!" for knives, "Corner!" when coming around a blind corner. Not saying it is seen as dangerous.
Examples
Behind! Hot pan coming through.
Always call "behind" when you pass someone at the stove.
Kitchen slang meaning that a dish or ingredient has run out and cannot be ordered, or to remove it from the menu for now. The origin of the expression is unclear.
Where you use it
Said as eighty-six. Used as a verb ("86 the salmon"), with be ("We're 86 salmon" or "Salmon is 86") and as a noun. The kitchen tells front of house immediately so servers stop selling the item.
Examples
86 the sea bass! We've just sold the last one.
We're 86 on crème brûlée, so tell the servers.
Usage note
Outside kitchens, 86 is also informal American slang for throwing someone out or cancelling something. Use it at work, not in writing to guests.
One guest's meal, used to count how many people a restaurant serves; also the place setting laid on the table for one guest.
Where you use it
Chefs and managers measure business in covers: "We did 220 covers on Saturday." Bookings are also counted in covers. A cover charge is a fixed fee per guest added to the bill in some restaurants.
Examples
We've got 140 covers booked for tonight, plus walk-ins.
The preparation and organisation of all ingredients and tools at a station before cooking or service begins. From French, meaning "putting in place".
Where you use it
One of the first expressions every cook learns. You do or set up your mise en place before service; chefs check it and complain when it is not ready. Often shortened to mise (/miːz/): "Is your mise done?"
Examples
Get your mise en place ready by five; doors open at six.
Good mise en place is the reason she never gets lost during a busy service.
Common phrases
do your mise en place · set up your mise en place · check the mise en place · mise en place list
An area of the kitchen where one cook or a small team prepares one type of food, such as the grill, fry, sauce or garnish station.
Where you use it
Cooks are assigned to a station, set up their station before service and break it down and clean it afterwards. The French word partie, from chef de partie, means the same thing. Kitchen talk: "Who's on fish tonight?" "Which station are you on?"
Examples
Set up your station before family meal; we open at six.
I'm moving you to the grill station on Saturday.
Common phrases
set up your station · grill station · break down a station · on the fish station · work a station
Short for preparation: the work of getting food ready before cooking or service, such as washing, peeling, cutting, portioning and making sauces. Also used as a verb.
Where you use it
One of the most used words in any kitchen: prep list, prep cook, prep time, prep area. Cooks prep vegetables, prep their station and finish prep before service. A prep list shows what each station must prepare that day.
Examples
Check the prep list before you start; the fish needs portioning first.
Can you prep two boxes of shallots for tomorrow?
Common phrases
prep list · prep cook · finish your prep · prep time · morning prep
The working habit of cleaning your station, tools and spills continuously while you cook, instead of leaving all the cleaning until the end.
Where you use it
A basic rule in professional kitchens and food safety training, often written on kitchen walls. It keeps the station safe, organised and hygienic during service. Chefs remind cooks: "Clean as you go!" Also shortened to CAYG.
Examples
Clean as you go; I don't want to see a pile of dirty boards at the end of service.
If you clean as you go, closing down takes ten minutes, not an hour.
Common phrases
clean as you go policy · work clean · clean down your station · wipe as you go
The amount of an ingredient or prepared item that should be on hand for a shift or until the next delivery. Also called par stock or just par.
Where you use it
Used on prep lists and order sheets. Cooks compare what they have with the par and prep or order the difference. Pars are adjusted for busy days, events and seasons.
Examples
The par level for hollandaise on Saturday is three litres.
We're below par level on chips. Prep another two trays.
Common phrases
below par level · set par levels · par sheet · prep to par
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn culinary arts & cooking vocabulary
Learn kitchen calls as whole phrases: "Yes, chef", "Behind!", "Fire table six", "Two minutes on the risotto" and "We're 86 on the sea bass" are heard on every shift.
Read real kitchen texts in English, such as professional recipes, prep lists, HACCP records, allergen charts and restaurant menus, and notice how each term is used.
Group cooking verbs by the type of heat: liquid (boil, simmer, poach, steam), dry heat (roast, bake, grill) and fat (sauté, sear, deep-fry). The group tells you a lot about what each word means.
Many kitchen words come from French (mise en place, sous chef, à la carte, julienne). Learn how English-speaking kitchens pronounce them, which is often not the French way.
Practise saying quantities, temperatures and times aloud: 200 grams, 180 degrees, two tablespoons, 45 minutes. Recipes and orders depend on them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a chef and a cook?
Inside a professional kitchen, chef is a title for someone who leads: the head chef, the sous chef, a chef de partie. Cook is the general word for anyone who prepares food, as in line cook or prep cook. Outside the kitchen, people often call any professional cook a chef. The Turkish aşçı is closest to cook, and şef to chef.
What does mise en place mean and why do chefs keep saying it?
Mise en place is French for "putting in place". It means having every ingredient prepared, measured and ready, and every tool in its place, before service starts. Chefs repeat it because a cook with poor mise en place falls behind as soon as orders start coming in.
What do "Yes, chef", "Behind" and "86" mean in a kitchen?
"Yes, chef" means you have heard and understood an instruction. "Behind" warns a colleague that you are passing behind them, often with something hot or sharp. "86" means an item has run out and can no longer be ordered, as in "86 the lamb". These short calls keep a busy kitchen safe and fast.
Should I say starter, appetizer or entrée?
Starter is British English and appetizer is American English for the small first course. Entrée is the trap: in American English it means the main course, while in French, and on some British menus, it means a first course. If you are unsure, say starter or appetizer for the first course and main course for the main dish.
What is the difference between a use-by date and a best-before date?
A use-by date is about safety: after that date the food should not be eaten or served, even if it looks and smells fine. A best-before date is about quality: the food is still safe for a while, but its taste or texture may be weaker. In Turkish labelling, they correspond to Son Tüketim Tarihi (STT) and Tavsiye Edilen Tüketim Tarihi (TETT).
