Our cooking techniques reference guide
When it comes to cooking, there are a lot of big, fancy words that get used.
Cookbooks, chefs, and cooking reality shows tend to throw around words like ‘flambéing’, ‘pureeing’, and ‘sautéing’. But what do these common cooking terms actually mean?
This guide to common cooking terms will help you understand the cooking essentials so you can use these techniques to become an at-home master chef.
Bake (Let’s start easy)
What is baking?
Baking is when you cook food in an oven, surrounded by dry heat. This is called roasting when applied to meat or poultry.
Baking recipes you can try:
Baste – What is basting?
Basting is when you moisten food for added flavour and to prevent drying out while cooking.
Recipes that include the basting technique:
Blanch – What is blanching?
Blanching is when you cook briefly in boiling water to seal in flavour and colour. You would usually use this technique for vegetables or fruit to prepare for freezing.
Blind bake – What is blind baking?
Blind baking is when you bake a pie or pastry crust part-way, without the filling (often using weights such as pie weights or uncooked rice to stop it from bubbling up). Once cooled, you would then add the filling and bake the pie or pastry until done.
Fun fact: With the NEFF Circo Therm® oven feature, you can often skip the blind baking step as the oven directs the heat to help you crust cook through and avoid soggy bottoms.
Recipes that use blind baking:
Braise – What is braising?
Braising is when you cook first by browning, then gently simmering a small amount of liquid over low heat in a covered pan until tender.
You can try out this technique with our Asian braised chicken with mushrooms recipe.
Butterfly – What is butterflying?
Butterflying is when you split a food item nearly in half (usually meat or fish). When you are butterflying an item, you do not cut all the way through – you leave the two pieces slightly attached at one edge.
Recipes that use the butterfly technique:
Caramelise – What is caramelising?
Caramelising is when you heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a syrup ranging in colour from golden to dark brown. While it relies on the sugars to caramelise, it is not unique to sweet foods, with many savoury dishes undergoing caramelisation too.
Recipes that feature caramelising:
- ● Caramelised banana upside down cake
- ● Caramelised carrots and pine nuts
- ● Caramelised apple with vanilla sauce
Cream – What is creaming?
Creaming is when you vigorously beat/mix together ingredients, usually sugar and a fat, with a wooden spoon, electric whisk or food processor until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Recipes that include creaming:
- ● Carrot cake roll with cream cheese filling
- ● Creamy whipped feta with garlic and herbs
- ● Chocolate roulade with fresh cream
Cure – What is curing?
Curing is when you preserve meats by drying and salting and/or smoking them.
You can try out the curing technique with our rye seed crackers with gravlax salmon recipe.
Deep-fry – What is deep-frying?
Deep frying is when you cook by completely immersing food in hot fat, like oil.
You can try the deep fry technique with our fish and chips recipe.
Dredge – What is dredging?
Dredging is when you cover or coat uncooked food, usually with a flour, cornmeal mixture or breadcrumbs.
Recipes that feature the dredging technique:
Flambé – What is flambéing?
Flambéing is when you drizzle liquor over a food while it is cooking, so when the alcohol has warmed, you will ignite the food just before serving.
You can try the flambéing technique with our camembert with caramelised apple recipe.
Glaze – What is glazing?
Glazing is when you coat foods with a glossy mixture, such as a jelly or sauce.
Glazing recipes you can try:
Knead – What is kneading?
Kneading is when you use your hands or a mixer to blend dough together to form a pliable mass.
Recipes that use the kneading technique:
Purée – What is puréeing?
Puréeing is when you mash or grind food until it’s completely smooth, usually in a food processor, blender or sieve.
Recipes that use puréeing:
Sauté – What is sautéing?
Sautéing is when you cook food in a small amount of fat over high heat.
Recipes the feature the sautéing technique:
Sear – What is searing?
Searing is when you brown the surface of meat by quick-cooking over high heat to seal in the meat’s juices.
Recipes that use the sear technique:
Truss – What is trussing?
Trussing is when you tie up a whole piece of poultry with string or skewers so it holds its shape during cooking.
You can try the trussing technique with our whole roast chicken and vegetables recipe.
Now that you’ve levelled up your cooking skills, it’s time to put those skills to the test in a NEFF kitchen. You can book a free product demonstration to see our new Flex Design range in person. Flex Design allows you to have a seamless combination with your favourite NEFF appliances, such as the Slide & Hide® oven and induction cooktop – perfect for food lovers and creators.
About NEFF
NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.
