At one point or another all of us have been dumbstruck when more experienced chefs started using fancy words to describe their meals. In this article I will try to explain some of the terms that we heard, but didn't understand their meaning.

al Dente' - describes pasta cooked firm to the bite (it has a ring inside when you cut it)

aging - keeping meats or cheeses in a controlled environment for a certain amount of time to make it more tender and to enhance its taste

au jus - juice from a pan after cooking beef and deglazing

bisque - a shellfish soup with cream

blanch - to partially cook vegetables by plunging them into boiling water for up to one minute and then rapidly cooling them in cold water

bok choy - a Chinese cabbage with long white stalks and narrow green leaves

Bouillabaisse - a fish soup made from several varieties of fish, tomatoes, fennel and wine

bouillon - a clear soup result of simmering lean meat, bones, seasonings and vegetables

Bouquet Garni - a bouquet of fresh herbs tied together and immersed in a liquid; used to season stocks and braised foods

braise - a method of cooking that involves browning meat with vegetables in fat, oil or butter first, then slowly cooking the food in a small amount of liquid; usually a pot roast is prepared in this way

butterfly - to cut food down the center but not all the way through; done to spread the food apart for quicker cooking without burning

bind - to thicken a hot liquid or sauce by stirring in a flour, cornstarch, egg yolks, cream or butter

caramelize - cooking sugar, most often with oil or butter, until it begins to color; foods containing significant amounts of sugars will caramelize in their own sugars. Onion for example.

chicory - a type of lettuce also known as curly endive; its root is often used as a coffee substitute

chiffon - a light and fluffy filling made with beaten egg whites or whipped cream

clarify - a process of making a liquid clear; removing milk solids and impurities from butter resulting in a pure golden liquid butter widely used in cooking

Celsius - a temperature scale in which 0 represents water freezing temperature and 100 degrees represent water's boiling point

to cream - beat butter or shortening until light and fluffy

cut in - the process of combining fat such as butter with a dry ingredient flower or cornstarch until small pea-size particles are formed; used for making pie crusts or biscuits

deglaze - to swirl a liquid into a pan to dissolve particles of food on the bottom of roast pans for flavor

drippings - the juices and fat that is collected from the pan of cooked foods

Dutch Oven - a large, deep pot that is covered with a tight fitting lid

demi-glace - a rich brown sauce made from reduced veal or beef stock; used to make classic sauces