Reduce - To rapidly boil a liquid until it partially evaporates, leaving a thicker texture and a more intense flavor.
Casserole - Concoctions of food that are baked in various-sized deep dishes. Usually all the ingredients are mixed together or layered before cooking and topped with cheese.
Julienne - To cut food into thin strips.
Dash - If a recipe calls for "a dash" of an ingredient, it is somewhat relative. However, the most accurate amount appears to be 1/16-teaspoon. Basically, you just add the ingredient "in a dash". For example, if it is a dry ingredient, such as a spice, just shake the box once, assuming there are small holes, and what comes out is it. It's the same with liquid ingredients that come out in drops. Remember, many of those types of ingredients are to taste, so a tiny bit more or less won't matter.
Knead - To press and fold dough in order to give it a smoother consistency needed for leavening.
Punch Down - To deflate a risen dough. With your hand, press on the dough until the gas escapes.
Allspice - Native to the Caribbean and South America, these berries are usually sold dry either ground or whole. This spice is similar in taste to a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
Baste - To add moisture, flavor and color to foods by brushing, drizzling or spooning pan juices or other liquids over the food at various times during the cooking process. This is especially essential when cooking with dry heat, such as oven roasting or grilling.
Blanche - To partially cook food, usually vegetables or fruit, in boiling water or steam. Immediately after blanching, vegetables are usually placed in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.
Gherkin - Very young pickling cucumbers that are packed in brine.
Marinade - A liquid sauce that is used to soften and flavor meats before cooking. Most marinades contain ingredients like vinegar, oil, lemon, wine, beer, herbs, and spices.
Reconstitute - To restore condensed or concentrated foods to their original strength with the addition of liquid, usually water.
Steam - A method of cooking foods over, not in, hot liquid, usually water. The heat cooks the food while the vapors keep it moist. Steaming is a good alternative to boiling because none of the nutrients or flavor is lost in the liquid.
