I have tried to explain the methods used in the recipes and not to use jargon, but must apologize if I have left anything unclear.  The following may help explain some unfamiliar terms and add to your knowledge of ingredients. 

General Instructions

When the ingredients read:

2 bell peppers, chopped

This means:
Take 2 sweet bell peppers (not chili peppers) and cut them after removing the stem and seeds. 

If it reads:

2 cups chopped bell pepper

It means:
After preparing the bell pepper, cut enough to make 2 cups. 

Avocados are picked “green” and need to ripen at room temperature until the fruit yields to gentle pressure.  Don't refrigerate until they are soft.  To hasten the process, put them in a brown paper bag or in a sack of flour for a few days.  When ripe they can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. 

Avocados turn grey when cut unless the pieces are placed in enough lemon juice to coat the cut edges.  Drain before adding to the salad. 
Slices may be floated as a garnish on soups, but don't cook them.  They will become bitter. 

Bacon Drippings are the liquid, melted fat, and little browned pieces left in the frying pan after cooking bacon strips.  Measured amounts of drippings can be frozen for use in recipes, as desired. 

Beans or legumes add fiber and protein to the dish. 
If using dried beans, they must be soaked six or more hours before cooking.  To reduce flatulence, drain and replace the soaking water at least twice during the soaking.  Adding ginger to the cooking liquid helps too. 
When you first put the soaked beans on to cook, bring to a boil for the first 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature for the remainder of the cooking time. 
Do not add salt or tomatoes to the dried beans as they are cooking as this will keep them firm. 

• Dried beans include black, kidney, lima, and pinto beans.  Canned beans can be substituted to save preparation time.  Dried Haricots, like lentils and split peas, do not need to be soaked before cooking.  
• Soy beans have twice the protein of other legumes.  Roasted soy beans add crunch to salads.  Edamame, the immature, raw bean, can be cooked in their pod and then removed and mixed with other beans. 
• Snap or green beans have eatable pods with the immature seeds. 
• Sprouts must be crisp and rinsed well.  Do not use if slimy. 

Blanch means to lightly cook the outside layer of a vegetable or fruit.  Plunge it in boiling water and then quickly into ice water.  Don't overload the pot.  This is used to remove skins from tomatoes, nuts, etc. or set color and texture.  Prepares fruits and vegetables for freezing. 

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that is as good raw as it is cooked.  To cut into florets, cut off the flower at the stem.  Grate the stem into the salads or save the stalk for soup.

Bulgur is cracked wheat that was steamed and dried.  The grains are then ground.  It doesn't need to be cooked, just warmed and softened     

Cabbage has long been used in slaws, but is also a great accent to other salad greens.  

• To shred the cabbage, cut the head in quarters and lay cut side down on the cutting board and slice in narrow strips.  Place in a colander and place under running water.  Drain well. 
• In addition to the Green and Red heads, leaf cabbages (Napa and Bok Choy), are available year around. 

Capers are the pickled unopened buds of a shrub.  Drain the salty vinegar and rinse before using.    

Carrots are often used in salads because they are sweet and add texture and color.  When selecting carrots, choose ones with leaves attached as they are usually fresher, avoid splits and try for ones with a rounded root tip. 

Cauliflower is a mild vegetable when used raw in salads.  The flowery top is called the curd.  Remove the leaves before cutting the curd into even bite-sized pieces to form florets.  The core can be reserved for soups. 

Celery adds flavor and crunch to salads.  There is some confusion in recipes about what to call the individual stems or stalks.  They are ribs.  The entire head is called a bunch.  The interior group of small ribs is called the heart. 

Colander is a bowl with holes in it to drain liquid. 

Croutons are dried or fried cubes of bread used to add texture and crunch to the dish.  

Cucumber comes in three types:

• Regular dark green ones, when purchased in grocery stores, have a wax coating and should be peeled. 
• English has a mild softer skin and isn't peeled.  
• Pickling.  Unless they are very small, pickling cucumbers aren't used in salads. 

Cut

• A chiffionade is very finely shredded leafy vegetables resembling rags.  Roll the leaves into tube and slice across the bundle. 
• Mince is to cut into tiny pieces.
• Dice is to cut into ? to ¼ inch cubes.  
• Chop is to cut into even sided pieces about ¼ to ½ inch.
• Cube is to cut into shape of dice over ½ inch per side. 
• Chunk is to cut into large pieces
• Julienne is to cut into long strips about ? by ? by 2 inches. Also called matchsticks. 
• Slice is to cut into long flat pieces. 

Dairy Products

• Buttermilk was the produce left after butter was churned and removed.  It is slightly acidic.  A substitute is adding 1 Tablespoon vinegar to a cup of milk.  Let stand for five minutes before adding. 
• Cheese

Spray the grater blades with vegetable oil to make it easier to clean. 

• Cream cheese is a soft immature cheese.
• Moist white cheeses include cottage, ricotta, and mascarpone cheeses are best served cold.  The curd or lumps add texture. 
• Soft cheeses like Monterey Jack and Mozzarella have a mild flavor. 
• Firm cheeses include Cheddar and Swiss.  They have a wide variety of flavors. 
• Hard cheese like Parmesan and Romano are grated before using. 
• Blue-veined cheese such as Roquefort is strong flavored.  Crumble over dish. 
• Processed cheese like Velveeta is soft and melts easily.  Partially freeze cheese before grating. 
• Evaporated Milk has the excess liquid removed.  It is often used canned as a substitute for cream.
• Sour Cream is made by adding a culture to the cream and heating and then cooling it. 
• Sweetened Condensed Milk is similar to evaporated milk but it is thicker and has added sugar. 

Drain is to remove liquid from solids.  Often use colander or strainer. 

Eggs are to be hard-cooked not boiled as it causes a green discoloration around the yolk and turns the whites rubbery.  They need to be placed in a pan of cold water that covers the eggs.  Bring the water to a boil, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 20 minutes.  Drain, and cover with ice water.  When cool, crack the shell and roll the egg between your palms until the shell loosens.  Peel under running water. 

Fold is a gentle way to combine ingredients keeping the batter light.  Cut down in center of batter with slotted spoon; move spoon along bottom of bowl; slide up the side to the top.  This lifts the bottom ingredients to the top.  Turn bowl and repeat until barely mixed. 

Garlic is a bulb or head that contains individual cloves.  Avoid using sprouting green shoots. 

• To peel individual cloves, place on cutting board.  Lay the wide side of a heavy knife on the clove and press down to break the skin away. 
• To peel lots of garlic, drop the cloves into boiling water, drain immediately.  The skin should be loosened. 

Garnish requires imagination, more than just a sprig of parsley. 

• Use croutons or bits of jicama, rolled in paprika to add crunch and color. 
• Pickled beets are a color and taste contrast. 
• Soak thin shavings of carrot or cucumber in ice water to form curls. 
• Cut two inch pieces of celery and split one end in 5 parallel cuts.  Soak in ice water for several hours and the ends will curl. 
• Cut and trim radishes to resemble roses or tulips

Gelatin is an odor-free and colorless thickening agent that is softened in cold water, dissolved in hot liquid and then cooled to form a jelly. If placed directly into hot liquid, the center of the powder does get hydrated and remains hard.  It is an unflavored, unsweetened type of Jell-O.  Gelatin may loose its rigidity after 18 hours. 

Grains, one of the oldest cultivated foods, come in various forms (whole, cracked, rolled, and flour). 

• Wheat is a source of complex carbohydrates and some protein.  Whole grain wheat with bran and germ adds nutrition and fiber to many dishes. 
  Bulgur is made from wheat berries that have been cooked, dried, and crushed.  It needs to be soaked for 20 minutes before using. 
  Couscous has a pleasant grainy texture.  It is made by steaming and drying cracked wheat.  A quick steaming is all that is required to prepare it. 
• Cornmeal is available in different grinds and colors.  Coarse is used for polenta.  Fine is used for breads and cakes.  Because corn does not have gluten, it needs to be combined with wheat flour in bread or cake recipes, because cornmeal used by itself can not rise. 
• Oats may be rolled, flaked or ground.  It has no gluten and is dependent on wheat flour to act as a leavening agent.  It is high in fiber content. 
• Barley is mild, sweet and a little chewy.  The pearled grain is husked, steamed and then polished. 
• Rice is widely used in most cultures.  It needs to be cooked according to package directions. 
  Long-grained rice, whether brown or white, remains separate after cooking and is the most commonly used.  Brown rice takes longer to cook because it still has the bran coating.  Basmati rice, a variety of long-grained rice, is fragrant and actually can become longer in cooking. 
  Short-grained rice is rounder and often used to create a creamier texture in risottos and puddings.  It cooks to a softer texture and is stickier than long grained varieties.  Arborio is a popular short-grain rice. 
  Wild rice is a misnomer.  These are grasses that grow in water. 
  Instant rice saves time but has lost flavor and texture. 

Grate or shred using a flat or 4 sided grater, rub food over the rough edge to make fine pieces of food or use food processor

Hull or husk, is to remove the outer covering from fruits like tomatillos, remove shells from nuts, or to pull stems or leaves off berries. 

Lettuce and Salad Greens come in four types:

• Iceberg is a compact heavy head of lettuce and used in most salads. 
• Butterhead like Bibb, and Boston, are darker green and have loose heads. 
• Romine is an elongated head that has a stronger flavor.
• Specialty greens, such as watercress, Mache, radicchio, escarole and endive, add color and contrasting flavors. 

Mortar and Pestles are used to grind ingredients together.  The pestle is a bowl that holds the seeds, etc. and the mortar is the tool that is used to press the stuff into the side of the bowl to crack or grind. 

Mushrooms are best if the caps are closed over the gills.  Clean by brushing any dirt off.  Do not soak in water. 

Oils used for salad dressings fall into three categories:

• Olive is best if fresh and processed without heat or solvents. 
• Vegetable oils are usually neutral in flavor.  Canola oil is a favorite.
• Specialty oils are often added in small amounts to flavor a vegetable oil.  Sesame, walnut and oils with garlic or spices are often used to season the dressing.

Onion hints:

• Raw yellow skinned, white, and red onions can be tamed if too strong by soaking the chopped onion in water for ten minutes and draining.
• Green onions are also called scallions, are thin immature onions that have not formed a bulb.  Cut off the roots and skin back the outside layer before washing.  Use both the white and green part. 
• Leeks need to be cut in half vertically and washed under water to remove any grit.  The dark green part is not used. 
• Shallots are made up of small bulbs in a cluster.  The flavor is mild.  Elephant garlic is a good substitute for shallots.  

Pasta is made from wheat flour.  Noodles usually contain eggs, macaroni doesn't. 

Cook the dried pasta in lots of fiercely boiling salted water (about 4 to 5 quarts to 1 pound of pasta).  If not enough water, the pasta will stick as it swells.  Stir often.  Cook until there is no flour taste and it is still firm when you bite it.  Drain in a colander.  For salads, rinse in cold water and drain again.  For casseroles, stir a little oil or butter into the cooked pasta to keep it from sticking. 

Pastry blender is a device with four or five curved wires or blades used to cut shortening into flour.  It can also slice bananas and eggs. 

Peppers used in salads are sweet bells, green, red, or yellow, not the hot chili type.  Remove the stem, seeds and soft pith before slicing. 

Potatoes come in three types:  bakers, waxy, and all-purpose. 

• Bakers, like russets, have thick brown skins and mash apart when cooked. 
• New and red potatoes have thin skins and are examples of waxy potatoes.  They hold their shape when sliced or diced. 
• The long white is large like a baker, but holds it shape.  It peels easy after it is cooked. 

Keep in dry, dark place away from onions.  Do not store in the refrigerator as it changes the starch content and flavor.  Cut out any green areas and the “eyes” before cooking.  Use salted water when boiling as less salt will be needed later. 

Radish has a peppery zing and adds a crunch to salads. 

The Egyptians discovered raisins thousands of years ago.  The grape would wilt and turn brown when left in the sun.  The process preserved the fruit for use later. 

Ricing is pressing food through a large cup with holes on the sides and bottom or press through a strainer. 

Rind or zest is the outside covering of fruit.  When using the rind of a citrus fruit it is the colored portion, not the white pith.  The oil and flavor is in the rind.  The white is bitter and needs to be trimmed and discarded. 

Rotary Beater is made up of two sets of wires that are turned by a handle to beat things together.  A whisk can be substituted. 

Sauerkraut is preserved cabbage and has been used throughout history to sustain life in hard times.  The cabbage is sliced and packed with salt.  It forms its own juice as it ferments.  The final product is delicious cooked with pork. 

Sauté is cooking at medium to low heat in oil until soft.  Food needs to be at room temperature and put in shallow skillet so it won't steam. 

Scalded Milk is heated to a temperature below boiling.  To reduce the chance of scorching or burning, rinse the pan in water before pouring in the milk and heating it. 

Shred means to use grater to cut ingredient into very narrow strips

Simmer means to heat liquid until bubbles form at edge, but don't break or move around.

Strainer is a small metal bowl of small wire mesh and a handle.  It is used to separate liquid from solids. 

Toss is to lift ingredients up and let fall back into bowl until lightly mixed. 

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature with the stem side up as the shoulder is the most tender part.  Do not refrigerate until fully ripe. 

• To peel, cut an x in the blossom end and slide into boiling water for 60 seconds.  Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water.  Cut out the core and pull skin back. 
• To seed, cut in half horizontally and squeeze seeds out into receptacle. 

To Taste means to adjust the seasoning until you think it tastes better. 

Vegetable Peeler is an implement used to remove the skin from a fruit or vegetable.  A paring knife will also work, but it usually removes more of the flesh with the peel. 

Vinegar

• Malt has a sweeter, yeasty flavor and comes from ale. 
• Cider is tart and made from apple juice.
• Rice has a clean, mellow taste
• Fermented wine creates wine vinegar.  Japanese seasoned wine vinegar is mild and slightly sweet.
• Balsamic is intense with a sweet-tart flavor
• Flavored has herbs or fruit seeped in the vinegar

Water Chestnuts are found in the canned Chinese food section.  Jicama, a vegetable found in many produce sections can be substituted. 

Whip is to beat rapidly. 

Whisk is a utensil with loops of wires attached to a handle used to beat air into the substance. 

Zester is a small grater with tiny holes used to grate off the peel of a citrus fruit.  Forms long skinny strips.  Use only the colored part of the peel, not the bitter, white pith. 

Copyright 2005-2008 © Margretta Schleich
Questions? Email me at info@granniegretta.com

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