| Term | Definition
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|---|
| Teppanyaki cooking | Japanese cooking on a grill.
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| Tex-Mex | Food derived from the combined cultures of Texas and Mexico. Burritos, nachos and tacos are considered Tex-Mex dishes.
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| thyme | Herb of the mint family that is native to southern Europe. It is a basic herb of the French cuisine where its minty, light-lemon aroma enhances vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, soups and cream sauces.
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| timbale | Describes both the drum-shaped, high sided cooking mold and the custard, vegetable and meat casserole that is baked in the mold.
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| tofu | Also know as bean curd, white tofu is made from curdled soy milk. Popular in Asian cooking, tofu itself has a mild nutty flavor but will readily take on the flavor of the food in which it is cooked.
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| tomatillo | Similar to a small green tomato and from the same nightshade family, tomatillos are distinctive in their thin paper like covering. Typically used green they have a lemon herb flavor and are found in Southwestern and Mexican dishes.
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| tournedo | Beefsteak cut from the tenderloin. Because they are very lean it's common to wrap them in bacon or pork fat for cooking.
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| trifle | Sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked with liquor and covered with jam, whipped cream and nuts.
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| tripe | Most often, the lining of beef stomach. Among other things, used in the Spanish soup Menudo.
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| tripolini | Small, bow tie shaped pasta.
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| truffle | Fungus that is considered a delicacy. Prized fragrance is earthy and garlicky. Very expensive due to cultivation techniques. Pigs and dogs actually ferret out the fungi which grow several inches below the ground.
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| truss | Term used to describe technique of sewing or wrapping a roast or poultry with string to keep it compact and secure for cooking.
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| tube pan | A tube pan is simply an old-fashioned angel food cake pan. A round high sided pan with a hollow center tube.
The tube helps with more even baking in the center of the cake. Another version of this type of pan is the bundt pan.
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| tulipe | French term for a thin cookie that has ruffled edges. These are typically crispy and used as edible dishes for ice cream or fruit.
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| tureen | Deep-sided, covered dishes used in serving soups and stews at the table.
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| turnover | Sweet or savory filled pastry squares or semi-circles. Sealed with filling inside, they are usally baked or deep fried, they can be bite sized or up to 6 inches across.
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| tutti-frutti | Refers to Italian preserve made from mixed, diced fruits in sugar and brandy. Also considered as fruity flavoring in gums and candies.
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| udo | Japanese vegetable of the ginseng family. Asparagus like, it's used raw in salads or cooked for soups and other dishes.
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| unleavened | Describes baked goods that do not contain leavening agents such as baking powder, baking soda or yeast.
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| vanilla | Aeromaic bean of one variety of orchid. Bean or extract are used to heighten the flavor of other ingredients. Pure vanilla is relatively expensive due to the culturing process and time consuming extraction process.
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