| Term | Definition
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|---|
| ramp | A wild onion that resembles a scallion with a strong garlic-onion flavor. Found in specialty produce markets from March to June.
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| Red Cabbage | A misnomer because red cabbage is usually more of a purple color. A round solid head of cabbage similar to white or Dutch cabbage. In Britain, red cabbage is pickled. In the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden it is stewed with apples and spices.
Cooked red cabbage is a common side dish in German cuisine. Red cabbage is often cooked with vinegar to preserve its color. when used raw it is a colorful addition to green salads and cole slaws.
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| ricotta cheese | An Italian cheese similar to cottage cheese but slightly grainy and sweet.
Used in dishes such as lasagna and manicotti. Low fat recipes often call for cottage cheese or a combination of cottage and ricotta as a substitute.
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| rose hip | The reddish-orange fruit of the rose (after the petals have fallen).
High in vitamin C, they are used to make jellies and jams, syrup, tea and wine.
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| rosewater | A perfumy flavored and fragrant distillation of rose petals often used in the cuisines of the Middle East, India and China.
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| Rotel Tomatoes | A brand of canned tomatoes preseasoned with chopped green chili peppers, salt and spices.
They now come in a number of variations including Mexican and Extra Spicy. Most common recipe is to mix 1 pound of Velveeta cheese and a can of Rotel tomatoes and some chopped fresh cilantro, heated together and served with tortilla chips. These add zest to any number of recipes.
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| Scald | Plunging foods with skins, such as tomatoes, into
boiling water. This loosens and splits the skin,
so it can be removed easily.
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| Scalding milk | Heat milk to just below the boiling point. This
can slow the souring of the milk.
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| scant | Not quite up to full measure. For example: a scant teaspoon of an ingredient would be less than a teaspoonful as opposed to a level teaspoon, rounded teaspoon or heaping teaspoon.
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| shallots | Herb of the lily family whose root forms small clusters of bulbs with a mild garlic flavor.
Used in soups, salads, sauces, etc., the shallot has a brown papery skin as opposed to the whitish skin of the garlic.
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| snow crab | A type of crab found in the North Pacific region, may be cooked by frying or broiling
but the easiest way is to steam them in a large pot with a little boiling water until they turn a nice orangey color. Live crabs
should be cooked the day they are purchased and refrigerated until cooking. Cook raw crabmeat within 24 hours of when the crab dies.
Crab can then be shelled and used in recipes or dipped in drawn butter as with lobster.
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| soft crack stage | In candy making, the test for sugar syrup describing the point at which a drop of boiling syrup dropped in cold water separates into hard though pliable threads. On a candy thermometer, this is between 270 degrees and 290 degrees.
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| spiedini | Italian for small pieces of meat and other foods grilled on a skewer (i.e. shish kabob which is Turkish).
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| stick of butter | one stick or cube of butter equals 1/2 cup.
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| stock | A strained broth made by cooking any vegetable,
meat, seafood, or poultry in water. Used for
soups and sauces.
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| sweat, to | to cook (usually vegetables) over low heat, causing their juices to be released and their sweetness enhanced while becoming translucent rather than colored
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| T. | In a recipe T. is the abreviation for 1 tablespoon as in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.¨
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| Tabasco (Sauce) | Sauce made from the tabasco pepper, vinegar and salt and trademarked by the McIlhenny family since the mid-1800s. It's very hot and spicy.
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| tahini | Sesame seed paste used in Middle Eastern cooking.
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| tamarin | French for the tamarind, a tropical tree and its acid, pod-like fruit.
The leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable; the pulp used to make preserves, sauces and chutneys largely in Eastern cooking.
The seeds are ground into a meal and baked as cakes. The fruit has laxative properties.
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| tapas | Appetizers popular throughout Spain.
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| tart | Pastry shell with shallow sides and no top crust that is filled with a savory or sweet filling.
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| Tempe | Fermented soy beans, like tofu. Used in Indonesian cooking. Quite a distinct taste, as opposed to tofu.
Also spelled tempeh.
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| tempering | Process of heating and cooling chocolate which improves the malleability and gloss. Typically used for chocolate candy dipping or decorations.
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| tempura | Japenese style of batter dipped and deep fried fish or vegetables.
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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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