| Term | Definition
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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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| 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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