Chef terminology kids can learn

Children cooking in the kitchen facilitates many skills and is a fantastic learning experience.

Additionally,  a child can learn the correct methods, safe food practices and of course, the culinary terminology that chef’s use.

Whether it be through learning as they cook with you or as they cook using a recipe they are in control over children will need to understand the various terms used in the kitchen environment.

This is part of the cooking process as most recipes will use the terminology.

Teaching kids the terminology of what a Chef uses will enable them to talk like a Master Chef in no time.

There are so many terms that even we have not listed them all but we have given you a start.

Let’s call it the mini chefs guide.

• Grease – to rub butter or oil onto a baking pan to prevent food from sticking. Use a paper towel or waxed paper to rub all corners and edges of pan.
• Melt – to turn a solid into a liquid by heating it
• Measure – to get a specific amount of an ingredient
• Grate – to make into small pieces by rubbing against a grater
• Mix – to stir ingredients together
• Drain – to empty food into a colander or drainer to separate the liquid from the solids
• Pack – used mostly with brown sugar, is to press the sugar firmly into a measuring cup so that it is not loose
• Simmer – to heat a liquid mixture on medium heat so that small bubbles break on the surface but the mixture does not come to a full boil
• Cream – to beat/blend something until it is soft and smooth
• Bake – cook food in the oven
• Combine – mix ingredients together
• Chop – using a knife and cutting board to make something into a smaller size or shape. First you may slice a food (onion) and then cut the slices into smaller pieces
• Boil – to heat a liquid on top of the stove over high heat until it bubbles
• Cool – to let food sit at room temperature until it is no longer warm to touch. Often applies to baked goods.
• Dash or Pinch – a few grains (a dash is usually a small amount picked up by pinching a small amount between two fingers)
• Toss – to mix ingredients gently in a bowl using two spoons, your hands or serving
• Preheat – to turn the oven on to a certain temperature before starting to cook so the oven is already at the correct temperature when you need to put something in to bake
• Peel – to remove the outer skin from vegetables or fruits using a vegetable peeler (carrots, potatoes) or your hands (oranges, bananas)
• Shred – to use a knife or shredder to make long, thin pieces (lettuce, cheese, etc.)
• Sift – to shake dry ingredients through a sieve or sifter to make them a fine powder and/or remove any lumps
• Slice – to cut thin pieces off the end of a food using a sharp knife (younger children should not do this task). Hold the food firmly with one hand and using the knife make thin cuts starting at one end and continuing until the whole food is cut.
• Dissolve – stir a dry ingredient (such as sugar) into a liquid (such as water) until it disappears
• Brown – to cook food until it starts to look brown
• Blend – to mix together two or more ingredients until they are no longer separate
• Chill – to put food in the refrigerator to make it cool
• Crack (egg) – to break open the outer shell of an egg and release the white and yolk. You can tap the egg gently with a table knife or hit it on the side of a thin edged bowl or pot. With your fingers, pull apart the two halves of the shell and let the insides fall into a bowl.