Technical Terms used in Culinary Arts and in Cooking.

Au Gratin refers to a dish that is baked with a topping of seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese. The au gratin topping should be golden brown, which can be achieved by baking or by placing the dish under a broiler. An example of a popular dish would be Potato Gratin.

Blanching is a cooking technique in which food is briefly immersed in boiling water or fat. Vegetables as green beans are often blanched in order to enhance their natural green color. Blanched vegetables are typically plunged into an ice water bath afterward to halt the cooking process.

Confit is a technique for preserving meats such as duck, goose or pork that involves cooking the meat in its own fat, and then storing the meat in this fat in a covered container. Confit is an effective method for preserving meats because the fat seals off the oxygen that bacteria need to reproduce. The word confit can be used to refer to the technique, or to the meat that has been preserved.

Poach means to cook something in liquid with a temperature ranging from 140°F to 180°F. Poaching is typically reserved for cooking very delicate items like eggs and fish. But other proteins like chicken are often prepared via poaching, and some vegetables can be poached too.

Simmer means to cook a food in liquid with a temperature ranging from 180°F to 205°F. Simmering is a cooking technique that's used when making stocks or soups, starchy items like potatoes or pastas, and many other culinary preparations.

Sweat means to cook something over low heat in a small amount of fat, usually in a covered pan or pot. The word sweat is often used to describe the way aromatic vegetables such as onions, carrots and celery are cooked prior to adding other ingredients. The objective in sweating vegetables is to soften them and release the moisture in them, not to brown them. This release of moisture is how the term sweat gets its name.