If you’re an aspiring at-home chef who wants to learn a bit more about cooking, becoming familiar with the proper terminology is a great place to start. Here are a few must-know kitchen terms for both baking and cooking.

1. Baste. To baste something, like a turkey or a chicken, means to moisten the foods with their own pan drippings or sauces to add extra flavor while cooking. This also prevents your foods from drying out in the oven. Basting is usually done with a long plastic tube with a rubber bulb at the end, which can help you to easily suck up liquids and spray them over the meat.
2. Cream. Creaming involves softening a fat, like butter or shortening, by beating it at room temperature. Oftentimes ingredients like butter and sugar must be creamed together to create a sweet and fluffy paste.
3. Dice. Many people use the same technique whether a recipe calls for dicing, chopping, or mincing, but it’s important to know the difference between these cutting styles. To dice something like onions or vegetables means to cut them into small cubes of similar shapes and sizes.

Glossary of Basic Cooking Terms [Les Petites Gourmettes]
Cooking Terms [Recipe Goldmine]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [UMN]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Better Homes & Gardens]
Culinary Terms [About.com]

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