No matter how experienced you are in the kitchen, there will come a day when you find yourself stumped by the terminology in a recipe. Memorize these three terms so that your next cooking session goes off without a hitch.

Al Dente
We've all come across this term when cooking pasta, but what does it mean? In Italian, al dente translates to "to the tooth." Pasta cooked al dente should retain a slight resistance when chewed, as opposed to being soft.

Simple Syrup
Any mixologist worth his salt is familiar with this one. Commonly used to sweeten cocktails, simple syrup is a homogenous mixture of equal parts water and white sugar. The process for making simple syrup is, well, simple: Combine the two ingredients in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil to create a syrup.

Clarified Butter
A common accompaniment to fresh seafood, clarified butter is the liquid that remains when milk solids are removed from butter. To make clarified butter, melt unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove the butter from the heat and allow it to sit for five minutes. Skim any foam from the top of the butter, then slowly pour the liquid butter into a container, leaving the white milk solids behind in the saucepan.

Cooking Terms [Recipe Goldmine]
The Basic Kitchen: Glossary of Cooking Terms [Les Petites Gourmettes]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [BHG]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Cookery]

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