Mise en place your vocabulary with these culinary gems.
To actively promote or encourage sales of a particular dish, often one with high profit margins or ingredients that need to be moved. The culinary upsell disguised as a recommendation.
When a cook is struggling or falling behind and needs assistance from others. The kitchen equivalent of calling for backup when you're drowning in tickets.
The number of guests in a reservation or table, used to quickly communicate group size. A 'four-party' sounds more elegant than 'table of four,' apparently.
A rice dish that's been promoted from side-dish mediocrity by browning the grains in oil before simmering them in seasoned broth, often with meat and vegetables thrown in for good measure. It's the culinary equivalent of giving rice a proper education before sending it out into the world. Every culture has its own version, and they'll all insist theirs is the original.
A pre-ferment made with equal parts flour and water plus a small amount of yeast, left to ferment overnight to develop complex flavors in bread. The bread-making technique that requires planning ahead but rewards you with superior crust and crumb.
The command to complete and send out dishes for a specific table, initiating the final plating frenzy. When the expeditor yells 'pick up table seven,' everyone better be ready simultaneously.
Allowing yeast dough to rise before or after shaping, during which time the yeast ferments and creates gas bubbles. The period where you anxiously watch dough and wonder if your yeast is actually alive.
A specialized machine that micro-purees frozen foods into silky-smooth purees, ice creams, and sorbets without thawing, commanding a price tag that makes KitchenAids look like impulse purchases. The high-tech toy that justifies its cost with every perfect scoop.
A boneless piece of meat pounded thinner than your patience during dinner rush, then grilled or sautéed quickly. Named after a Parisian restaurant, it's the culinary world's acknowledgment that sometimes thin and fast is the answer.
A noble grape variety that produces wines ranging from delicate reds to crisp whites—basically the pretentious wine lover's gateway drug to legitimacy. Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio dominate the market.
Herb leaves carefully plucked from stems to create small, delicate garnishes—the presentation equivalent of showing everyone how much you suffer for beauty.
Softened, smooth butter or fat mixed with seasonings and spices—basically flavored butter that sounds fancier than it is.
The final assembly of a dish before it goes to the table, where components meet plate in a hopefully Instagram-worthy arrangement. The moment of truth for the cook's artistry.
A small serving of beer, typically 140ml in Australia and parts of the UK—basically proof that even the Aussies know that moderation is sometimes aspirational. The perfect size for people who want a drink but not a commitment.
A small, sharp knife used for delicate work—the blade that prevents you from cutting your finger off (most of the time).
To caramelize vegetables in a pan with butter and sugar to create a concentrated, slightly sweet glaze. It's not quite candy, but it's definitely on the journey.
To arrange and present food on a plate for service; also used as a noun describing the final plated dish. It's the last chance to make an impression before someone judges your cooking with their mouth.