Michelin Star

Definition

A prestigious restaurant rating from the Michelin Guide, meaning either the food is transcendent or you paid someone a lot of money to pretend it is.

Example Usage

We finally got our third Michelin star, which means customers will now wait three months and pay $500 for tiny portions.

Source: Culinary industry terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

Sorrel

A tangy leafy green plant with arrow-shaped leaves, commonly used in cooking for its lemony flavor; alternatively, a reddish-brown color, or a horse of that color. The plant is rich in oxalic acid and is used in soups, sauces, and salads across European and Asian cuisines.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Intermediate

par

The target inventory level for each ingredient, supposedly calculated scientifically but often based on that one Saturday when everyone inexplicably ordered the same dish. Also what you're constantly scrambling to maintain.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Intermediate

Nose-to-Tail

A cooking philosophy that uses every part of an animal, from snout to tail, because waste is bad and also because chefs realized they could charge premium prices for parts butchers used to throw away. Oxtail went from peasant food to $35 an entree real quick.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Advanced

Sommelier

A certified wine expert who can tell you which grape was stressed during a drought in 1997 just by sniffing a glass. They've trained their nose and palate to levels most humans use for literally nothing else. Essentially a wine psychic with a tastevin necklace.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Advanced

Maillard Reaction

The chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that creates browning and incredible flavor on cooked food. It's the scientific reason your steak tastes amazing, and knowing its name is the fastest way to sound smart at a barbecue you contributed nothing to.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Intermediate

cartouche

A circular piece of parchment paper placed directly on simmering food to control evaporation and maintain gentle heat distribution. French ingenuity proving that sometimes the best kitchen tool is literally paper with a hole in it.

🍳 Food / Culinary

Translate This Term

See “Michelin Star” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

chundered

Anything that's demolished beyond repair....