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Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [language]

Questions about naming and translation of culinary terms and phrases.

Although this site is in English, we have a number of users from non-English-speaking countries. If any user has a question about the proper terminology for a concept, tool, or food in English or in other languages, this is the proper category. This is also the tag to use for translation questions either from or into English.

This tag is also used for differentiation between two terms with similar meanings (parboil vs. blanching, noodle vs. pasta) or for request for definitions for classification.

233 questions
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What would "Disintegrant", "Ammonium", or the units of measure "glass" or "gl" mean in a non-American book?

Just purchased a baking cookbook online which, while written in English, is clearly from a country outside of the U.S. Units are metric, which is fine, but there a couple of terms with which I am unfamiliar. Could anyone give me a clue about…
Bill Donovan
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What is the English name of these sea snails?

What is the English name of sea snails sold in Vietnam that the Vietnamese labelled as Ốc bông & Ốc tỏi (Vietnamese)? Ốc bông Ốc tỏi
Michael Wright
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2 answers

What makes white chili white?

What makes white chili white; is it just the lack of tomatoes, substitution of broth for tomato base? I am working on a vegan mushroom based chili and am wondering if it would technically be a (chili) or more accurately a soup/stew.
mfg
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Is sour cream in olde recipes the same as sour cream today?

I have a really old cookbook (about 1890) that calls for soured cream or sour cream in some recipes. Is this the same as the stuff you get in a tub at the store or is it like sour milk where you put vinegar in say, heavy cream??
user1593916
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If a recipe calls for 'ready-prepared potato wedges', what exactly does that mean

Does it mean the frozen potato wedges you can find in supermarkets, or does it mean fresh potatoes that I've cut into wedges (if so, does that include/exclude the skin, or is that optional?)
YinWai Tse
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What do you call the flavor imparted from cooking at high heat?

I'm wondering about that high-heat flavor you get just before outright burning food. Charred, grilled, blackened, smoky, or seared flavor? Wok hei? I'm not exactly sure what to call it. Or would the term depend on the method used for cooking?
greg L
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How much is a "splash"

I've run into several recipes which asked for a "splash of" water, soy sauce, etc. How much is a "splash"? I assume if it's something more concrete like 1/4 cup, they would have said so. Since it's a "splash", I just poured some (1/2 a cup) water…
Classified
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What is 1/4 ст кукурузного крахмала in english?

I'm trying to make a green tea tart but the recipe is in Russian. Google keeps translating it to '1/4 v cornstarch ' but I have no idea what measurement 'v' would be?
Mars B
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Does the definition of "cooking" imply heat?

Through comments posted in this question, I'd like to expand the commentary on the definition of cooking. Specifically, is heat an essential stipulation? According to the wiki article on cooking: Cooking can also occur through chemical reactions…
WitYoBadSelf
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What type of flour is "wheat flour" in the UK?

I want to replicate an American recipe of Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. It requires 1 cup of wheat flour. What type of flour would that be in the UK shops?
Sourdough
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What's the term for cutting part way through a vegetable or fruit to increase surface area?

The other day I braised beef asian style (a bit of weak beef stock, sweet soy syrup, and dark soy sauce if you're wondering), and I put in some ginger. I wanted to keep the ginger together but give the most surface area to let its flavors out, so I…
GdD
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What properties allow something to be considered "milk"?

Traditionally, milk is defined as (from Merriam-Webster): 1: a white liquid produced by a woman to feed her baby or by female animals to feed their young; especially : milk from cows or goats that is used as food by people 2: a white liquid…
spacetyper
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How can I word "add bread crumbs until it feels right"?

I'm writing a recipe for publication on a site not written for expert chefs. It's a contest with a very nice cash prize. One of my recipes includes meatballs. My final ingredient is dry commercial bread crumbs. The point is just to add them if the…
Jolenealaska
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Is "medium white sauce" a usefully distinct term?

I am familiar with a basic white sauce, or béchamel, and know how to make it. I recently came across a recipe (circa 1950's) that calls for 1 cup medium white sauce. Is this the same as a béchamel? (What other white sauces [light/heavy? thin/thick?…
Erica
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What is a Bamboo shoot called in Hindi?

I haven't seen these things in the markets here. How do I ask for them in the local market?
Aquarius_Girl
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