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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 does it mean that a pan is "anti jamming"?

Lots of shops call their food pans "anti-jamming", but I have not been able to find out what that means. I don't think it's related to radio communication or making fruit jam :) Here is an example:
Mads Skjern
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1 answer

What is a liqueur?

I was sitting in a hotel bar sipping cocktails with friends last night, and as one of the less well-versed of us was casting an eye over the cocktail list, he idly asked "is vermouth a liqueur?". "Of course not", i snorted; "it's an aromatic…
Tom Anderson
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8 answers

What is ground beef?

I keep hearing about Ground Beef, but I'm from Australia and I've never actually seen it before. Is it the same thing as Minced Beef? Or different? Is Minced beef an acceptible substitute if they're not the same thing?
Mark Henderson
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21
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1 answer

What international cooking terms sound similar but have different meanings?

I am not the only international user here, and I bet that others are just as confused as I am when we read something on an American-centric resource and the corresponding translation in our language turns out to mean something entirely…
rumtscho
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What is this French cuisine technique called, where "a piece of pheasant meat is cooked between two slices of veal, which are then discarded?"

A famed physicist Murray Gell-Mann compared a theoretical machinery in high energy physics theory to a technique in French cuisine, which he described thus: ... a method sometimes employed in French cuisine: a piece of pheasant meat is cooked…
Yuji
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21
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10 answers

Is granulated sugar (American) the same as caster sugar (UK)?

I have an american cake recipe which includes 'granulated sugar', would this be uk caster sugar? It is for the stage when you beat in with the butter?
user3909
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1 answer

What is sortexed rice?

Here is a link to rice I want to buy. It is quoted as being polished and sortexed. I was wondering exactly that meant? Sortexed is not a word I heard before.
Neil Meyer
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3 answers

Old biscuit recipe question - "until the dough blisters"

I'm reading through some old (early 1900's) cookbooks and something that keeps coming up is beating dough "until it blisters" - here's an example. VIRGINIA BEATEN BISCUIT. One quart flour. One teaspoonful of salt. One tablespoon of lard. Work lard…
biscuitman
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5 answers

What exactly are American recipes containing "smoked sausage" or "smoked Italian sausage" referring to?

I have recently come across several American recipes that call for an ingredient described as 'Smoked Sausage' or 'Smoked Italian Sausage'. Here in Australia, we try to be a little more specific, so is it a longer, skinny item like Cabanossi…
Paull Alekna
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What does "lightly crushed" mean for cardamon pods?

I am currently attempting to make the “Fragrant Spiced Rice Pudding” on page 136 of “Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking.” I am a novice with cooking so forgive me if my question is common sense for those more experienced. The recipe calls for “2 cardamom…
AnotherPerson
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17
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4 answers

What is the difference between quick bread and cake?

Quick breads, like banana or zucchini breads, seem to be assembled in an identical method and with similar ingredients as cake. Many recipes have comparable quantities of fat and sugar. So what is the difference and how can you tell whether a baked…
Sobachatina
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3 answers

What's the difference between jam, jelly, and preserves?

I assume the difference in name is due to their cooking processes, but am unsure what exactly makes them different.
Eri
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16
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6 answers

Is eggnog just a milkshake?

Last year I tried eggnog for the first time, following a homemade recipe involving egg, cream and sugar. The result tasted like a thin vanilla ice-cream milkshake (with spices and alcohol). Recipes for homemade ice-cream use similar ingredients…
lofidevops
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Difference between burritos, chimichanga, and enchiladas?

What is the difference between burritos, enchiladas, and chimichangas?
william keeling
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16
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5 answers

What is the formal definition of savory?

What is the formal definition of "savory" when used in cooking? I hear a lot about things coming in either sweet or savory forms — e.g. crepes — but in context it doesn't seem that savory is the term for all things that are not sweet. Does it have…
Pops
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