French Cooking Terms

This is our handy food dictionary of French cooking terms, for those who are interested in venturing into more gourmet cooking.

It is divided into two sections.

On this page you will find terms that begin with the letters A to F.

Look here for French coooking terms that begin with the letters G to Z.

French Cooking Terms

Bain-marie
A roasting pan or baking dish partially filled with water to allow food to cook more slowly and be protected from direct high heat. Used for custards and terrines.

Bavarois
Creamy pudding that is made with cream and eggs, then set with gelatin.

Beignets
Fritters. Small dollops of dough that are fried.

Beurre Manié
Butter and flour mixed together in equal parts and used to thicken liquids.

Beurre Noisette
Browned butter.

Bisque
A shellfish soup that has been thickened.

Blanquette
A stew made from meat that has not been browned or fried. Usually refers to stews made of lamb, chicken or veal.

Bouchées
Small puff pastry cases.

Bouillon
Broth or stock.

Bouquet Garni
A mixture of fresh herbs tied together with string and used to flavor stews, soups etc. It refers to a mix of parsley, bay leaf, thyme (and sometimes celery stalk). The bouquet is removed before serving.

Brunoise
Vegetables cut into very small diced pieces.

Canapé
An appetizer consisting of a small bread or biscuit base covered with a flavored topping.

Chapelux
Browned bread crumbs.

Chine
To remove the backbone from a rack of ribs.

Concasser
To chop roughly

Consommé
Broth that has been made clear.

Coulis
A thick sauce usually made from one main ingredient, such as raspberry coulis.

Court Bouillon
Flavored liquid used for cooking fish.

Crêpes
Very thin pancakes.

Croquettes
A mixture of potato with ground cooked meat, fish or poultry formed into balls, patties or other shapes and coated with a breading before frying.

Croustade
Bread piece dipped in butter and baked until it is crisp.

Croûte
Crust. Sometimes refers to a pastry crust, sometimes to toasted or fried bread.

Croûtons
Small cubes of bread used as a garnish is salads and soups.
Dariole
Small mould shaped like a castle used for moulding salads or baking cakes.

Déglacer
To deglaze, to loosen browned juices and fat from the bottom of a frying pan or saucepan by adding liquid, bringing to a boil and stirring. The liquid is usually water, wine or broth.

Dégorger
To extract juices from meat, fish or vegetables, usually by salting them, then soaking or washing. It is usually done to remove a strong taste.

Dépouiller
To skim off the scum that accumulates at the top of a stock or sauce.

Duxelles
Finely chopped raw mushrooms, used as a stuffing. Sometimes combined with chopped ham or scallops.

Entrecôte
Sirloin steak.

Entrée
The term used to refer to something served before the main course but is used now to refer to the actual main course.

Entremet
Dessert or sweet, but not including pastries.

Escalop
A thin slice of meat that is often pounded out to make it thinner.

Farce
Stuffing.

Flamber or Flambé
To set alcohol on fire.

Frappé
Something that is iced or set on or in a bed of ice.

Fricassé
A stew made from poultry, meat or rabbit that has a white sauce.

Click here to go to the second half of our French cooking terms dictionary.