Dice
Cut into roughly even small cubes. Precision usually matters less than keeping the pieces a similar size.
QUICK REFERENCE
Cooking words without the cooking-school bit.
We assume you can operate a kitchen. We don't assume you already know recipe jargon. If a term matters, this is what we mean when we use it.
Finely chop
Cut into small pieces so you are unlikely to get one large piece in a bite.
Brown
Let the food develop actual brown colour. Grey meat can be cooked, but it is not browned. If liquid pools in the pan, use more heat or cook in smaller batches.
Simmer
Keep the liquid gently bubbling. It should be active, but not rolling and splashing like a full boil.
Reduce
Cook a liquid so some of its water evaporates, leaving less liquid with a stronger flavour and usually a thicker texture.
Deglaze
Add liquid to a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Those bits are flavour, not washing-up failure.
Sear
Cook the surface quickly over high heat to build deep brown colour. The goal is the crust, not necessarily cooking the middle through.
Fold
Mix gently by lifting the mixture over itself rather than beating it. Usually used when you are trying not to knock air out.
Knead
Work dough by stretching and folding it repeatedly until it becomes smoother and more elastic.
Proof
Leave yeasted dough to rise. The useful endpoint is how much it has risen and how it feels, not just the clock.
Al dente
Pasta that is cooked through but still has a little firmness when you bite it, rather than being completely soft.
Emulsify
Bring liquids that normally separate, such as fat and water, together into one smooth sauce by mixing them in a controlled way.
Rest
Leave the food alone for a short time after cooking. For meat, this lets the temperature settle before you cut into it.
Season to taste
Taste it, then add salt, pepper, acid or another seasoning only if the food needs it. It is an instruction to check, not to guess.
Julienne
Cut into thin matchstick-shaped pieces. If exact matchsticks do not matter to the recipe, we will usually just tell you to cut it thinly.