| Bain-marie/double-boiler |
Also known as a hot water bath. The method is to put a bowl over a pot of simmering water. It is normally used to melt chocolate and butter gently, as well as the first step in Swiss meringue buttercream. |
| Bake blind |
Baking the crust of a pie/tart without the filling. An easy method for this is to simply prick the bottom of the crust before filling it with pie weights or rice. |
| Buttercream |
A type of icing used to fill, top, coat, and decorate cakes or cupcakes. There are many versions such as French, Swiss meringue, Italian meringue, American, German and Russian. Each have their own benefits and can be used depending on what is needed. |
| Caramelise |
Process of cooking sugar (or fruits and vegetables such as onions) until it turns brown. |
| Cream |
This is commonly used for butter and sugar in cakes. It is softening butter to a paler colour or other solid fats such as lard and mixing them with other ingredients. |
| Creme patissiere (creme pat) |
A thick French cream made with egg yolks, sugar, and milk. It can be thickened with a starchy substance such as cornstarch or flour. |
| Creme Anglaise |
This is another name for English custard, typically poured over desserts. |
| Crimp |
Technique of pinching the sides and tops of pie or tart crusts for decorative purposes. |
| Curdle |
This happens typically from the mixture being overworked. The liquid separates and forms curds and lumps. This can be seen in things such as eggs, cake batter, milk and buttercream. |
| Emulsion |
A mixture containing liquids that are unmixable, such as oil and water. |
| Fold |
A technique used to describe the gentle incorporation, usually by a whisk or a rubber spatula, of dry to liquid ingredients. |
| Firm peaks |
Refers to a stage in whipping. When you lift up your beaters or whisk, the peaks should hold their shape better than soft peaks and should have slighty curved peaks. |
| Ganache |
A mixture of chocolate and cream, used to make truffles or can be used as a filling and topping for cakes and pastries. |
| Glaze |
Typically used in cakes, it is a surface coating of glossy sugar, butter or any other glossy liquid. |
| Icing/frosting |
A sweet glaze made from icing sugar that used to cover or decorate food such as cakes and pastries. |
| Incorporate |
To add one substance to another and mix them together until they are evenly distributed. |
| Knead |
To work dough by massaging, stretching, pulling and folding it. This can also be done by a stand mixer with a dough hook. |
| Laminate |
The process of alternating layers of dough with butter. The butter between the thin layers of dough let out steam during baking, helping the pastry puff up and rise, giving pastries their layered and airy texture. |
| Over-proofing |
Commonly refers to bread dough which has been left to rest for too long and does not spring back up when you prod it. |
| Proofing |
Letting the shaped bread dough have its final rise before baking. |
| Punch down |
Deflating bread dough by gently punching it, eliminating air bubbles so that it can be easily kneaded and shaped after its first rise. |
| Reduce |
The process of using simmering (boiling will likely burn it) heat over the hob to reduce and thicken the amount of liquid in a liquid substance, in order to intensify its flavour. |
| Rubbing in |
Typically used to refer to the process of breaking butter into small pieces and rubbing them into flour to make small but solid chunky pieces of mixture which is typically used for crumble topping and shortcrust pastry. |
| Scald |
Heating liquid until it reaches the temperature just before its boiling point, shown by the formation of small bubbles around the edges of the pan. |
| Score |
Slashing the surface of food, such as bread or a pie dough and meat using a sharp knife. |
| Simmer |
The process of bringing a liquid to a temperature that is slightly below its boiling point, and letting it bubble gently. Used typically for sauces, reducing liquids and general cooking. |
| Softened butter |
Butter that has been left at room temperature for a while until it is no longer hard and cold. It should still be cold to the touch and form an indentation when pressed. This is needed for cake batter and is helpful in buttercreams. |
| Soft peaks |
A stage in whipping where the peaks are able to hold their shape just, when your whisk or beaters are lifted. They will collapse back into the mixture after some time. |
| Stiff peaks |
Refers to a stage in whipping. This refers to peaks that do not collapse at all when the beaters or whisk is lifted. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without it coming out. This process is used in meringues. |
