Cooking by Instinct, Made Simple
Step-by-step recipes, tips, lessons learned, and a culinary glossary (the Kitchenary) that
makes cooking less intimidating and more fun.
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New to cooking? Lettuce decode the vocabulary!
Your go‑to guide for cooking terms, tools, and techniques - explained in plain English. No jargon, no stress, just tasty wins.
Acid
Substances with a pH lower than 7. For cooking, acids are used for flavor, to prevent browning on certain foods (apples, avocados), leavening, to counteract fishiness or other tastes in dishes, marinating, tenderizing, pickling, denaturing (ceviche), and other uses.
Aerate
Process of incorporating air into ingredients or mixtures which makes them lighter, increases the volume, and/or alters the texture. The methodology for aeration can be done by:
Whipping, beating, creaming, or stirring ingredients by introducing tiny air bubbles which makes the mixture lighter and fluffier.
Using leavening agents (yeast or baking soda) which creates gas pockets in doughs and batters which lightens the texture in baked goods.
Sifting flour or folding mixtures aerate via separating particles and trapping air.
Against the Grain
Slicing meat, poultry, or nonflaky fish (ahi tuna, other tuna, swordfish) in the opposite direction as the "grain" or fibers within the cut of meat. This results in more tender slices that are easier to chew. Can also refer to cutting celery, rhubarb, leeks, and asparagus horizontally or cutting leafy greens across the leaf veins which makes the pieces more tender and less stringy.
Aioli
Common modern usage in the United States is a flavored mayonnaise, often with garlic. Aioli can be made by mixing mayonnaise with various spices, lemon, garlic, herbs, and other flavorings. The traditional Greek sauce is an emulsion of garlic and olive oil which is mashed together to form a thick paste.
Beginner Recipes
Our recipes are detailed and beginner‑friendly, with mise en place built right into the directions. For an easy starting point, try these Level 1 and 2 recipes - straightforward, approachable, and designed to help you get cooking with confidence.
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