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Baking Terms - C

Below are important baking terms, plus, a few cooking ones, as well. Select a letter that begins the word you are looking for, and you will be brought to a listing of them. For kitchen equipment terms and descriptions, click here.

 
bullet Cakes: Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure. Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on the substance used for leavening.

History: The most primitive peoples in the world began making cakes shortly after they discovered flour. In medieval England, the cakes that were described in writings were not cakes in the conventional sense. They were described as flour-based sweet foods as opposed to the description of breads which were just flour-based foods without sweetening. Bread and cake were somewhat interchangeable words with the term "cake" being used for smaller breads.

The Greeks called cakes "plakous" - coming from the word for "flat." Their cakes were usually combinations of nuts and honey. They also had a cake called "satura" which was a flat heavy cake. During the Roman period, the name for caked (derived from the Greek term, became "placenta." They were also called "libum" by the Romans, and were primarily used as an offering to their gods. Placenta was more like a cheesecake, baked on a pastry base, or sometimes inside a pastry case.

bullet Cake Decorating Terms
bullet Cake Flour: A fine, white flour made from soft wheat with a low protein content for making cakes, cookies, pastries and some breads.
bullet Calas: are fried balls of rice and dough that are eaten covered with powdered sugar, not unlike rice-filled beignets. History: It is said that long ago, on cold mornings in New Orleans, women would walk the streets of the French Quarter selling these warm fried cakes for breakfast. "CALAS! CALAS, TOUT CHAUD!" as the Creole women used to shout when they sold them in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
bullet Calorie: A unit of heat measurement; we are referring to the small calorie used in chemistry; the kilocalorie (1 kilocalorie is equal to 1000 small calories) is used in nutrition.
bullet Calzone: (kahl-ZOH-nay) - An Italian word meaning "a trouser leg." It is a pizza crust rolled out and topped with all the ingredients of a normal pizza except tomato, then folded over to a half-moon or crescent-shaped turnover. The tomato sauce is sprinkled on top and it then goes into the oven. It is lightly drizzled with olive oil upon its emergence.
bullet Canning and Pickling Salt: A pure granulated salt, with no additives or free-flowing agents. It may be used the same as table salt in baking recipes. It may cake when exposed to greater than 75 percent relative humidity. 
bullet Cappuccino: espresso coffee and scalded milk
bullet Candy Clay: A mixture of heated corn syrup and chocolate that is used to color pure white Fondant so it better matches the underlying buttercream icing containing butter. Butter will make the buttercream an off-white color.
bullet Candy 101: Candy is made by dissolving sugar in water and boiling it to different concentrations. The different heating levels determine the types of candy: Hot temperatures make hard candy, medium heat will make soft candy and cool temperatures make chewy candy. Ingredients, stirring and cooling also have an effect. History: The idea of a sweet treat was first invented by cavemen who ate honey from bee hives. During ancient times the Egyptians, the Arabs and the Chinese prepared confections of fruit and nuts candied in honey. In Europe during the Middle Ages, the high cost of sugar made sugar candy a delicacy available only to the wealthy. Boiled sugar candies were enjoyed in the seventeenth century in England and in the American colonies. Sweet-making developed rapidly into an industry during the early 19th century through the discovery of sugar beet juice and the advance of mechanical appliances. Homemade hard candies, such as peppermints and lemon drops became popular in America during that time. By the mid-1800s, over 380 American factories were producing candy — primarily "penny candy," which was sold loose from glass cases in general stores.
bullet Candy Thermometer: Cooking tool comprised of a large glass mercury thermometer that measures temperatures from about 40 to 400 degrees F. A frame or clip allows it to stand or hang in a pan during cooking for accurate temperature measurement. It is not good to use when fine readings are required, as it is not marked for such use -- use an Instant Read Thermometer, instead.
bullet Cannoli: (cah-KNOW-lee) - It is a Sicilian pastry made by stuffing cylinders of fried dough with sheep’s milk ricotta flavored with sugar, pieces of candied fruit, and bits of chocolate. History: It was once a carnival dessert, the "scepter of the Carnival King," but it is now consumed throughout the year.
bullet Canola Oil: Canola is an oilseed crop which is grown primarily in regions of Western Canada, with some acreage being planted in Ontario and the Pacific Northwest, north central, and southeast United States. Each canola plant produces yellow flowers which produce pods (similar in shape to pea pods but about 1/5th the size). Within the pods are tiny round seeds that are crushed to obtain canola oil. Each seed contains approximately 40 percent oil. The remainder of the seed is processed into canola meal which is used as a high protein livestock feed. Canola Oil is not rapeseed (rapeseed is not a word that can be used in the place of canola). Canola was derived from rapeseed in the early 1970's and has a different chemical composition. There are strict quality standards governing canola, and products which do not meet government standards cannot use this trademarked term.
bullet Cappuccino: Coffee made by topping espresso with the creamy foam from steamed milk. A small amount of the steamed milk is also added to the cup. The foam's surface is sometimes dusted with sweetened cocoa powder, nutmeg or cinnamon.
bullet Carambola: (Indonesia) Also known as the star fruit. Golden, yellow fruit grown in the West Indies,Indonesia, and Brazil. When sliced, the fruit appears to be star-shaped. The flesh of the carambola is juicy and highly acidic. Most often star fruit is prepared fresh in salsas and vinaigrettes, and a dessert with sugar and cream.
bullet Caramel: This may be a product formed by sugar decomposition due to heating of sucrose or it may also made to be an confectionery product due to the Maillard reaction.
bullet Caramelization: Sucrose heated past the molten point so that it dehydrates and decomposes; the development of brown color and caramel flavor as dry sugar is heated to a high temperature; chemical decomposition occurs in the sugar.
bullet Caramelized Sugar: (French) Granulated sugar that has been cooked until it reaches a caramel color. The transformed flavor compliments dessert as a beautiful and tasty topping. The most common method of preparation is to sprinkle the granulated sugar or drizzle a sugar-based sauce over the top of a dessert and quickly pass a small torch or flame over the top to cook the sugar mixture.
bullet Caraway Seed: Curved, anise-like seed popular in German and Austrian cooking. Caraway is a member of the parsley family. Seeds are used as topping on breads and savory pastries, and as accompaniments to cabbage and goulash. Caraway seed is also utilized in preparing some cheeses and liqueurs.
bullet Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are a group of organic compounds that contain carbon in combination with the same proportion of hydrogen and oxygen (as in water). All starches and sugars are carbohydrates. The body receives a large amount of heat and energy from carbohydrate foods. The body changes all carbohydrates into simple sugar and the surplus is stored in the body as fat (and in the liver as glycogen). A large excess of sugar is normally eliminated by the kidneys. The usual "sweet tooth" of people is the result of body hunger for carbohydrates. Children require more carbohydrates than adults because they must satisfy the needs of growing bodies.
bullet Cardamom: (Indian) The pods of an aromatic plant related to the ginger family. The seeds of the pods are dried and used as a spice. It is a very expensive due to its rare nature and most often found as an ingredient in Indian cooking. However, it also has a history of being utilized in Scandinavian recipes to spice wines and stewed fruits and in Arabic cooking as an accompaniment to coffee.
bullet Cast Sugar: Sugar that is boiled to the hard crack stage and then poured into molds to harden.
bullet Carob: (KEHR-uhb) - The long, leathery pods from the tropical carob tree contain a sweet, edible pulp (which can be eaten fresh) and a few hard, inedible seeds. After drying, the pulp is roasted and ground into a powder. It is used to flavor baked goods and candies. Both fresh and dried carob pods, as well as carob powder, may be found in health-food and specialty food stores. Because carob is sweet and taste vaguely of chocolate, it is often used as a chocolate substitute.
bullet Chantilly: (French) Whipped cream, slightly sweetened and sometimes flavored with vanilla.
bullet Chenin blanc: (shay-naN blaN) - A widely produced white wine. It is often used as a blending wine in generic blends and jug wine.
bullet Celsius Scale: The metric system of temperature measurement, with 0° C at the freezing point of water and 100° C at the boiling point of water.
bullet Centi-: Prefix in the metric system meaning "one-hundredth."
bullet Chablis: (shah-blee) - A white wine that is made from chardonnay grapes.
bullet Chalaza: Ropey strands of egg white which anchor the yolk in place in the center of the thick white. They are neither imperfections nor beginning embryos. The more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg. Chalazae do not interfere with the cooking or beating of the white and need not be removed. However,  some cooks like to remove the larger strands, called defeathering, as they will harden when making custard on top of the stove. You can also simply strain the mixture after cooking to remove them.
bullet Challah (Hal lah): A rich egg bread, often made as a braided loaf. Challah is a traditional bread made for the Jewish holidays.
bullet Champagne: (sham-pain) - Champagne is a sparkling wine. Only wines produced in Champagne, France can legally be called champagne. Otherwise it is called sparkling wine. It is considered the most glamorous of all wines (the name has become synonymous with expensive living). History: Champagne was once called devil wine (vin diable). Not because of what it did to people, but for what it did to its casks. The wine would "blow out the barrels" in the monasteries when warm weather got fermentation well under way.
bullet Chardonnay: (shar-doe-nay) - Is considered the world's most popular dry white wine. Chardonnay has become almost synonymous in the mass market with a generic "glass of white wine."
bullet Charlotte: 1. Hot - Molded fruit pudding made of buttered slices of bread and filled with cooked fruit and apricot jam. 2. Cold - Molded dessert consisting of sponge finger cakes filled with cream and fruit, or a cream custard set with gelatin. 
Apple Charlotte - It is a golden crusted dessert made by baking a thick apple compote in a mold lined with buttered bread.
Charlotte Russe - It has a lining of ladyfingers and a filling of jelly and Bavarian cream. It is decorated with cherries and angelica. It was invented in the 19th century by the famous French chef, Antonin Careme, during a visit to Russia.
Charlotte Malakoff - It has a lining of ladyfingers and a center filling of a soufflé mixture of cream, butter, sugar, a liqueur, chopped almonds, and whipped cream. It is decorated with strawberries.
Cold Charlottes - They are made in a ladyfinger-lined mold and filled with a Bavarian cream. For frozen charlottes, a frozen souffle or mousse replaces the Bavarian cream.
bullet Charlotte Mold: A plain mold for charlottes and other desserts, sometimes used for molded gelatin-based salads.
bullet Cheesecake: There are hundreds of different cheesecake recipes. The ingredients are what make one cheesecake different from another. The most essential ingredient in any cheesecake is cheese (the most commonly used are cream cheese, Neufchatel, cottage cheese, and ricotta.)
bullet Chemical Leaveners: A leavener such as baking soda, baking powder, or baking ammonia, which releases gases produced by chemical reactions
bullet Chianti: (ki-AHN-tee) - A classic dry red wine of Tuscany. Often called "pizza wine" as it is often served in wicker-wrapped bottles.
bullet Chiffon Cake: A light cake made by the chiffon method.
bullet Chiffon Method: A cake mixing method involving the folding of whipped egg whites into a batter made of flour, egg yolks, and oil.
bullet Chiffon Pie: A pie with a light, fluffy filling containing egg whites and, usually, gelatin.
bullet Chilling: Process of cooling prepared or partially prepared food, without freezing it, in a refrigerator or on cracked ice.
bullet Chipotle: Smoked and dried jalapeno chili peppers.
bullet Chocolate 101: From the Aztec word xocolatl, meaning "bitter water." A delicate tree, cacao, it is only grown in rain forests in the tropics, usually on large plantations, where it must be protected from wind and intense sunlight. The cacao bean is harvested twice a year. The many forms we bake with - unsweetened, bittersweet, semi-sweet, and milk - all have a base of "cocoa liquor" made from roasted, blended, and ground cacao bean nibs (small pieces).
bullet Chocolate Chips: In 1939, Nestle created the convenient, ready-to-use chocolate pieces, introducing chocolate chips. In the 1940s, Mrs. Wakefield sold all legal rights to the use of the Toll House trademark to Nestle. In 1983, the Nestle Company lost its exclusive rights to the trademark in federal court. Toll house is now a descriptive term for a cookie. See chocolate chip cookie.
bullet Chocolate Chip Cookie: Today, the chocolate chip cookie remains a favorite choice among cookie connoisseurs. The term "toll house" has become a part of the American language.
bullet Chocolate Liquor: Unsweetened chocolate, consisting of cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The nib, or the center of the bean, is heated and ground into a smooth liquid state. It is then cooled and formed into blocks, and from this, all chocolate is made. Chocolate liquor is simply the term for the pure, processed product of the cocoa bean. In other words: roughly 50% cocoa solids and 50% cocoa butter. Unsweetened chocolate (which you can buy in the grocery store) is basically chocolate liquor. There is no alcohol; the term "liquor" means "essence."
bullet Chocolate Terms
bullet Chop: To cut food into irregular pieces. The size is specified if it is critical to the outcome of the recipe.
bullet Chorley Cake: Chorley cakes are a British pastry made with dried fruit similar to the cakes and buns common in Banbury, Eccles, Coventry, and Clifton. A typical recipe consists of a pie crust (like pastry cut into small rounds) filled with a mixture of dried currants, peel, brown sugar, butter, and spices such as nutmeg. The pastry is folded, then rolled out until the fruit begins to show through. They are baked, then eaten fresh with butter, or kept for several days. It is believed that they were developed to take on trips during medieval times. Each city claimed its own version, differing in spices, fruits, and the use of rum.
bullet Christmas Pudding: A dark, heavy, steamed pudding made of dried and candied fruits, spices, beef suet, and crumbs.
bullet Cilantro: Also known as Coriander and Chinese Parsley. Herb is often used in Chinese and Mexican cooking. It resembles the appearance of and is often used as parsley. The seeds of this aromatic plant are dried and used as a whole or ground spice producing a flavor reminiscent of slightly burnt oranges.
bullet Chinois: (French) 1. In the Chinese style. 2. To process through a conical-shaped sieve with a fine mesh.
bullet Choux Pastry: (shoo) - Choux derives from the French work "chou" which means "cabbage." It was used to describe layered pastry, as the layers were thought to resemble the leaves of cabbage. It is a kind of pastry made from a smooth dough consisting of flour, water, salt, butter, eggs, and sometimes sugar. This pastry is used for cream puffs, eclairs, beignets, and other dishes requiring a puff pastry.
bullet Clarified Butter: (French) Butter cleared of water and impurities by slow melting and filtering through a sieve.
bullet Clarify: (French) To clear a liquid of all solid particles using a special cooking process. (1) To clarify butter means to melt it and pour off the clear top layer from the milky residue at the bottom of the pan. The resulting clear liquid can be used at a higher cooking temperature and will not go rancid as quickly as unclarified butter. (2) To clarify stock, egg whites and/or eggshells are commonly added and simmered for about 15 minutes. The egg whites attract and trap particles from the liquid. After cooling, strain the mixture through a cloth-lined sieve to remove residue. (3) To clarify rendered fat, add hot water and boil for about 15 minutes. The mixture should then be strained through several layers of cheesecloth and chilled. The resulting layer of fat should be completely clear of residue.
bullet Clear Flour: A tan-colored wheat flour made from the outer portion of the endosperm.
bullet Clotted Cream: Traditionally served with tea and scones in England; it is a 55% minimum milkfat product made by heating unpasteurized milk to about 82 degrees C, holding them at this temperature for about an hour and then skimming off the yellow wrinkled cream crust that forms (until the cream separates and floats to the surface). It is also known as Devonshire cream. It will last up to four days if refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.
bullet Cloves:  Brown, hard dried flower buds of an aromatic Southeast Asian evergreen. Cloves are useful in both whole and ground forms. Ground cloves are used in the preparation of many cakes and soups. Whole cloves add great flavor to mulled wines and ciders, and the spice of choice for baking ham. Cloves also have natural preservative qualities in pickling solutions and oils.
bullet Coagulation: The process by which egg proteins become firm, usually when heated. 
bullet Coat: To cover food completely with a glaze, aspic, mayonnaise, sauce, or icing.
bullet Coat a Spoon: A cooking technique used to test the doneness of cooked, egg-based custards and sauces. The mixture is done when it leaves an even film (thin to thick, depending on the recipe instructions) on the spoon. This film can be tested by drawing your finger across the coating on the spoon. If it doesn't run and leaves a clear path, it's ready.
bullet Cobbler: A cobbler is fruit, baked with a crust on top, whether it's biscuit dough, pie dough or dough crumbs. One of the earliest written references comes from the 1839 cookbook "The Kentucky Housewife," wherein Lettice Bryan mentions a peach potpie, writing, "Although it is not a fashionable pie for company, it is very excellent for family use, with cold sweet milk."
bullet Cocoa Powder: The dry powder that remains after cocoa butter is pressed out of chocolate liquor. The residue of fibrous and other solid materials containing the flavoring and coloring components of chocolate liquor after some or most of the fat has been removed with a hydraulic press.
bullet Cocoa beans: The source of all chocolate and cocoa. Cocoa beans are found in the pods of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, an evergreen typically grown within 20° of the equator.
bullet Cocoa butter: The natural, cream-colored vegetable fat extracted from cocoa beans during the process of making chocolate and cocoa powder. It is obtained by pressing chocolate liquor. Adds smoothness and flavor.
bullet Cocoa powder: Regular (or American) and Dutch process are the two dominant types of processed cocoa beans. Once cocoa beans are fermented, dried, roasted and cracked, the nibs (center of the cocoa bean) are ground to extract about half the cocoa butter, leaving a dark brown paste called chocolate liquor. After drying again, the hardened mass (press cake) is ground into the powder known as unsweetened cocoa, available in different fat levels. The Dutch processed cocoa has a slightly stronger flavor and richer color than regular cocoa because it is treated with a mild alkali, such as baking soda, to neutralizes its acidity, and is preferred in baking recipes. Both regular and Dutch process cocoa have far less fat and fewer calories than baking and eating chocolate because the cocoa butter has been removed.
bullet Coconut: In Thailand they are called a maprao. They are thought to be native to Indonesia or Malaysia, but they now grow freely in all the tropical regions of the world. They are used for coconut juice when young and coconut cream when mature. Coconuts are green when young and brown with the hard inner nut when ripe. They are the stones of the fruit and have a hard inner shell which includes coconut milk surrounded by a bright, white, crunchy flesh.
bullet Cocotte: (French) Small oven proof, earthenware, porcelain or metal dish, used for baking individual egg dishes, mousses or souffles.
bullet Cointreau: (kwahn-troh) - It is a colorless, orange-flavored liquor from France.
bullet Colander: Cooking utensil comprised of perforated metal or plastic and shaped as a basket. Primarily used for draining away spent or reserved liquids.
bullet Color Wheel: A wheel containing the primary colors as well as others, used as a guide for coloring frostings, royal icing, etc.
bullet Combine: Incorporate two or more ingredients together.
bullet Compote: (KAHM-poht) - (French) (1) Compote refers to a chilled dish of fresh or dried fruit that has been slowly cooked in sugar syrup which may also contain alcohol or liqueur and sometimes spices. Slow cooking is important for the fruit to retain its shape. (2) Also called compotier. It refers to a deep, stemmed dish (usually silver or glass) used to hold fruit, nuts, or candy.
bullet Compound (confectioners or summer) coating: A coating material similar to chocolate, but formulated as a blend of cocoa powder, sugar and vegetable oil. It melts at a higher temperature making it perfect to use during hot weather, hence the name summer. It does not need to be tempered. 
bullet Compressed Yeast: Fresh (not dried) yeast that is extruded and cut into a cake form. It must be refrigerated at all times and has a relatively short shelf life of 4-6 weeks.
bullet Conche process: A machine which is constantly agitating the chocolate, thereby achieving desirable flavors and liquefying the refined chocolate mass. The finer brands are conched more than the lesser ones and are more tolerance to going over temperature zones when tempering -- but, don't try it on purpose because each brand is different.
bullet Condensed Milk: Preserved milk in which much of the water content is evaporated and sugar is added. First became popular is wartime England because of how well it preserved. Today it is primarily utilized in sweets and confectionery making. Condensed Milk is also used in iced drinks because its high sugar content won't readily freeze in the beverage.
bullet Conde: (French) 1. Dessert made with rice; Example - peach conde. 2. Pastry biscuits topped with icing and glazed in the oven.
bullet Condiment: 1) Sauced and relishes to add to food at the table, such as catsup or mustard; 2) Seasonings, often pungent, used to bring out the flavor of foods.
bullet Conduction: In the process of conduction, heat is transferred directly from one molecule to another (for example, the hot coils from your stove element heat the cast-iron frying pan, which then transfers heat to the cheese sandwich being grilled). Conduction is not a speedy method of cooking, but it does do a good job. The time cooking takes will depend upon how well your pan conducts heat. Various materials conduct heat differently, so the material from which cooking utensils are made, makes a difference to how quickly, and how well, food cooks by conduction. Conduction also takes place as heat moves through the food itself, cooking it from the outside first and then moving through the food to the inside.
bullet Confectioners' Sugar: Also know as Powdered Sugar. Commonly utilized in pasty baking and in frostings. Sucrose that is ground to a fine powder and mixed with a little cornstarch to prevent caking. Sometimes referred to as "confectioner's sugar 10x", means that it was sifted 10 times before packaging.
bullet Confectionery: art of sugar working or candy making.
bullet Conserve: (French) Whole fruit preserved by boiling with sugar and used like jam.
bullet Consumer: A person who buys goods or services for his or her own needs and not for resale.
bullet Convection Cooking: A method of cooking in which a fan continuously circulates heated air in the oven cavity while foods are cooking. Advantages are that some foods cook faster and larger quantities of food can be cooked at one time. The user has the flexibility of using multiple racks at the same time. Frequently, it is recommended to reduce the recipe temperature when using convection.
bullet Convection Oven: A gas or electric oven equipped with a fan that continually circulates the hot oven air around the product. Circulating hot air allows products to bake on several racks at one time. Oven temperature can usually be reduced by 25°F and preheating may be unnecessary.
bullet Cookies 101: A flour-based, sweet, hand-held small cake (from the Dutch word "koekje," meaning "little cake"). Cookies can be prepared in myriad shapes and textures and are usually categorized by the way they are formed. Drop cookies are dropped from a spoon. Rolled cookies are made from a chilled dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes. Bar cookies are baked in sheets and then cut into squares or bars. Molded cookies can either be shaped by hand, stamped with a pattern before baking or baked directly in a mold. Bagged or piped cookies are shaped with a pastry bag or a cookie gun.
bullet Cookie pan: A flat, rectangular baking pan made of steel or aluminum that is rigid. All four sides feature a 5/8- to ¾-inch side to prevent cookies from sliding off the edge, as well as to make removal of the pan from the oven easier. In home baking, jelly roll pans also are sometimes called, or used as, cookie pans.
bullet Cookie sheet: A flat, rectangular baking pan made of steel or aluminum that is rigid. Sizes range from 10 x 8 inches to 20 x 15 inches. A cookie sheet is designed with two, non-edged sides so cookies can slide off either side for easier removal.
bullet Cooking Spray: Aerosol cans sold in grocery stores containing vegetable or olive oil which can be sprayed in a fine mist. This spray is used for "oiling" cooking pans so food does not stick. One of the benefits of using cooking spray is that fewer calories are added than if the pan is coated in oil. If you don't like the residual that bakes onto your pans , use the aerosol-free variety.
bullet Cool: When hot foods reduce in temperature until neither very hot or cold.
bullet Cooling rack: A rectangular grid of thick wire with "feet" that raise it above the countertop. They are used to cool cakes, cookies, and other baked goods when they come out of the oven. Products are cooled while in their pan for a short time and after the product is removed from the pan prior to storing or freezing. Yeast breads are removed from the pans and onto the rack as soon as they come out of the oven to prevent a soggy crust.
bullet Coolrise Dough: a kneaded and shaped dough that is formulated especially to rise in the refrigerator over night.
bullet Cordials: A sweet alcoholic beverage made from an infusion of flavoring ingredients and a spirit. Today cordials are usually served at room temperature in small glasses.
bullet Cordon Bleu: (French) 1. Highly qualified cook. According to legend, King Louis XV of France once awarded a blue ribbon to a female chef who had prepared an outstanding meal. 2. (United States) Chicken stuffed with ham and white sauce.
bullet Corn oil: It is made from the germ of the corn kernel. Corn oil is almost tasteless and is excellent for cooking because it can withstand high temperatures without smoking. It is high in polyunsaturated fat and is used to make margarine, salad dressings, and mayonnaise.
bullet Corn Syrup: Is the purified concentrated aqueous solution of nutritive saccharides obtained from edible starch and having a dextrose equivalent of 20 or more.
bullet Cornet: A small piping bag made from parchment paper. It is usually used to make fine decorations. Every chef makes his or her cornet differently.
bullet Cornmeal: Also known as polenta. A yellow, grainy powder made from degermed ground corn. It is similar to semolina in texture. Tortillas and cornbread are two of the most common cornmeal based foods. Cornmeal is versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. White cornmeal is also available and does not impact the color of the prepared food in the same manner as yellow cornmeal. Steel-ground cormeal - The husk and germ have been almost completely removed from the corn's hull. Because of this, it can be stored almost indefinitely in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Stone- or water-ground cornmeal - This cornmeal retains some of the corn's hull and germ. Because of the fat in the germ, it is more perishable, Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four months.
bullet Cornstarch:  White, powdery thickener that is ground finer than flour. It is extracted from the starch endosperm of wheat or corn. It must be dissolved in a cold liquid before it is added to a hot mixture or it will lump. It results in a glazy, opaque finish in most soups, stews and gravy. Also used for thickening sauces and puddings.
bullet Corn Syrup: (United States) Clear syrup produced in light and dark verities as obtained from maize or corn. Common ingredient utilized in the preparation of baked items and confectionery.
bullet Corporate Chef: chef in charge of food production for large corporation
bullet Coulis: (koo lee) A thin puree of fruit, sweetened and watered to a sauce consistency by adding granulated sugar.
bullet Coupe: (French) Goblet used for serving ice cream, fruit and shellfish cocktails.
bullet Couverture: Natural, sweet chocolate containing no added fats other than natural cocoa butter; used for dipping, molding, coating, and similar purposes.
bullet Cranberry: Cranberries got their name from the pilgrims, who called them "craneberries" because their long-necked pink blossoms resembled the heads of cranes. They are grown in huge, sandy bogs on low, trailing vines. Normally, growers do not have to replant since an undamaged cranberry vine will survive indefinitely. Some vines on Cape Cod are more than 150 years old.
bullet Cream: (1) To work one or more foods until smooth and creamy with a spoon or spatula, rubbing the food against the sides of the mixing bowl until of the consistency of cream. See creaming. (2) A rich filling for cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, flans, or fancy tarts. It is somewhat similar to a custard filling. (3) The rich, fatty, aggregation of oil globules found in milk.
bullet Cream of Tartar:  Common name for potassium bitartare, a by-product of wine-making. Its is a major ingredient in baking powder and is used to stabilize beaten egg whites.
bullet Cream Puff Paste (Pâte à Choux): Somewhere between a batter and a dough, cream puff paste is made by beating flour and then eggs into boiling water and butter. Once shaped and baked, it is crisp on the outside, almost hollow inside and forms a convenient container for whipped cream, pastry cream or ice cream (cream puffs, éclairs and profiteroles, e.g.). The dough can also be deep-fried and rolled in sugar to make sweet fritters (beignets).
bullet Crema Centroamericana Acida: (Latin American) A Latin-style cream that has the consistency, tang, and fat content of salted sour cream.
bullet Crema Fresca Casera: (Latin American) Translated as home style fresh cream this sweet, pourable whipping cream used in Latin cooking.
bullet Crema Mexican Agria: (Latin American) A Latin-style cream as thick as sour cream with 15% to 20% fat content. Added as a tart topping or base for sauces much like sour cream.
bullet Creme: (French) Applied to fresh cream, butter and custard creams, and thick creamy soups.
bullet Creme Anglaise: (krem awng glezz) Anglaise means "English." It is a French light vanilla-flavored custard made of milk, sugar, and egg yolks, which can be serve either or cold. Also called cream inglese. 
bullet Creme Brulee: A rich custard with a brittle top crust of caramelized sugar. French name means "burnt cream."
bullet Creme Caramel: A custard baked in a mold lined with caramelized sugar, chilled and then unmolded.
bullet Creme Chantilly: It is lightly whipped cream which has been sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla. It is used with many cakes and meringues. This cream is named after the city of Chantilly in France were the heavy cream was first produced at a dairy there.
bullet Creme de Cacao: It is a dark, chocolate flavored liqueur created by soaking parts of the cocoa plant in a spirit-laced sugar syrup.
bullet Creme de Menthe: It is the most popular of liqueurs and it tastes of fresh mint. It comes in green and white colors. It is commonly served after dinner.
bullet Creme Fraiche: (krem FRESH) (French) - It is a matured, thickened cream that has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room temperature margarine. In France, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is pasteurized, the fermenting agents necessary can be obtained by adding buttermilk or sour cream. To make creme Fraiche, combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days. It is an ideal addition for sauces or soups because it can be boiled without curdling. It is also delicious spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as warm cobblers or puddings.
bullet Creaming: 1) For baking - also known as Sugar-shortening, Sugar Butter and Conventional Method. It is the process of beating room temperature fat, usually butter and/or shortening, and crystalline sugar together to blend them uniformly and to incorporate air. This is done with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Creaming stops when the mixture is light and fluffy. The entrapped air that results is dispersed throughout the dough when the creamed mixture is combined with the other ingredients. This facilitates the even distribution of leavening gases and water vapor released during baking. This results in an increase in volume and fine, even crumb structure in the finished recipe.  2) For candy-making, creaming refers to beating the boiled sugar solution. After boiling, the solution is then cooled and beaten to bring about the formation of very small homogenous crystals. During this step the candy "creams." 
bullet Crepe: (krayp) - Crepe is French for "pancake" is derived from "creper" meaning "to crisp." It is used in referring to the final filled culinary creation and also the "pancake" made from batter. Though the French word has been adopted in the U.S. the crepe is by no means exclusively French. Almost every nationality developed its own version. This culinary delight is almost as old as civilization itself and through the years has been perfected in humble kitchens of the world. A crepe is made from batter comprising beaten eggs, flour, melted butter, a pinch of salt, and a liquid (such as water, milk, or even beer). The batter is poured into a frying pan containing hot oil or butter and fried on both sides until fairly crisp.
bullet Crepes Suzette: (krayps soo-ZEHT) - Probably the most famous crepe dish. It is named after Mme Suzette, a star of the Comedie Francasise Theatre in Paris. In a restaurant, a crepe suzette is often prepared in a chafing dish in full view of the guests. They are served hot with a sauce of sugar, orange juice, and liqueur (usually Grand Marnier). Brandy is poured over the crepes and then lit.
bullet Crimping: 1.Process of making a decorative border to pie crusts; to pinch or press pastry or dough together using your fingers, a fork, or another utensil. Usually done for a piecrust edge. 2. Gashing fresh skate, then soaking it in cold water and vinegar before cooking, in order to firm the flesh.
bullet Crisp: (1) To make crisp by immersing in cold water or refrigerating. This is used particularly with greens. (2) To crisp foods by heating in the oven. (3) A crisp is fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of butter, sugar, flour and, sometimes, nuts. Other crisp toppings include oatmeal, buttered bread crumbs, cookie crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, and cake crumbs.
bullet Croastade: (French) Small crispy fried or baked bread or pastry shape which is filled with a savory mixture.
bullet Croissant: (krwah sawn) is the French word for "crescent-shaped." Originally the croissant was made from a rich bread dough but is now usually made with a dough similar to puff pastry. Layers of dough are separated by butter, creating a flaky, moist, richly flavoured pastry. They can also be served stuffed.History: It originated in 1686, in Budapest, when the attacking Turks were defeated thanks to the bakers (during their night baking, detected the enemy's approach and gave the alarm in time). The bakers were granted the privilege of making a special pastry which they shaped into crescents like the crescent moon on the Turkish flag. They called them gipfel. When Marie Antoinette became the Queen of Louis XVI, she brought the recipe with her to France. The French bakers enriched the dough and developed the process of refrigerating the dough after each butter application and of folding and refolding the dough.
bullet Croquembouche: (kroh-kum-boosh) - It derives from the French word "croquer" meaning to "munch or crunch" or "crisp-in-the-mouth." A croquembouche consists of balls of baked choux pastry or of meringue. They are stacked in a pyramid (cone shape) with a space in the middle, which is filled with chantilly or some other cream. The pastry is covered with spun caramelized sugar. It is the traditional French "wedding cake."
bullet Crumb: Air cells are the millions of tiny pockets found inside of a baked good, visible when a piece is cut from it. Known technically as the "crumb", these air cells are trapped inside the webbing of starch and protein. These air cells are created by one or several actions. They are 1) The expansion of trapped gases by heat & steam during baking; 2) Leavening - baking soda, baking powder and yeast; 3) Mechanical Leavening - creaming method & egg foaming method.
bullet Crumpet: (KRUHM-pit) - Crumpets are British griddle cakes. A cross between a pancake and an American-style English muffin, the crumpet is a soft yeast-raised bread that is poured into special rings about the size of a small pancake (flat discs about three inches across and an inch or so deep), then baked on a stovetop. They are similar to an English muffin (one side is smooth, the other full of tiny holes) but flatter. You don't slice a crumpet and it is best toasted. Some, especially in the north of England, call crumpets muffins, while others, particularly in the Midlands call them pikelets (a much thinner and bigger version of a crumpet). Pikelet - A much thinner and bigger (size of a dinner plate) version of a crumpet. Usually made from a mixture of whole wheat and white flour. It is though that the word comes from the Welsh "bara pyglyd" meaning "pitchy bread" because of it color. In Australia and New Zealand, the term pikelet is used as a term for a small drop scone also cooked on a griddle.

History: British history relates to them as tea cakes. Crumpets have been known for several centuries, though the origin of the name is obscure. There are records as far back as the 14th century where they are called a crompid cake. Crompid means "curved up" or "bent into a curve", which is what usually happens to thin cakes baked on a griddle; the word may be linked to crumb, crimp and other words from a common Germanic origin. In the 1930s, the word crumpet became British English slang for a woman regarded as an object of sexual desire.

bullet Cube: Cut into small, straight-sided cubes, usually 1/2-inch in size. If the size is specified, it is critical to the recipe. Larger cubes are often called chunks. Cubes are cut after the crusts have been cut off, except for baguette loaves; do not remove the crusts otherwise there won't be any bread left. You can stack bread slices before cutting, but don't go too high.
bullet Culinary: (KYOO-li-NER-ee or KUFL-i-NER-ee) - Comes from the Latin word "culina" which means a kitchen. Today the word means anything to do with cooking.
bullet Cumin: (Indian) Spice with an earthy flavor, also known as comino. Utilized in both its ground form and as cumin seed. Cumin is featured in Middle Eastern lentil and lamb dishes, as well as in Latin American tamales.
bullet Custard: A custard is a pudding like dessert made from a large amount of eggs, some cream or milk, sugar and usually salt and flavorings. Starch such as flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca and potato starch can also be added. Through cooking and stirring or baking, custards can become a viscous sauce or a semi-rigid gel. Custards are made two ways: Stirred custards are cooked on top of the stove while baked or gel type custards are baked in the oven. 
bullet Cut in: To blend together cold shortening or butter (fat) and flour or sugar without creaming (mixing air into) the two. Two knives or a pastry blender may be used to create a mixture that is crumbly or grainy in appearance.
bullet Curd:  Semi-solid part of milk, produced by souring process.
bullet Curdle: 1. Process which causes fresh milk or a sauce to separate into solids and liquids by overheating or by adding acid, such as in buttermilk 2. Common cooking error whereby the addition of creamed butter and sugar in a cake recipe is separated due to adding eggs too quickly.
bullet Currant: This fruit gets its name from Corinth, a once famous city of ancient Greece, where currants were cultivated and exported in considerable quantities. It is related to the gooseberry and there are black, red, and white currents. The black ones are generally used for preserves, syrups, and liqueurs (such as cassis), while the red and white berries are usually eaten raw. Red currants are the base for Cumberland Sauce (served with duck). Currant can also refer to a small Zante grape that originated in Greece that is used for baking.