Baking Terms - J, K and L | |
 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. | |
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| Japonaise (zhah po net): A baked meringue flavored with nuts. | |
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| Jocoque: (Mexican) Sour cream that has equal or less fat content than American sour cream. Also referred to as salted buttermilk, although thicker. Jocoque flavors range from mildly tangy to refreshingly sharp. | |
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| Julian date: On food products, you will see some funny numbers stamped on the box, can or bag. It is called a Julian date and helps you to determine the age of the product. The first number indicates the last digit of the year of production. The second series of numbers indicate the day of production. (See also, Nutrition Labels).
Example: code date appears:9127...
9 = the year of production(1999)
127 = the day of production (127th day of 1999 or May 7, 1999) | |
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| Julienne: To cut vegetables and fruit into long thin strips. A type of cut 1/8 x 1/8 x 2 1/2" |
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| Kernel Paste: A nut paste, similar to almond paste, made of apricot kernels and sugar. | |
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| Kilo: Prefix in the metric system meaning "one thousand." | |
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| Kirsch: A clear alcoholic beverage distilled from cherries. | |
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| Kitchen Manager: person in charge of making the kitchen run in a smooth manner | |
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| Knead: To press, fold and stretch dough until it is smooth and uniform that forms the gluten network in dough. To knead dough flatten into a disk shape, fold it toward you, using the heels of your hands, push dough away with a rolling motion, turn dough on quarter turn and vigorously repeat the fold, push, turn steps; a process of mixing that consists of a pressing motion accompanied by folding and stretching. In this way flour may be added to doughs that are too stiff to beat or stir | |
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| Kosher: Food prepared according to Orthodox Jewish Law. | |
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| Kugelhopf: A type of rich, sweet bread or coffee cake usually made in a tube-type pan. |
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| Ladyfingers: are small sponge cakes, about 3 1/2 inches long, used primarily in making charlottes. They can be formed with a pastry bag with a plain tip, in a ladyfinger pan or with two spoons. | |
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| Langue de Chat: (French) Flat, finger-shaped, crisp biscuit or cookie served with cold desserts. | |
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| Lard: Used in baking as a shortening. Make from natural or refined pork fat; To insert strips of fat or bacon into lean meat to keep it moist and juicy during cooking. Larding is an internal basting technique. | |
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| Lean Dough: A dough that is low in fat and sugar. | |
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| Leaven: To cause batters and doughs to rise, usually by means of a chemical leavening agent. This process may occur before or during baking. | |
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| Leavening: The production or incorporation of gases in a baked product to increase volume and to produce shape and texture. | |
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| Leavening agent; leavener: 1. A substance used to leaven a dough or batter; may be natural (ex. air or steam), chemical (ex. baking powder or baking soda) or biological (ex. yeast). 2. A type of food additive used to produce or stimulate production of carbon dioxide in baked goods to impart a light texture. | |
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| Lemon Curd: This cooked mixture of lemon juice (and sometimes grated zest), sugar, butter and egg yolks makes a rich, tart spreading cream that can be used as a filling. Many variations exist using other citrus fruits. | |
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| Leveling: Removing the "crown" of a cake to provide a flat surface for frosting or decorating. | |
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| Lighten the Base: This helps to prevents overmixing or deflating beaten egg whites when folded with a heavier mixture, such as a fruit puree or melted chocolate. It is done by first taking a portion (1/4 to 1/3) of the heavier mixture and folding it with the beaten egg whites. When combined, the remainder is then folded in with this mixture, making it easier to blend the two. This technique is used when making a soufflé, for example. | |
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| Linzertorte: A tart made of raspberry jam and a short dough containing nuts and spices. | |
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| Liquid Sugar: Is a finished sugar product sold in the liquid state. Is a concentrated solution of sugar products and water | |
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| Liter: The basic unit of volume in the metric system; equal to slightly more than a quart. | |
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| Lukewarm: around 105 degrees. You have a built in thermometer for "lukewarm", your finger!! Lukewarm is just a hair above the human's body temperature of 98.6. So if you can place your finger in the water and it JUST feeling warm, not hot or cool, then you have the right water temperature!! | |
