MISE EN PLACE – French term meaning “everything in place.” The setup for production. All the preparations & organization that must be made before actual production can begin.

HOLDING TEMPERATURES – Sauces & soups are frequently kept hot, above 140°F, for service in steam tables or holding equipment. Many foods, such as vegetables, however, should be kept hot for only short periods, because they quickly become overcooked.

Refrigerator temperatures, below 40°F, are best for preserving the quality of most foods, especially perishable meats, fish, & vegetables, before final cooking or reheating.

SET MEAL SERVICE – Service of a meal at which all the customers eat at one time.

ROUGH PREP – The preliminary processing of ingredients to the point at which they can be used in cooking

BRUNOISE – (1) Cut into very small (1/8″) dice. (2) Garnished with vegetables cut in this manner

SMALL DICE – 1/4″x1/4″x1/4″

MEDIUM DICE – 1/2″x1/2″x1/2″

LARGE DICE – 3/4″x3/4″x3/4″

JULIENNE – (1) Cut into small, thin strips, about 1/8″x1/8″x2 1/2″ (2) Garnished with food cut in this manner

ALLUMETTE – Cut into matchstick shapes; usually refers to potatoes

BATONNET – Cut into sticks, about 1/4″x1/4″x2 1/2-3″

CHOP – To cut into irregularly shaped pieces

CONCASSER – To chop coarsely

MINCE- To chop into very fine pieces

EMINCER – To cut into very fine slices

SHRED – To cut into thin, but irregular strips, either with the coarse blade of a grater or with a knife

BLANCH – To cook an item partially & very briefly in boiling water or in hot fat. Usually a pre-preparatiom technique, as to loosen peels from vegetables, fruits, & nuts, to partially cook french fries or other foods before service, to prepare for freezing, or to remove undesirable flavors.

MARINATE – To soak a food in a seasoned liquid

STANDARD BREADING PROCEDURE – The procedure for coating a food product with bread crumbs (or other crumbs or meal) by passing it through flour, then egg wash, then crumbs

BATTER – Semiliquid mixture containing flour or other starch used for the production of such products as cakes and breads & for coating products to be deep-fried

CONVENIENCE FOOD – Any food product that has been partially or completely prepared or processed by the manufacturer