I remember my early days in the kitchen. They were filled with questions like, “How small is a small onion?” or “What is the difference between mince and chop?” To help cut back on your Google searches, I’ve created this cheat sheet of terms you’ll run across in this cookbook.
ALMOST COMBINED/JUST COMBINED: Do not completely combine ingredients. With batter, some flour should still be visible for it to be almost combined. To be just combined, stir it just a little bit more—ingredients should be mixed together and are incorporated, but barely. Use as few strokes as possible. (Compare with Blend, below.)
BANANAS—RIPENESS AND SIZE: Unripe bananas are completely green. Barely ripe bananas have some yellow but are green at the ends. Ripe bananas are yellow and lightly spotted. Very ripe bananas are very spotted but not mostly or completely brown. Brown bananas are overly ripe. A medium or average banana is approximately 8 inches long. Anything smaller is considered a small banana, and anything over 9 inches is considered a large or extra-large banana. Use a medium, ripe banana unless the recipe specifies otherwise.
BEANS: Use canned beans, drained and rinsed, unless the recipe specifically calls for dried beans.
BLEND: Stir to incorporate all ingredients until they are well combined and the mix is homogenous.
CHOP: Cut ingredient into bite-sized pieces; uniform cuts are not necessary, and size is relatively unimportant (it’s more of a personal preference).
COOKED: A vegetable prepared by steaming, baking, or boiling until fork-tender (seeded and/or skinned prior to cooking if necessary).
CREAM: Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer until they are well combined and have a creamy consistency. This also can be done by hand with a spatula.
CRUMBLE: Break the ingredient apart into smaller pieces. With tofu, break the tofu apart until it resembles ricotta or feta cheese.
DICE: Chop the ingredient into uniform cubes, approximately 1⁄2 inch each.
FOLD: Gently stir a single ingredient into a mixture, such as muffin batter, with a spatula or large spoon until just combined.
GREASE: Lightly spray a pot, pan, paper liner, or other container with cooking spray. If you don’t have a cooking spray can, add a tiny dab of oil into the center and use a clean napkin, paper towel, or rubber spatula to spread the oil around, making a thin layer along all surfaces.
LINE (WITH WATER OR BROTH): Add a thin layer of liquid that just barely covers the bottom of the pot or skillet. Start with 1⁄4 cup.
MINCE: Chop ingredients into very small pieces, 1⁄8 inch or smaller.
ONION: Small onions are the size of a lemon, medium onions are roughly the size of an orange, and large onions are the size of a grapefruit.
PACKED TIGHT: Completely filling the measuring container without a lot of air to help fill the space.
PRESS (TOFU): Drain tofu, then wrap it in a clean paper towel. Place it between two cutting boards or a cookie sheet and cutting board, with the board on top. Place something heavy on top, such as a 28-ounce can of tomatoes. Allow the weight to press excess water out of the tofu for at least 20 minutes. After it’s been pressed, pat dry with a clean paper towel. (Nasoya also makes an inexpensive tofu press machine.)
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE: 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon of pepper is usually a good starting point for recipes that serve at least two. Reduce salt if you’re using ingredients with sodium, such as canned goods or low-sodium soy sauce. Double spices as necessary to achieve your preferred taste.
SEASON TO TASTE: The same as salt and pepper to taste.
SKILLET: Also known as a frying pan; generally, you’ll want to use a medium or large skillet.
SPRINKLE: Scatter an ingredient lightly over the top.
STIR: Use a circular motion, clockwise or counterclockwise, to move or incorporate ingredients.