Tempering: To slowly add hot liquid to eggs while stirring vigorously to slowly bring the mixture up to temperature without curdling the eggs.
Thaw: To defrost frozen food.
Thin: To add more liquid to a mixture to dilute.
Thread: To place chunks of vegetables, meat or fruit on a skewer.
Toss: To turn food over lightly with a large spoon and fork to coat ingredients; often a term used with salads.
Toast: To brown food by heating in a toaster or under the broiler, such as bread, or in an oven when cooking nuts.
Tourner: To shape vegetables while peeling. The procedure is to peel, then shape.
Trim: To cut off unwanted fat on meat, or to remove stems or leaves on fruits or vegetables.
Truss: To secure poultry with string or skewers, to hold its shape while cooking.
Tagine: A conical North African cooking vessel which also gives its name to the spiced stews of the region.
Tahini: Sesame seed paste available from select supermarkets, delicatessens and Middle Eastern food stores; most often used in hummus, baba ghanoush and other Lebanese recipes. Available in hulled or unhulled varieties.
Tamarind pulp: The dried pulp of tamarind pods, sold in block form. Needs to be soaked in hot water, then strained; the resulting liquid, not the tamarind pulp, is used in recipes. Available from Asian food stores.
Tamarind puree: Also known as tamarind concentrate or paste. The commercial result of the distillation of tamarind juice into a condensed, compacted paste. Thick and purple-black, it’s ready to use, with no soaking or straining required; can be diluted with water according to taste. Adds zing to sauces, chutneys, curries and marinades.
Tannins: Mainly extracted from grape skins, stems and pips during maceration, although, to a lesser extent, they can also be derived from the wood barrels in which some wines are aged. For this reason, levels of tannins are much higher in red wines than in whites or rosés. The effect of the complex tannin molecules can be felt on the palate rather than tasted – they are responsible for the drying sensation experienced when tasting or drinking young red wines. Levels of tannins in Australian reds tend to be low relative to those found in some European wines, and the tannins tend to be riper too. This is the reason why drinkers of Australian wines are unused to the traditional Old World sensation of finding their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths after swallowing a mouthful of young, aggressively tannic red wine.
Tapenade: A Provençale condiment of black olives, anchovies and capers pounded or processed to a paste with lemon juice and olive oil.
Taquito: Small corn tortilla filled with cheese, ground or shredded meat, seafood, beans or cooked or raw vegetables, then rolled into a log shape. The narrow rolls can be served in snack-sized pieces or as an accompaniment to salads.
Taramosalata: A Greek dip (also seen in Turkey) of salted pureed carp or cod roe mixed with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.
Tarte Tatin: The French classic caramelized upside-down apple tart, made famous by the sisters Tatin. In contemporary restaurants, the apples are replaced by anything from quince or pineapple to turnips and foie gras.
Tartine: An open-faced sandwich.
Terrine: French term for an earthenware mould used for cooking the meat, fish or vegetable pate-like mixtures (often layered) also called terrines. In a restaurant, a terrine order is served as a single slice of the whole terrine.
Terroir: A French word for a sense of place, which is an intrinsic part of the character of any classy wine. Some snobs will insist that terroir can only be found in the Old World, which is, of course, complete bull dust – although many of these countries do have an advantage in terms of getting the best out of their vineyards, mainly thanks to a long history of trial and error. The true nature of terroir lies in a combination of a vineyard’s soil, its micro- and meso-climate – Is a particular vine in the shade of a gum tree or exposed to full-on sunshine? Are the vines facing the rising or the setting sun? Is the vineyard sheltered from winds by surrounding hills? – and its topography. The idea is that small variations in these parameters will result in the development of particular characters in the wines made from the grapes grown in different areas. Some wine experts believe that terroir is bunk, and that variations between wines made from grapes grown in a particular area come down to the winemaker’s actions. Anyone who believes that should settle down to a tasting of wines made by one winemaker from grapes grown in different parts of the same, or contiguous, vineyards.
Thai basil: Also known as bai horapha, this is different from holy basil and sweet basil in appearance and taste. With smaller leaves and purplish stems, it has a slight aniseed taste and is a typical flavour in Thai cuisine.
Timbale: A round mould, often with tapering sides, or a dish prepared in such a mould.
Togarashi: This classic Japanese seven-spice mixture commonly contains chilli (togarashi), orange peel, sansho, black and white sesame seeds, seaweed and ginger. Available from Asian food stores.
Toro: Japanese term for the prized fatty belly meat of the bluefin tuna, generally served as sashimi or very simply and lightly grilled. Also Spanish for bull, and the meat of bulls.
Torrone: Italian for nougat.
Tranche: French for a slice.
Triage: If you’re making a really posh wine, you don’t want any unripe or overripe berries to be pressed along with the good ones – and as for leaves, twigs and bits of slug, well, they’ve really got to go. That’s why the grapes will be tipped out onto a conveyor belt as they arrive at the winery and sorted, often by hand. This, as you might imagine, is a time-consuming and expensive process, especially in a country like Australia, where even winery workers are paid a decent wage (obviously not as true in places like Argentina or Eastern Europe, where labour comes cheap). This is why a certain amount of money is now being invested in developing mechanical triage machines.
Truffle: A highly prized, highly aromatic (and very expensive) fungus which grows under the ground near hazelnut and oak trees. Traditionally foraged wild in France and Italy (where the black and stronger-smelling white truffles are preferred, respectively), truffles are now being cultivated successfully in Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. They’re available fresh in winter months from growers and specialty suppliers like Simon Johnson. They’re traditionally shaved very finely with a truffle shaver, mandoline or cheese grater to bring out the most aroma. The term truffle can also apply to a small chocolate confection of ganache covered in chocolate or cocoa named for their visual resemblance to the truffle fungus.
Tuaca: An Italian liqueur made from brandy with citrus and vanilla accents. It’s available from speciality liquor stores. If unavailable, substitute with brandy or whisky.
Turmeric: A rhizome related to galangal and ginger, typically seen dried and ground and sold as a spice. Used fresh, it must be grated or pounded to release its pungent flavour. Its yellow stain can be very difficult to remove; some chefs wear rubber gloves when handling it. Fresh turmeric is available from Asian (especially Thai and Lao) grocers
Table d’Hote (tobble-dote): 1) Referring to a fixed-price menu with no choices. 2) Referring to a menu on which prices are listed for complete meals rather than for each separate item.
Tang: The portion of a metal knife blade that is inside the handle.
Tatsoi: A leafy vegetable or salad green related to mustard and watercress.
Tomalley: The liver of lobsters and some other shellfish.
Tournant (toor-nawn): A cook who replaces other station cooks; relief cook or swing cook.
Tournedos (too-nuh-doe): A small beef steak cut from the tenderloin.
Treviso: A red-leaved relative of radicchio and Belgian endive with elongated leaves.
Trichinosis: A food-borne disease caused by a parasite sometimes found in undercooked pork.
Tripe: The muscular stomach lining of beef or other meat animals.
Truit au Bleu: Poached trout that was alive until cooking time and that turns blue when cooked in the court bouillon.
Trunnion Kettle: A steam-jacketed kettle that can be tilted for emptying.
Tunneling: A condition of muffin products characterized by large elongated holes, caused by over-mixing.
Tapioca Instant: The finely ground flakes of the tropical manioc plant’s dried, starchy root. Used as a thickener in pies, tarts and puddings.
T-bone steak: Tender, flavorful cut of beef from the center of the short loin containing a short t-shaped bone.
Teriyaki: Japanese style of grilling in which food is seasoned and basted with a marinade usually based on sweet rice wine and soy sauce to form a rich, shining glaze.
