In French "chiffonade" means "made of rags." In culinary terms it means to finely cut strips or ribbons of leafy vegetables or herbs.

Deglaze

After a food has been sauteed or roasted, and removed from the pan along with the excess fat, what's left in the pan are the fonds, or caramelized bits of juice, from the natural sugars in the meat or vegetables that were cooked. Deglazing is done by heating a small amount of liquid in the pan (usually wine or stock), and stirring to loosen the bits. This mixture is intensely flavorful and a great base for a sauce.

Dredge

To lightly coat food with dry ingredients like flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs. A usual preparation for frying to help brown the food

Emulsify

To emulsify is to combine two liquids that usually do not mix well such as oil and vinegar. This is done by slowly combining the liquids while whisking rapidly. The two liquids will soon separate unless a third ingredient called an emulsifier is added, which stabilizes the mixture. Mayonnaise is a mixture of oil and vinegar or lemon juice that is emulsified by the addition of egg yolk, which contains the emulsifier lecithin.

Julienne

To cut into narrow, fine uniform sticks that can measure from 2 to 3 inches long and 1/8 inch square.

Macerate

To soak foods - usually fruit in liquid until the flavor of the liquid infuses the food.

Reduction

Rapidly boiling a liquid to decrease its volume by evaporation. This concentrates and intensifies the flavor. Always season a reduction after it's made - not before.

Saute

In French, saute means "to jump." To saute is to cook food quickly in a small amount of butter or oil. When rapidly shaken or stirred over the heat it "jumps."

LINKS

Epicurious Food Dictionary. Over 4,000 entries make this a great resource.

Culinary Cafe - Cooking Techniques. Stumped by a culinary process? Chances are you'll find an explanation here.

The Reluctant Gourmet. Not a big list but a thorough explanation of those techniques you are likely to use like braising, grilling, roasting, stir fry, deglace, pan roasting and saute.

Google Cooking Techniques Links. The ultimate listing to find the answer to any culinary quandry.

Eau de garlic

While garlic may do wonders for the taste and aroma of food, few cooks like to smell it on their hands long after they have left the kitchen. Try rubbing your hands with the rounded side of a stainless steel spoon under running water. You may even find an instrument made just for this purpose at a gourmet specialty store.

Frying odors

If you do alot of frying you know that frying odors can linger in your house for days. Try putting a small, clearly marked cup of bleach near the stove. You will be amazed how it absorbs frying odors.

Remove fat from soup

Its easy to remove fat from soup by putting the soup in the refrigerator until the fat hardens. But if you don't have time to refrigerate, try dropping a lettuce leaf in the pot. The fat will adhere to the lettuce, then remove it.

Too much salt?

It's a pretty natural solution to add more liquid to a sauce or soup that has been oversalted. But if that doesn't work try adding a raw potato which will absorb even more salt. Discard after use. A pinch of sugar will also help.

Potatoes and aluminum foil

It may look fancy but wrapping a baking potato in aluminum foil does nothing to help it bake or taste better. In fact since it seals in the moisture it will make the potato pasty.

No strain to strain

Recipes often call for cheesecloth to strain stocks and sauces, but it can be expensive and hard to find.

Next time try lining a mesh strainer with a coffee filter. It works beautifully and after you're done, just throw it away.

LINKS

iChefs' - How to Repair Food. Before you throw away wilted radishes, curling porkchops or overdone rice, check this site which has an alphabetical listing of solutions for problem food that will not behave. See: http://www.ichef.com/tips.cfm

The Cook's Thesaurus. A virtual cooking encyclopedia that includes thousands of entries. Each entry includes pictures, definitions, pronunciations, substitutions and more. See: www.foodsubs.com