Serves: 5
Using the right ingredients will help you be successful when you cook. In this list, you’ll find ingredients used in this cookbook as well as other common ingredients.
Baking Powder: Leavening mixture which includes baking soda, an acid plus a moisture absorber. Double-acting baking powder forms carbon dioxide, the gas which makes doughs rise, twice: once when mixed with moist ingredients and once during baking. It’s not interchangeable with baking soda because baking soda needs something acidic to be mixed with it in order for it to work while baking powder already contains the acid it needs to work.
Baking Soda: Leavening also called bicarbonate of soda. Must be mixed with an acid ingredient (such as lemon juice, buttermilk or molasses) to release its carbon dioxide gas bubbles, which makes baked goods rise.
Balsamic Vinegar: Italian vinegar made from white Trebbiano grape juice, then aged in barrels, producing a vinegar darker in color and sweeter than other vinegars. To keep the flavor intact, many balsamic vinegars contain sulfites, which can cause an allergic reaction.
Bisquick: A convenience baking mix made from flour, shortening, baking powder and salt. Use for biscuits, muffins, other quick breads, cakes, cookies and some main dishes.
Bouillon/Broth/Stock: The liquid made from cooking vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. It’s used for making soups and sauces. Beef, chicken and vegetable canned broths and dehydrated bouillon cubes, granules and pastes are available in the soup section of the supermarket.
Capers: Unopened flower buds of a Mediterranean plant. Capers look like tiny wrinkled peas, and they’re usually pickled in vinegar brine. Sharp and tangy, they’re used to flavor salad dressings, sauces and condiments.
Cheese: See the cheese chapter.
Chilies: A family of more than two hundred varieties, chilies are used in cooking around the world. Available fresh and dried in red, green, yellow and purple. Chilies range in length from 1/4 inch to 12 inches. Beware of the ribs and seeds--they’re actually hotter than the outside flesh because they contain concentrated amounts of an oil, capsaicin, which gives chilies their kick but can irritate and burn the eyes, nose and skin. Wear rubber gloves while handling chilies and wash your hands thoroughly with soap (to break down the oils) afterward. Don’t cut chilies under running water because the irritating oils can become airborne.
-Anaheim chilies: Slim chilies in various shades of green, between 5 and 8 inches long, mildly hot. Available in cans labeled whole or diced mild green chilies, they get their name from the California city that opened a chili pepper cannery.
-Ancho chilies: Dried, ripened poblano chilies.
-Cascabel chilies: Medium hot, with a distinctive nutty flavor. Dark, blood-red in color, they’re plum shaped and about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. In Spanish, cascabel means "little round bell" or "rattle," referring to the sound they make when shaken. These chilies are also known as chili bola.
-Chipotle chilies: Smoked, dried jalapeño chilies. Buy them loose in the dried form, pickled or canned in adobo sauce. Chipotle chilies are often used in sauces.
-Fresno chilies: Tapered chili that’s light green when young, red when mature. Shaped like an Anaheim chili, but with the all the heat of a jalapeño. Fresno chilies are often used in guacamole.
-Habanero chilies: Orange when ripe, it’s the fire engine of the chili family. Considered the hottest of all chilies, it looks like a little lantern. Handle with care so the oils don’t burn you.
-Hungarian Wax chilies: Large--up to five inches long--yellow chili, mild to medium hot. Also known as banana peppers or yellow wax chilies. They’re often pickled.
-Jalapeño chilies: A jade green or red chili, two to three inches long, that packs a heat wallop. The smallest ones are the hottest. Called escabeche when pickled, chipotle when dried and smoked. Jalapeños are a favorite for nachos, salsas and other sauces.
-Poblano chilies: Dark green and slightly flat with a pointed tip, mild to hot. Best known for their use in chiles rellenos. When dried, they’re called ancho chilies.
-Serrano chilies: Range in color from bright green to scarlet, among the hottest chilies. Look for them fresh, canned, dried or pickled.
Chocolate: Cocoa beans are shelled, roasted and ground to make a thick paste called chocolate liquor, the base for all chocolate. Cocoa butter is the fat or oil from the cocoa bean. Chocolate liquor is processed to make the many varieties of chocolate below. Not all chocolate is the same and quality varies, so follow package directions when melting.
-Baking cocoa: Dried chocolate liquor, with the cocoa butter removed, is ground into unsweetened cocoa. Baking cocoa isn’t a direct substitute for cocoa drink mixes that contain added powdered milk and sugar.
-Semisweet, bittersweet, sweet and milk chocolate: Contains from 10 to 35 percent chocolate liquor, varying amounts of cocoa butter, sugar and, for some, milk and flavorings. Available in bars and chips for baking or eating.
-Unsweetened chocolate: Contains 50 to 58 percent cocoa butter. Bitter in flavor, it’s used primarily in baking.
-White chocolate (white baking bar): It is not true chocolate because it doesn’t contain cocoa or chocolate liquor. Made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and vanilla. Often called white baking chips or vanilla baking bar.
Coconut: The firm, creamy white meat of the coconut, the fruit of the coconut palm. It’s available shredded or flaked in cans or plastic bags and usually comes sweetened. Unsweetened coconut may be found in specialty or gourmet food stores or in Asian and Indian grocery stores.
Coffee: Use brewed coffee or instant coffee granules as an ingredient.
Corn Syrup: Clear, thick liquid made from corn sugar mixed with acid. It doesn’t crystallize and is especially good for pecan pie, frostings, fruit sauces and jams. Dark and light corn syrup are interchangeable.
Cornstarch: A thickener for soups, sauces and desserts that comes from a portion of the corn kernel. It makes clear sauces, not opaque like those thickened with flour. To substitute all-purpose flour in a sauce, use half as much cornstarch.
Cream: Cream is the smooth, rich dairy product that naturally separates from whole milk (typically milk is homogenized to prevent this natural separation from occurring). Cream is churned to make butter and buttermilk it’s also pasteurized and processed into several forms:
-Half-and-half: A blend of milk and cream, contains 10 to 12 percent butterfat. It won’t whip, but you can use it in place of whipping or heavy cream in many recipes.
-Sour cream: Commercially cultured with lactic acid to give it a tangy flavor. Regular sour cream is 18 to 20 percent butterfat. Reduced-fat sour cream is made from half-and-half and can be substituted for regular sour cream in most recipes. Fat-free sour cream has all the fat removed and may not be successful in all recipes that call for regular sour cream.
-Whipping or heavy cream: The richest cream available in the United States, it has 36 to 40 percent butterfat. It doubles in volume when whipped.
Cream of tartar: After wine is made, the acid left in the wine barrels is processed into cream of tartar. Add cream of tartar to egg whites in the beginning stages of beating for more stability and volume.
Eggs: See the eggs chapter.
Fats: Solid fats and oils add richness and flavor to food. In cooking, they improve browning, help bind ingredients together, tenderize baked goods and are used for frying. But not all fats are created equal in texture and flavor. In our recipes, we call for different fats because of their cooking and baking characteristics.
-Butter: A saturated fat made from cream that must be at least 80 percent butterfat by USDA standards. It’s high in flavor and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Butter is sold in solid sticks or whipped in tubs. Only use sticks for baking whipped butter will give a different texture because of the air beaten into it.
-Butter-margarine blends: Available in sticks and tubs, blends usually are a combination of 60 percent margarine and 40 percent butter and are interchangeable with butter or margarine. Only use sticks for baking.
-Lard: A saturated fat made from rendered and refined pork fat, lard is not used as much now as in the past. Lard makes very tender, flaky biscuits and pastry.
-Margarine: An unsaturated butter substitute made with at least 80 percent fat by weight and flavoring from dairy products. Most margarine uses vegetable oils made from soybeans, cottonseed and corn. Use it as a table spread and for cooking and baking. Sold in sticks and as soft spreads in tubs. Only use sticks for baking.
-Oils for cooking: Low in saturated fats and containing no cholesterol, these liquid fats are delicate to bland in flavor and are treated to withstand high-temperature cooking and long storage. Look for these cooking oils in our recipes:
Cooking spray: Used to spray cooking and baking pans to prevent food from sticking. You also can spray it directly on food for low-fat cooking.
Olive oil: This oil has become incredibly popular in the United States, not only for its flavor but also for its potential health benefits. Olive oil naturally contains no cholesterol, but it does contain fat--the highest amount of monounsaturated fat of any vegetable oil, which may contribute to heart health. It is classified in several ways, including extra virgin, virgin, olive oil and light olive oil.
Vegetable oil: An economical blend of oils from various vegetables, such as corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, canola and soybean. Use for all cooking and baking.
-Reduced-calorie or low-fat butter or margarine: Water and air have been worked into these products, and they contain at least 20 percent less fat than regular butter or margarine. Do not use for baking or cooking.
-Shortening: Vegetable oils that are hydrogenated so they’ll be solid at room temperature. Shortening is used especially for flaky, tender pastry and to grease baking pans. Use butter-flavored and regular shortening interchangeably. Sold in cans and in sticks.
-Vegetable-oil spreads: Margarine products with less than 80 percent fat (vegetable oil) by weight usually are labeled as vegetable-oil spreads. They’re sold in sticks for all-purpose use, including some baking if they contain more than 65 percent fat, so check the label. Vegetable-oil spreads sold in tubs shouldn’t be used for baking. They’re also sold as a liquid in squeeze bottles. Use the squeezable spread for topping veggies, popcorn or basting, but not for baking.
Flour: The primary ingredient in breads, cakes, cookies and quick breads. The main difference between the different varieties of flour is the amount of gluten-forming protein they contain and you’ll want more or less protein depending on what you are baking. The main job of gluten is to give structure to baked goods.
-All-purpose flour: Selected wheats blended for all kinds of baking. Available both bleached and unbleached.
-Bread flour: Made from hard wheat, which is higher in gluten-forming protein and gives more structure and volume to bread than all-purpose flour. It’s the best choice for making bread machine breads and other yeast breads. It can also be used for quick breads and cookies, but it doesn’t make tender cakes or pastries.
-Cake flour: Milled from soft wheat, which has less gluten, cake flour results in tender, fine-textured cakes.
-Quick-mixing flour: Enriched, all-purpose flour that’s granular and processed to blend easily with liquid to make gravies or sauces or thicken main dishes.
-Rye flour: Milled from rye grain and low in gluten-forming protein, it is usually combined with wheat flour to increase a dough’s gluten-forming capabilities.
-Self-rising flour: A convenience flour made from a blend of hard and soft wheats that includes leavening and salt. For best results, don’t substitute self-rising flour for other kinds, unless directed in a recipe, because it will throw off the leavening and salt proportions.
-Whole wheat flour: Ground from the complete wheat kernel, whole wheat flour gives breads and other baked goods a nutty flavor and dense texture. Stone-ground whole wheat flour has a coarser texture than roller-milled whole wheat flour. Graham flour is a slightly different grind of whole wheat flour but can be used interchangeably with whole wheat flour. It is best to store whole wheat flour in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the fat in the wheat germ from becoming rancid. Be sure to allow the amount of flour measured for your recipe to come to room temperature before adding it to other ingredients.
Garlic: Plump, pungent, egg-size bulbs encased in papery skin and made up of individual cloves, garlic belongs to the same family as chives, onions and shallots. Available in numerous forms: fresh, peeled and in jars, as a paste, as juice, dried, powdered, flaked. Used to season a broad range of dishes from many cultures. Also may be roasted whole until the cloves become buttery soft, then spread on crackers or bread or used as an ingredient.
Gelatin: An odorless and colorless powder, its thickening power is released when it’s mixed with hot liquid. Gelatin is pure protein, processed from beef and veal bones and cartilage or pig skin. Available flavored and sweetened.
Gingerroot: Plump tubers with knobby branches. Side branches have a milder tangy ginger flavor than the main root, which can have a hot "bite." Grate unpeeled gingerroot, or peel and chop or slice, to season foods such as stir-fries, sauces and baked goods. Wrap tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator.
Herbs: See the herbs chapter.
Honey: A natural sweetener produced by bees. The buzz about honey is that it adds distinctive flavor to salads, salad dressings, dips, sauces, beverages and baked goods. Because honey can contain spores of clostridium botulinum, which has been a source of infection for infants, do not feed honey to children less than 1 year old. Honey is safe for persons one year of age and older. Store honey at room temperature it can be refrigerated but will crystallize more easily and quickly. To make crystallized honey liquid again, heat a saucepan of water to boiling, remove from the heat and place the container of honey in the hot water until the crystals disappear. Or it can be liquefied in the microwave.
Leavening: Ingredients that cause baked goods to rise and develop lighter textures. See also see Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Yeast.
Legumes: See the legumes chapter.
Maple Syrup: Golden brown sweetener made by boiling down the sap of sugar maple trees. Used as a topping and as an ingredient, maple syrup has a slight caramel flavor. Refrigerate after opening. Maple-flavored syrup usually is corn syrup combined with a little pure maple syrup. Pancake syrups usually are corn syrup with added maple flavoring.
Mayonnaise/Salad Dressing: Smooth, rich mixture made from egg yolks, vinegar and seasonings, which is beaten to make a permanent emulsion that retains its creamy texture during storage. Available in jars in reduced-fat and fat-free versions. Salad dressing is a similar product, but it’s lower in fat because it’s made with a starch thickener, vinegar, eggs and sweetener. Salad dressing can be substituted for mayonnaise in salads or spreads, but use only mayonnaise in hot or cooked dishes, unless a recipe was developed for salad dressing, because salad dressing may separate when heated.
Milk: Refers to cow’s milk throughout this cookbook.
-Buttermilk: Thick, smooth liquid made by culturing skim or part-skim milk with lactic acid bacteria. Adds a tangy flavor to baked goods. It is called buttermilk because originally it was the liquid left after churning butter.
-Evaporated milk: Whole milk with more than half of the water removed before the mixture is homogenized. Evaporated milk is a little thicker than whole milk and has a slightly "cooked" taste. Use it in recipes calling for evaporated milk, or mix with an equal amount of water to replace whole milk. Do not use it as a substitute for sweetened condensed milk in recipes.
-Fat-free (skim) milk: Contains virtually no fat.
-1% low-fat milk: Has 99 percent of milk fat removed.
-2% reduced-fat milk: Has 98 percent of milk fat removed.
-Sweetened condensed milk: Made when about half of the water is removed from whole milk and sweetener is added. Recipes using sweetened condensed milk include bars, candies and pies. Do not substitute it in recipes calling for evaporated milk.
-Whole or regular milk: Has 3.3 percent milk fat.
Mushrooms: An exciting crop of fresh, dried and canned mushrooms has sprung up in recent years. A great flavor trick is to combine white mushrooms with a more flavorful variety, such as portabella or crimini. Cooked together, the whites will pick up the stronger flavor of their counterpart. It saves money because whites are the least expensive, but you get the full taste of the more expensive variety. To prep fresh mushrooms, cut a thin slice from the bottom of the stem. Gently wipe with a cloth or soft brush or rinse quickly with cold water (do not soak in water) pat dry with paper towels.
Mustard: From plants grown for their sharp-tasting seeds and calcium-rich leaves (mustard greens). Gives pungent flavor to foods.
-Ground mustard: Finely ground dried mustard seed.
-Mustard: Yellow mustard (also called American mustard) is made with mild white mustard seed and mixed with sugar, vinegar and seasonings. Dijon mustard, from Dijon, France, is made from brown mustard seed mixed with wine, unfermented grape juice and seasonings. You’ll find a wealth of other mustard varieties at your supermarket or local gourmet or cooking shop.
-Mustard seed: Whole seeds used for pickling and to season savory dishes.
Pasta: See the Pasta chapter.
Pesto: A pasta sauce traditionally made from fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil, which is ground or blended until smooth. Make it fresh, or look for it in the refrigerator case or in tubes and jars in the tomato product section of your supermarket.
Phyllo (Filo): Paper-thin pastry sheets whose name comes from the Greek word for leaf. It’s the pastry favored for many Greek and Middle Eastern main dishes and sweets. Available frozen and refrigerated. Sheets dry out quickly so when working with phyllo, cover the unused sheets with waxed paper and a damp kitchen towel.
Pine Nuts: Small white nuts from several varieties of pine trees. Also known as pinon and pignoli. Often used in Mediterranean and Mexican dishes. With their high fat content, these nuts turn rancid quickly, so store them in the refrigerator to preserve their flavor.
Puff Pastry: This dough got its name because it puffs when it is baked. Dozens of layers of chilled butter rolled between sheets of pastry dough result in an extremely flaky dough. This dough is the basis of croissants, puff pastry shells and desserts such as Napoleons.
Red Pepper Sauce: Condiment made from hot chili peppers and cured in either salt or vinegar brine. Many varieties and levels of hotness are available.
Rice: See the Rice chapter.
Roasted Bell Peppers: Sweet red or other color bell peppers that have been roasted and packed in jars. Popular for appetizers, soups and main dishes.
Salad Dressing: See Mayonnaise.
Salsa: A Mexican sauce of tomatoes, onions, green chilies and cilantro. Make it at home (see Tomato Salsa recipe), or buy it fresh, canned or bottled. Green salsa, or salsa verde, is made with tomatillos. Also, any sauce of fresh chopped fruits and/or vegetables.
Scallion: With their long, straight green tops and thin white bottoms, scallions are often referred to as green onions. The terms are used interchangeably in recipes.
Shallot: An onion with multiple cloves that resemble garlic. The papery skin that covers the bulbs ranges in color from beige to purple and should be removed. Shallots and onions can be used interchangeably.
Soy Sauce: A brown sauce made from soybeans, wheat, yeast and salt used in cooking and as a condiment especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking.
Sugar: Sweetener produced from sugar beets or cane sugar. Available in several forms:
-Artificial sweeteners: A variety of products is available. It’s not recommended for baking because it isn’t really sugar and the flavor may break down.
-Brown (packed): Brown sugar today is made by mixing white sugar with molasses. Available in light and dark varieties dark brown sugar has the more intense flavor. If brown sugar hardens, store in a closed container with a slice of apple or a slice of fresh bread for 1 to 2 days.
-Granulated: Standard white sugar available in quantities ranging from 1-pound boxes to 100-pound bags, as well as in cubes and 1-teaspoon packets.
-Molasses: A dark, thick syrup from the sugar refining process.
-Powdered: Granulated sugar that has been processed into a fine powder and used for frostings and for dusting pastries and cakes.
Tomatillo: Easily mistaken for a small green tomato, tomatillos grow in a paper husk that’s removed before use. Citrusy in flavor, tomatillos are commonly used in salsas and Mexican sauces.
Tortilla: The everyday bread of Mexico, tortillas look like a very thin pancake. Made from ground wheat or corn, tortillas can be eaten plain or as a "wrap" around both hot and cold fillings. Both fresh and fried (hard shell) tortillas are available in varieties such as blue corn, spinach and tomato.
Truffle: This European fungus is one of the world’s most expensive foods. It grows wild near the roots of trees truffle hunters sometimes employ trained pigs and dogs to sniff out the treasured morsels. Roundish with thick, wrinkled skin and pungent flavor, truffles are used in sauces and omelets and as a garnish. Available fresh, canned and as a paste in a tube.
Worcestershire sauce: Common condiment made from exotic blend of ingredients: garlic, soy sauce, tamarind, onions, molasses, lime, anchovies, vinegar and other seasonings. Although named for Worcester, England, where it was first bottled, Worcestershire sauce was developed in India by the British.
Yeast: Leavening whose fermentation causes yeast bread to rise. The combination of warmth, food (sugar) and liquid causes yeast to release carbon dioxide bubbles that, in turn, cause dough to rise. Yeast is very sensitive too much heat will kill it, and cold will stunt its growth. Always use yeast before its expiration date.
-Bread machine yeast: A strain of yeast that’s finely granulated and works exceptionally well in bread machines.
-Brewer’s yeast: Special nonleavening yeasts used in making beer. Due to its rich vitamin B content, it is also sold as a food supplement. Do not use brewer’s yeast for making bread the bread will not rise.
-Compressed cake or fresh active yeast: This yeast is sold in moist cakes in two sizes, 0.6 ounce and 2 ounces. Because it has not undergone the drying process, it doesn’t need to be dissolved before using. Simply crumble the cake into dry ingredients or soften in warm water first. This yeast is especially good for breads starting with a sponge or those with a long rising time. One 0.6 ounce cake of yeast is equal to 1 package of dry yeast--they are interchangeable.
-Quick active dry yeast: Dehydrated yeast that allows bread to rise in less time than regular yeast. Quick active dry yeast can be used interchangeably with bread machine yeast.
-Regular active dry yeast: Dehydrated yeast that can be used in most yeast bread recipes. For use in bread machines, you may need to increase the amount to 1 teaspoon for each 3/4 teaspoon of bread machine yeast.
From "Betty Crocker's Complete Cookbook, Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, 9th Edition." Text Copyright 2000 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This INGREDIENTS GLOSSARY recipe is from the Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 9th Edition Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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