Noun. Quenelle is the smooth oval shape formed when presenting semi-soft foods.

Used in a sentence:

A quenelle of ice cream is much more refined than a scoop of ice cream.

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Noun. Alginate is a salt from a gel-forming substance obtained from brown algae.

Used in a sentence:

Alginates are used as thickeners in creams, jellies and beer.

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Noun. The albumen is the egg white and is made mostly of water, high-quality protein and minerals.

Used in a sentence:

The albumen represents 2/3 of an egg’s weight.

Want to know more about what makes up an egg? Check out this infographic.

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Noun. Gastronomy is the practice or art of cooking and eating good food. Gastronomy also refers to culinary customs or styles.

Used in a sentence:

My mother’s love for gastronomy fueled her career in the restaurant industry.

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“Pommes frites” — obviously French. If you’ve taken a French class, you know that the word “pomme” means “apple” and the word “frite” means fried. So if you order “pommes frites” from a restaurant menu, will your server bring you a heaping plate of fried apples?

While fried apples are good in their own right and deserve a place on that restaurant menu, “pommes frites” actually refers to French fries. You see, the French word for potato is actually “pomme de terre,” or “fruit of the earth.”

Used in a sentence:

Burgers go well with a side of pommes frites.

So if the French call fries pommes frites, what do they call fried apples? Whoa.

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You’ve probably heard the term “blanch,” but you may not have actually blanched anything. Or maybe you have, but you just didn’t realize that’s what you were doing! So how do you blanch something, and why?

“Blanch” is a cooking process that involves placing foods — usually fruits or vegetables — in boiling water briefly, then placing into or running under cold water. This stops the cooking process in order to retain the color, flavor, texture and nutrients of the fruit or vegetable. In some instances, blanching may just involve boiling a food in water for an extended period of time to remove certain flavors.

Used in a sentence:

The reason this asparagus is so good is because I blanched it to prevent it from getting soggy.

Now you know, so blanch away!

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You may have seen this word on a restaurant menu and thought, “Wow! That sure sounds fancy!” But what does it actually mean?

“Charcuterie” is a French word for a store that sells cold cooked meats and also describes the products sold in those stores (think smoked, cured, and salted meats).

Used in a sentence:

None of my friends knows what charcuterie means, yet they order it anyway every time they see it on a restaurant menu.

Bon appétit!

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