What is your most loathed cooking terminology?

[Andy M.]

I agree - Hack is the worst.

Another one I see frequently, is 'experiment'. I belong to a couple of Sous Vide groups, and people (almost exclusively men) don't make dinner - they do tonight's experiment. It's like the terminology of 'making dinner' is beneath them, so they perform some kind of top-level scientific experiment. Drives me batty. Cooking dinner in a sous vide bath is no longer an experiment - I've been doing it over 10 years. You are making dinner - just ike your wife does the other 6 nights of the week.

I an very happy that the men on DC are cooks, not scientists.

I agree. Now it's just another tool in the kitchen. There were some experiments in the beginning but it's easy to learn and gain confidence.

 

[obillo]

Mine is “hack”. No, it’s not a hack, it’s a variation or different technique. It’s a term that is widely used and incorrectly, which gets really annoying.

My other is one that I notice gets used more frequently nowadays. On television cooking shows, the cook will say “go in “. For example “I’ve sifted the flour, now I go in with butter “ etc. Every ingredient, they “go in” with. Sure, it’s not really important but it just grinds my gears every time I hear it!

What say you?

Agreed. Also, 'add in'

 

[obillo]

I agree - Hack is the worst.

Another one I see frequently, is 'experiment'. I belong to a couple of Sous Vide groups, and people (almost exclusively men) don't make dinner - they do tonight's experiment. It's like the terminology of 'making dinner' is beneath them, so they perform some kind of top-level scientific experiment. Drives me batty. Cooking dinner in a sous vide bath is no longer an experiment - I've been doing it over 10 years. You are making dinner - just ike your wife does the other 6 nights of the week.

I an very happy that the men on DC are cooks, not scientists.

When they start talking nonsense, I change channel even faster than I do when I hear the words "pledge week."

 

[Linda0818]

Agreed. Also, 'add in'

That's a pretty standard cooking term there.

 

[obillo]

I have. I guess you haven't looked at, or don't remember looking at, older recipes that used coriander greens. Usually just "coriander" means the seeds. Do you look at British recipes? Those usually still say coriander greens, if they mean the leaves.

And using the Spanish word, "cilantro", is part of why many people don't know that it's the same plant.

I'm betting that on any ordinary kitchen scale a peeled and and unpeeled onion will weigh the same.

 

[obillo]

Lots of what I buy is organic, but that bugs me too. OTOH, I have noticed a lot of Danish recipes that call for citrus rind tell you to use "unsprayed" citrus rind. I will only use the rind of citrus that I know is undyed. Here in North America, the dyes that are on citrus fruits do not need to be food safe. I guess they don't penetrate to the flesh of those fruits, but someone forgot that we actually use those rinds in food on occasion.

I don't use any organic stuff. It upsets the delicate balance of chemical additives in my system.

 

[obillo]

So weird. Did she have blonde hair? I saw one like that.... blonde hair.

And Rachbael Rae, with her "my" this and "my" that.

 

[Linda0818]

And Rachbael Rae, with her "my" this and "my" that.

True, she does do that a lot. She doesn't drive me as crazy as some others, though.

 

[Linda0818]

And Rachbael Rae, with her "my" this and "my" that.

To add, I enjoy watching Valerie. She's pretty much no nonsense and there's not a lot of excessive jibber-jabber when she's cooking. That and her recipes are nice and simple without 5,000 ingredients per meal.

 

[obillo]

Tjhe obsession with "wooden spoon" and kosher salt, "changed my life forever," "I'll be making this on repeat all summer" and similar gushiness. As an editor and writer I have clung to the principle "note the exception, not the rule." It's something I dreamt up in the 1970s when I first encountered the Time-Life series of cookbooks: when little slits a
were required for sticking garlic slivers in the meat, every recipe said to make the slits "with the tip of a small, sharp knife." They must have a it on a rubber stamp and it grated on me every time. No! just 'slits' will do. Don't tell me anything more unless the slits are to be made with the butt end of a huge dull scimitar!

 

[dragnlaw]

There was a chef once that I used to watch all the time and admired. EXCEPT when he would whack his spoon, wooden or metal on the edge of the pot every single time he stirred.
Not so bad in itself (and another) EXCEPT when it was on the edge of a pressure cooker.
You do NOT want to bash/dent that edge!

 

[KatyCooks]

There was a chef once that I used to watch all the time and admired. EXCEPT when he would whack his spoon, wooden or metal on the edge of the pot every single time he stirred.
Not so bad in itself (and another) EXCEPT when it was on the edge of a pressure cooker.
You do NOT want to bash/dent that edge!

Very true Dragon!!! I wouldnt dream of doing that to my lovely pressure cooker! (Which I am still using regularly and am so glad I purchased!) What a wonderfully useful thing it is.

 

[KatyCooks]

make the slits "with the tip of a small, sharp knife." They must have a it on a rubber stamp and it grated on me every time. No! just 'slits' will do. Don't tell me anything more unless the slits are to be made with the butt end of a huge dull scimitar!

Absolutely agree!! (And very amusingly put.)

 

[msmofet]

These are something I picked up from a thrift shop. They are clearly just a novelty but they are cute and fun - just as I like in my kitchen
View attachment 64324

Never saw drop before.

 

[dragnlaw]

My set says 'Dash' - 'Pinch' - 'Smidgen' - and 'Nip' !!

 

[obillo]

I recall from many years ago (now known as ''back in the day') a young New England bride being stumped by "four gallups maple syrup" in one of her mother's hand-written recipes. Mom explained that a gallup is the sound made when you tilt the jug over the mixing bowl.

In one of Patrick O'Brian's novels his Dr. Maturin uses a 'pugil' of some drug. As I recall it's bigger than pinch because you use your thumb and TWO fingers instead of one.

A young Italian bride was instructed (clearly by an early riser) that 'the sauce is ready when the church bells ring."

I would love to have a set of your spoons!

 

[dragnlaw]

I am fast beginning to be extremely annoyed with the new popular instructions that say:-
"Don't touch it or move it about, it will release when it's ready."
Nope, nope, and no. Not if the beginner has it too hot or not hot enough and doesn't know the difference. It will b e either burnt to a crisp or become shoe leather while they are waiting for this mysterious release.