Cooking Glossary

Water that has had an acid added, usually lemon or lime juice, or vinegar, and is used to prevent fruit or vegetables from browning when in contact with the air. Simply squeeze the juice of a lemon or lime, or add a few drops of water to a bowl of water before adding the fruit or vegetables.

An Italian term, meaning ‘firm to bite and used as a reference of how to slightly under-cook pasta and vegetables, to prevent them from being too soft.

Made from anchovy fillets and used as a flavouring. Available in glass bottles. If you can’t find it, try fish sauce. (See also Fish Sauce)

Part of the small, oily fish family related to the herring, Anchovies are commonly available already gutted, filleted and cured, and then packed in olive or vegetable oil in cans or jars. Once opened, keep in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days. Used in small quantities, due to their intense flavour, anchovy fillets are traditionally used to flavour Caesar Salad, Nicoise Salad and are a classic ingredient found on many pizzas.

A superfino (large) grade of risotto rice commonly used to make the dish Risotto. Readily available in supermarkets. If you can’t find it, try Carnaroli Rice. (See also Risotto Rice, Carnaroli Rice)

With similar culinary properties as cornflour, arrowroot is generally used as a thickener for sauces. Its advantage over cornflour is that it turns clear, making it ideal for thickening desserts or sweet sauces. If you can’t find it, try cornflour. (See also Cornflour).