Baking Terms - M, N and O | |
 Below are important baking terms, plus, a few cooking ones, as well. Select a letter that begins the word you are looking for, and you will be brought to a listing of them. For kitchen equipment terms and descriptions, click here. | |
 | |
 |
| Macadamia Nut: Also known as the Queensland nut. A fleshy white nut with a coconut-like flavor. In Asia, it is used in savory soups and stews. In the US, the macadamia is used mostly in sweets. the nuts have an extremely high fat content. | |
|
| Macaroon: A cookie made of eggs (usually whites) and almond paste or coconut. | |
|
| Macerate: Preparation process of soaking a fruit in a liqueur or wine. Method softens the fruit while releasing its juices and absorbing the macerating liquids flavor. | |
|
| Maître d': the person in charge of the restaurant dining room | |
|
| Maillard Reactions: At oven temperatures, sugar chemically reacts with proteins in the baking product, contributing to the food's browned surface. These Maillard reactions are the second way in which bread crusts, cakes, and cookies get their familiar brown surfaces. These reactions also result in the aroma associated with the baked good. The higher the sugar content of the baked good, the darker golden brown the surface appears. As described above, these browned surfaces not only taste good but help retain moisture in the baked product, prolonging freshness. (from www.sugar.org). | |
|
| Malt Powder: Commercial malt powders are usually made with barley, and they're used extensively by commercial bakers. There are two main types of malt powder: diastatic and non-diastatic. Diastatic malt contains active enzymes which help break starch down into sugar. The extra sugar feeds the yeast in the dough, helping the bread to rise, and also gives the bread a browner crust. It's often used to make crusty breads. Non-diastatic malt doesn't have active enzymes, but it gives baked goods better flavor and a shinier, browner crust. It's used in everything from bagels to croissants to breakfast cereals. Don't confuse malt powder with malted milk powder, which also contains powdered milk and wheat flour and is used to make beverages. Look for malt powder in health food stores or baking supply stores. | |
|
| Malt Syrup: A type of syrup containing maltose sugar, extracted from sprouted barley. | |
|
| Marble: To partly mix two different colors of cake batter or icing so that the colors are in decorative swirls. | |
|
| Marinade (cooking): A highly seasoned liquid in which food is soaked to flavor and/or tenderize food. | |
|
| Marinate (cooking): To soak in marinade. | |
|
| Marron: French word for "chestnut." | |
|
| Marshmallow: A light confection, icing, or filling made of meringue and gelatin (or other stabilizers). | |
|
| Marzipan: A thick almond paste used in confectioneries. Marzipan is primarily used in cakes and pastries in the European tradition. It is also colored and sculpted into individual sweets. The consistency of marzipan makes it a great medium for lively shapes and colors. | |
|
| Meal: Coarsely ground grain. | |
|
| Melba Sauce: A sweet sauce made of pureed raspberries and sometimes red currants. | |
|
| Meringue: (French) Meringue, a beaten foam of egg whites and sugar, can be used as a pie topping, to lighten other mixtures and, after being baked to a crisp layer or shell, as the foundation of various cakes and desserts (see dacquoise). Simple, uncooked meringue is made by beating egg whites, then beating in the sugar until very stiff, shiny peaks form. Cooked meringue is more stable. Two forms are: Swiss meringue-- egg whites and sugar heated over simmering water, then beaten until long, tall peaks form and the meringue is cold; Italian meringue -- sugar syrup cooked to the firm-ball stage, beaten into whipped egg whites, then whipped until cold. | |
|
| Meringue Chantilly (shown tee yee): The term "Chantilly" refers to whipped cream. Cream is whipped until mousse-like and then sweetened and flavored. | |
|
| Meringue, French: Egg whites are first whipped until foamy, then sugar (granulated or powdered) is added and the whites are whipped until they form stiff glossy peaks and triple in volume. It is important to add the sugar slowly and at the beginning so it has time to dissolve in the egg whites. Otherwise, the meringue will be grainy. Adding sugar slowly gives strength to the egg whites, which helps them hold as they are whipped. | |
|
| Meringue Glace: Baked meringue filled with ice cream. | |
|
| Meringue, Italian: Egg whites whipped to stiff peaks to which cooked sugar (at the soft ball stage) is added. The mixture is then whipped until cool. It becomes thick and glossy and doubles in volume. This is the most stable meringue. | |
|
| Meter: The basic unit of length in the metric system; slightly longer than one yard. | |
|
| Mexican Chocolate: Ibarra is one brand that comes to mind, available in some specialty Latin markets or at gourmet stores. It comes in boxes containing large chocolate tablets. Mexican chocolate is flavored with sugar and cinnamon, and used to make hot chocolate and mole sauce. Substitutes: 1 ounce = 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon OR (in mole sauces) cocoa powder (Substitute one tablespoon cocoa powder for every ounce of Mexican chocolate called for in the recipe.) | |
|
| Milk Chocolate: Most popular form of eating chocolate in the United States due to its mild, mellow flavor. It has only 10% chocolate liquor and usually contains about 12% milk solids. Milk chocolate has a less robust flavor than sweet or semi-sweet chocolates. | |
|
| Milk Wash: A small amount of cream or half-and-half (milk will work, too, but the others are better) brushed on top of a dough before baking. It helps give a golden brown finish to it during baking. | |
|
| Mince: To cut or chop into very small pieces | |
|
| Milli-: Prefix in the metric system meaning "one-thousandth". | |
|
| Mirabelle: (French) 1. Small yellow plum, used as tart filling. 2. A liqueur made from small yellow plums. | |
|
| Mise en Place: (French) Translated means to put in place. Refers to the preparations for cooking, setting out bowls, pots, and pans and measuring, washing, peeling, and chopping and mincing ingredients so you avoid leaving something out of a recipe or to be more efficient. Use custard cups or ramekins to hold flavorings, leavening and other ingredients present only in small quantities. Line them up in bowls on your work area before baking. Return perishable pre-measured and left-over ingredients to the refrigerator until needed, unless the recipe states otherwise. | |
|
| Mix: To stir in circles with a wooden spoon until ingredients are distributed evenly and there are no clumps of one ingredient. Or, to combine with an electric mixer on low speed. | |
|
| Mixing Methods: General objectives in mixing batter and dough is as follows: Uniform distribution of ingredients; Minimum loss of the leavening agent; Optimum blending; and, Development or prevention of gluten. Each mixing method gives a different texture and character to the baked good plus each category can have its own, as well. The main ones are the: Two-bowl Mixing or Muffin Method, Creaming Method, Pastry Mixing Method, Biscuit Method, Single-Stage, etc. | |
|
| Mocha: 1. High quality coffee served after dinner. 2. A blend of coffee and chocolate flavors. | |
|
| Modeling Chocolate: A thick paste made of chocolate and glucose, which can be molded by hand into decorative shapes. | |
|
| Molasses: Also known as dark treacle. Molasses is the left over result of processing sugar cane after the granulated sugar has been removed. Appears as a dark, thick, pungent liquid Molasses is available in light, dark, unsulfured, and blackstrap variations that range from weak to strong in flavor. It is also added back to sugar in set amounts to make light or dark brown sugar. | |
|
| Mold: To shape into a particular form, as in chocolate molding. Gelatin is used in molded foods. | |
|
| Mole: (Mexican) A spicy, rich sauce consisting of nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and peppers. | |
|
| Monosaccharide: A simple or single sugar such as glucose and fructose. | |
|
| Mouler: (French) To grind soft food into a puree, or dry food into a powder. | |
|
| Mousse: A soft or creamy dessert, lightly sweetened or a savory cold dish made with cream, whipped egg white and gelatin. Can also be made from ganache. | |
|
| Muesli: (Swiss) Dish of raw rolled oats, coarsely grated apple, nuts and dried fruit served with cream or whole milk. | |
|
| Mush: When chocolate is seeded. |
 | |
|
|
| Napoleon: A dessert made of layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream. | |
|
| Natural process: Non-alkalized chocolate liquor or cocoa processed without an alkaline treatment. | |
|
| Neapolitan: (Italian) Ice creams and sweet cakes in layers of different colors and flavors | |
|
| Net Weight: The weight of the total inside contents of a can or package. | |
|
| Neufchatel: (French) A soft unripened cheese originally from Neufchatel-en-Bray, France. It has a fat content of 44 to 48%. Also available as low-fat cream cheese in the U.S. | |
|
| No-Time Dough: A bread dough made with a large quantity of yeast and given no fermentation time except for a short rest after mixing. | |
|
| Non-alkalized cocoa powders: Natural process powders - manufactured without the use of alkali; yellowish-brown color; fruity, acidy flavor. | |
|
| Nonpareils (non-pah-REHLS): These small colored balls are used to decorate cakes and cookies. | |
|
| Nonutritive sweetener: Is a sweet product which contains little, if any, nutritive value. Generally, it is also called artificial sweetener. | |
|
| Nonreactive: Refers to a pan that is not lined with aluminum, which can react with certain ingredients like acids. I use All-Clad or Bourgeat pans. | |
|
| Normande, A la: (French) In the Normandy style; Example -- cooked with cider and cream. | |
|
| Nougat: A mixture of caramelized sugar and almonds or other nuts, used in decorative work and as a confection and flavoring. Nougat candy is a combination of sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, butter and nuts. France and Italy are famous for their honey-flavored nougats. | |
|
| Nutmeg: Oval-shaped, brown, wrinkly seed of the nutmeg tree. In its grated for is primarily utilized in sweet and savory dishes including cakes, custards, soufflés, meatballs and soups. | |
|
| Nutritive Sweetener: Is a sweetener that has a caloric value. Generally, monosaccharide and disaccharide may contribute nutritive value and may be sweet. |
 | |
|
