A top chef glossary

Catch Top Chef 5 every Monday and Tuesday at 9pm onSony Entertainment Television(nowTV 514, bbTV 310, TVB PayVision Ch 21)

Top Chef 5 is a reality show in which 17 chef-testants competeto survive the weekly chopping blocks and choosy palates (味覺) tobe the Top Chef in New York. Found yourself scratching your headwhile watching chefs and judges babble on about sous-vide this?High-level cooking has its own special language that might seemmysterious-until now.

Sous-vide (soo-VEED, 真空烹調)

Literally "under vacuum" in French, it is amethod of cooking food in vacuum-sealedplastic bags submerged ( 浸) in a bath ofwater at a carefully-maintained temperature.

Chiffonade (shiff-on-AHD, 細切蔬菜)

To cut leafy greens or herbs into very thinribbons. To chiffonade basil, for example, stackthe leaves, roll them into a tight cigar-like roll,and cut across the roll into thin strips.

Blanch (飛水、出水)

To cook, usually very briefly, in boiling water.Vegetables are often blanched to loosen theirskins for peeling.

Offal (OFF-uhl, 雜肉、動物內臟)

Also known as "variety meats", the organs,glands (腺), tail, feet, snout, tongue and otherparts of the animal that are today relativelyuncommon in Western kitchens.

Purée (煮爛、過濾或製漿的食物)

To chop or marsh a food until it achieves asmooth, uniform consistency.

Al dente (al-DEN-tay, 彈牙的)

Literally "to the tooth" in Italian. It describesfood, most commonly pasta or rice, that iscooked through but still firm, offering slightresistance when chewed, and not soft ormushy (柔軟、糊狀) at all.

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