Glossary of Professional Kitchen Culinary Terminology
Click on each kitchen term below for a detailed definition as well as example usage.
Add On
With regards to tickets in a restaurant, an “add on” is a ticket with additional appetizers or entrées that did not come in with the original ticket. The most common case for this when a table puts in an order for appetizers and then the waiter returns later for entrée selections. In a more difficult situation, it can mean that a diner requests an additional entrée item at the time that appetizers are being cleared from the table. In such cases, the expediting chef will typically have to ask for Read More...
All Day
As a line cook on a station, your "all day" count is the total number of a given item that you have ordered in, including those that you are fired on. Read More...
Back of House
In restaurants the back of house refers to the organization tasked with preparing food, washing dishes, receiving deliveries, and cleaning Read More...
Bain Marie
"Bain marie" can mean a couple of things in professional kitchens. As a piece of equipment, it is a stainless steel round cylinder typically used to hold liquids. It can also indicate a hot water bath which is the direct translation from the French. Read More...
Black and Blue
The term black and blue means a piece of meat cooked to rare Read More...
Brunoise
In the professional kitchen, "brunoise" is a specification for a fine dice knife cut. Specifically, if you are told to brunoise something, it means that the item should be cut into 1/8" cubes. Read More...
Buyout
A buyout is when someone buys out a restaurant for an afternoon and or an evening for a private event. Read More...
Cartouche
A cartouche is a piece of parchment paper cut and tinted over a braised food item while it cooks. The goal of a cartouche is to prevent the item from drying out during the braising process. Read More...
Chef De Cuisine
The role of Chef de Cuisine or CDC is one that typically only exists in large kitchens. The CDC reports directly to the executive chef and is the chef's eyes and ears in the kitchen ensuring the chef's vision and quality standards are being carried out in their absence. Read More...
Clopen
Restaurant employees use the term "clopen" to refer to being scheduled to close one night and then being asked to work the morning shift the very next day. "Close and then open" is the idea. Read More...
Deli containers
Deli containers are plastic cylinder shaped containers designed to hold food. They come in various sizes including but not limited to quart, pint, cup, and two quart. Read More...
Drop on Top
The restaurant term “drop on top” is an instruction given to waiters or food runners taking food from the kitchen pass to a table in the dining room. “Drop on top” means that the item or items they are running are to be added to the food that is already at the table. “Drop on top” items can be “for the table”, or shared among all the diners or they can be assigned to an individual diner. For example if a diner says to a server “can I get an order of fries with this burger” when receiving his foo Read More...
Eighty Six (86)
When you are out of something, it is said to be 86'd. Read More...
Fire
In kitchens, all of the food for a particular course at a particular table are worked on concurrently in a "fire". Read More...
For The Table
For The Table is a common directive given to waiters and food runners in a restaurant. It means that the menu item or items are to be shared by the whole table as opposed to a single position number. Read More...
Front of House
In restaurant, front of house refers to the operations focused on interacting with guests. Included in the front of house are disciplines such as serving, hosting, bartending, barristaing, bussing, and running food. Read More...
Garde Manger
Garde manger is a station in a restaurant kitchen. It is most commonly associated with appetizers - both hot and cold, but the actual discipline is far more expansive and includes all cold preparations including charcuterie and forcemeats. The term "garde manger" is french and literally means pantry. Read More...
Gremolata
Traditionally, the term gremolata is used in Italian cooking to describe a topping consisting of a fine mince of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. However, chefs in professional kitchens will use the term more broadly to simply describe an herby topping which could be dry or mounted in oil used to brighten a dish. Read More...
Hands
In professional kitchen lingo, a chef or expeditor calling for hands means that the food for a table has arrived at the pass from the cooks and is ready to be sent to the dining room. Read More...
Hotel Pan
A hotel pan is a metal rectangular pan used to hold food, typically hot food, for restaurant service. Read More...
In The Weeds
In a restaurant kitchen, to be "in the weeds" or "weeded" means that you are falling behind, you are disorganized, and your station is a mess. Read More...
Kuntz Spoon
The Kuntz Spoon is a large sauce spoon developed by Chef Grey Kuntz. It's a tool found in the knife rolls of many a line cook world wide. Read More...
Lowboy
In a professional kitchen, a lowboy refrigerator or a lowboy oven refers to an appliance residing below the counter or cook surface on the line. Read More...
Mise En Place
Translated literally from French "put in place" it's a term used in professional kitchens to mean all of the food components and tools needed for service. More broadly it can mean everything you need to complete any task. Read More...
On Back
Items "on back" are how many of a menu item you the cook on a station have that are ordered in but are not yet fired. Read More...
On The Fly
If something is needed "on the fly" it means stop working on whatever you're working on and do the on the fly ask first. Read More...
Order Fire
If a kitchen receives a ticket for a course that is to be sent as soon as it is ready, it is both "ordered in" and "fired" or "order fired". This is generally the case with all appetizers. It is also true of entrées that are ordered as an only course and not being grouped into a timed fire with other tables. Read More...
Order In
When a server sends the order in for a table, all of those items from appetizers to entrées and sometimes even desserts are "ordered in". Read More...
PDR - Private Dining Room
The acronym PDR stands for Private Dining Room. Many fine dining establishments offer a private room or shielded area that can be purchased for a few hours or an entire evening to host a private event. Read More...
Par
A term common in restaurant management, a par is the total number of an item you want to have on hand for every service. Read More...
Pinçage
In professional kitchens, to pinçage in the case of a braise or stew or a brown stock means to add a tomato product, most typically tomato paste, during the browning step and let that develop into a rusty color before carrying on with deglazing. This is done for flavor nuance but primarily for the "rust" color it lends to the final product. Read More...
Push / Pop / Hit
During service, a "push" or a "pop" or a "hit" is a time period where a large number of tickets come in. Read More...
Quenelle
In restaurant kitchens, a quenelle is an egg shape made by using a spoon or spoons out of soft foods such as whipped cream, ice cream, or batters. Read More...
Remouillage
In professional kitchens, remouillage or "remy" is a second run stock. Remouillage is mostly commonly used to start another stock, in place of water, or to make demi glace. Read More...
Robot Coupe
In professional kitchens, the Robot Coupe, pronounced "robo coo", is the food processor of choice for most operations. Read More...
Rondeau
A rondeau in professional kitchens is a large wide bottom pot different from a stock pot in that it is much wider than it is tall and ideal for searing and evaporating liquid. Read More...
Roux
Roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat, heated so that the flour toasts and as a result can be used as a thickener in soups and stews without clumping. There are several types of roux depending on how long it is cooked ranging from blonde to dark. Read More...
Running The Pass
The individual orchestrating service, reading off tickets as they come in, organizing the timely firing of courses, handing off food to the floor staff, maintaining quality of the food coming off the line, and handling all problems from the dining room, is said to be running the pass. Read More...
SFN - Something For Nothing
SFN is a common line note below an item on a ticket. SFN is short for Something For Nothing, meaning that the waiter who rang in the order intends to give the diner something free of charge. Read More...
SOS - Sauce On the Side
SOS is a common notation servers use as a line note when ringing in a ticket indicating that the guest would like the sauce, or dressing, or anything liquid, to be served on the side. Read More...
Salamander
The salamander or "the sally" is a broiler that's usuallly positioned at eye level somewhere on the hot line. Read More...
Salsa Verde
A salsa verde is a "green sauce" typically used as an herby topping similar to a gremolata or persiallde. Chimmichuri is a classic example of a salsa verde. Read More...
Small Dice
in a professional kitchen, small dice is a specifcation for a knife cut. It means that you are to cut an item into perfect 1/4" cubes. Read More...
Trail
A trail is an interview in a restaurant. When you go into an interview, you are said to be trailing or "the trail". Read More...
Use First
"Use First" is a restaurant industry term used to refer to the accounting concept of FIFO - first in, first out. Read More...
VIP
VIP is short for very important person. It is a common line note below an ordered item on a ticket or dupe received by the kitchen from the front of house. It indicates that the individual, or the entire table, for one reason or another is a very important person, and great care should be taken with the preparation of their food. Read More...
Walk In Refrigerator
In a professional kitchen, a walk-in refrigerator is a refrigerator that you can physically walk in to. This is different from a "reach-in" which you can open the door of and reach into similar to what you might find in a home. Read More...
Wipe
In professional kitchens, to give a plate "a wipe" means to tighten up a plate and wipe it free of debris, spilled sauce, or other detritus before allowing it to walk to the dining room. Read More...