Fabricate: To cut a large item into smaller portions; it often refers to the butchering of meat, poultry or fish.

Fabricated Cut: A small cut of meat or an individual portion cut from a subprimal cut.

Fabricated Product: A food item after trimming, boning, portioning and so on.

Fabricated Yield Percentage: The yield or edible portion of a food item expressed as a percentage of the amount of item purchased.

Fairing: A traditional term for foods, usually sweets or cakes such as gingerbread nuts, sold at British and American fairs.

Today Fajita means a meal where meat, poultry, vegetables and/or other ingredients are Grilled together over High Heat and served in a flour tortilla. The dish has its origins from tougher less expensive cuts of beef, namely Outside Skirt Steak, which resembles a “Belt,” or “Faja” in Spanish, that Mexican workers in Texas cut into thin strips and cooked quickly over open fires with vegetables...

Family: A botanical and zoological term to describe a group of related genera. 2. An imprecisely used term to describe a group of seemingly related plants or animals.

Fancy: Fish that has been frozen previously. 2. A quality grade of fruits, especially canned or frozen.

Fannings: Moderate-sized particles of broken tea leaves.

Farinaceous : A food consisting of or made from flour or meal.

Farmers Market: A place where local farmers can sell their goods.

The Fat-Soluble Vitamins are Vitamins A, D, E and K. They are needed to maintain good health. Cooking Foods Containing Them Does Not Damage Them.

Fatty Acids are the Building Blocks of Fats and can be Saturated or Unsaturated

FDA: An agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services responsible for setting and regulating policies on foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics...

Ingredients used for Thickening foods frequently are based on Vegetable Gums, Starches, Pectins, Sugars or Proteins. Fecula is the name for a category of flavorless powdered starches. The category Fecula includes: Arrowroot, Cornstarch, Potato Starch, and Tapioca Starch (including their by-products)...

Fermenting: Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation is fundamental to the making of leavened breads, vinegars, cultured milk products, beers, wines & spirits.

Fernand Point: Recognized as the guiding force behind nouvelle cuisine, this chef was a mentor to many of the greats including Paul Bocuse, Francoise Bise, Alain Chapel and Pierre and Jean Foisgros.

Fiber: Sometimes called roughage, this is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system.

First-In, First Out!

Fin Fish refer to any number of cold-blooded, strictly aquatic vertebrates that typically have an elongated torpedo shaped body ending in a broad tail fin, and limbs, when present at all, in the form of fins. Fin Fish are typically classified as either Round Fish or Flat Fish.

Fine Brunoise is a French Culinary Term for a Very Fine Dice.

Fine Julienne is a Fine Matchstick Cut

Finfish: This category is broken into two subcategories: flat and round.

Fire caused by wood, paper, linen and other combustibles

Fire caused by burning liquids such as grease, oil or gasoline and other solvents.

Fire caused by electrical elements such as switches, motors, etc.

Fire caused by oils in fats in commercial cooking equipment.

Fire Code: A code adopted by the state or local jurisdiction and enforced by fire prevention officers within municipal fire departments.

Fire Safety Plan: A plan required by all North American national, state, and provincial fire codes based on building use or occupancy types.

In 1869, Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France seeking to feed his armed forces (and the lower classes) offered a prize for a satisfactory butter substitute. French Chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès answered the call and invented margarine while experimenting with processed beef tallow and skimmed milk...

Fish: This broad category includes both finfish and shellfish.

Flat Fish are typically marine fish, having a flattened body with both eyes on the top side of the head. Flat Fish include: Flounder, Sole, and Halibut.

Flavorings are an extract or spice added to food for the purpose of enhancing its taste. While “seasoning” implies the addition of salts, spices or herbs to enhance flavor, “flavorings” more often refers to the addition of extracts or flavoring oils to augment or change the foods flavor...

Flexitarian: A vegetarian that occasionally eats animal meat.

Florentine: A french word that refers to a dish that is prepared with spinach.

Summer Flounder, also known as “Fluke,” is a flatfish enjoyed for its delicate texture and taste and works well in many preparations including Baking, Broiling, Sautéing, Pan Frying, and Steaming. Low in saturated fat, Fluke has .9 grams of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids in a 6-ounce cooked portion...

Flour is useful for cooking, baking, pasta making and frying. There are a few types of flour, each has its strengths. Regular Flour: White flour is the most common thickener used in sauces. In some recipes, you might be fine using it. There are 6 grams of carbohydrate per tablespoon of regular flour...

Focaccia Bread, made with Yeast, but un-kneaded, is a dense Italian Bread that is eaten as a snack and used for Sandwiches. Focaccia doesn’t rise as much as other Yeast Breads because it is not kneaded to develop its Gluten. Its nearly flat appearance prompted one chef to call Focaccia Bread “the canvas upon which you can paint...

The cooked, burned-on, flavorful, solid remnants left in the pan after meat or vegetables are cooked. Fond means foundation in French and much of the flavor for stocks and sauces are based on the flavor contained in the fond.

Fontana: The first shape a pasta is molded into. The form of a fountain.

Food Additives: Substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance.

In order to make oranges look more “orange” or cake frosting look “colorful,” food coloring can be added. Food coloring is any substance used to add color to food or drinks for the purpose of making food look consistent (we expect salmon to be orange), decorative (rainbows of color in frosting, sprinkles, etc...

Food Infection: The presence of harmful bacteria or other microbes which infect the body after consumption.

Food Intoxication: The ingestion of toxins contained in food, including bacterial produced exotoxins.

Most food poisonings are actually really Infections caused by a host of Pathogens (bacteria, viruses, prions or parasites) and not poisonings caused by chemical or natural Toxins, resulting in Intoxication.

Food Preparer: Makes sure that the short order cooks don't run out of ingredients during peak hours.

Food Pyramid: A visual system depciting optimal nutrition guidelines for each food category.

A Food Service Manager is responsible for every aspect of the kitchen from food production and staff management to safety and customer satisfaction.

“To create the forged knife," a thick billet of steel is heated to an extreme temperature and pounded into shape by a forging hammer and die. The forged knife is further differentiated by a bolster (a thick piece of metal) that adds balance between the handle and blade. Based on their construction, forged knives tend to be heavier and thicker, and many cooks feel the heavier weighted knives (9 or 10 oz) ease the chopping of food...

The Burgundian, François Pierre de la Varenne (1615 – 1678), was the author of Le Cuisinier François (1651), the primer that codifies the roots of modern French cuisine in the time of Louis XIV, (14) the Sun King. Aside from introducing some of the biggest innovations of cooking (Bisques, Béchamel Sauce, Duxelles, Roux, Bouquet Garni, Fonds & Reductions)...

Freezer Burn: The surface dehydration and discoloration of food that results from moisture loss at below freezing temperatures.

Freezing: What occurs when a liquid turns solid when exposed to enough cold.

French Mustard, also sometimes called “Granary Mustard,” “Coarse Grain Mustard “or “Whole Grain Mustard” is a coarse Mustard made from Black Mustard Seeds. To make Coarse Grain Mustard, whole Mustard Seeds are mixed (not ground) with other ingredients so that the final product retains some unground or at least only partially ground Mustard Seeds...

French Rolling Pin: Plain wooden rolling pin with tapered ends.

French Toast: Stale bread dipped in batter then cooked.

Frenching is a term for a form of meat presentation that can be done to chops, ribs, prime ribs, roasts crown roasts or any meat with a long bone to clean down and expose. Think of it as a form of presentation or Flair. In practice, the long bones of a chop or steak, are cleaned of all their excess meat by trimming them to expose the raw bone...

Frittatas: Basically, these are open-faced omelets that are baked in the oven.

Fructose (also known as Fruit Sugar) is a Monosaccharide Sugar found in many plants and Fruits. Fructose, the sweetest of the Sugar is, along with Galactose and Glucose, one of the three dietary simple sugars that are used directly by the body during digestion. The French chemist Augustin Pierre Dubrunfaut discovered Fructose in 1847...

Fruit: An organism that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant and contains one or more seeds.

Fruit Mustards are combinations of Mustard and Fruit which have been “great tastes that go great together since “Mostarda di Frutta” was invented in the 14th century in Lombardi. Variations of Fruit Mustards include Apple Mustard, Apricot-Ginger Mustard, Berry Mustard, Cranberry Mustard, Lemon Mustard, Orange & Honey Mustard, Pineapple & Honey Mustard, etc.

Fruit Relish – Fruit Relish is a Relish often served at Jewish holiday meals, made with Pears, Persimmons, Cranberries, Dates, Jalapenos, Mint, and Garlic.

Frying: The cooking of food in oil or fat.

A fully developed stock is one that has been cooked, strained, and vented and degreased.

In traditional culinary terms, a Fumet means a Fish Stock.

Fusion Cuisine: Simply means a collaboration of various cuisine styles. This cuisine combines elements of different culinary traditions while not fitting specifically into any.