Cooking & Recipes Glossary: F

fajita: A Tex-Mex dish consisting of grilled strips of beef or chicken, often served wrapped in a soft tortilla with vegetable slices or a sauce.

filé: Powdered sassafras leaves, used in Creole cooking.

filet mignon: A thick, round cut of lean beef tenderloin broiled, often with a bacon strip wrapped around it.

fillet: 1. (verb) To cut the flesh away from the bones of a piece of meat or fish. 2. (noun) A flat, thin thin cut of meat, fish, or poultry that has the bones removed.

filo dough: A dough in very thin sheets that becomes very flaky when baked; also spelled phyllo.

fire extinguisher: A portable device containing chemicals that can be sprayed on a fire to put it out.

flank steak: A cut of meat from the fleshy side of the animal between the ribs and hip.

flat ribbon pasta: A group of pastas that come in flat, long shapes.

fold: To combine a light mixture, such as beaten egg whites or whipped cream, with a heavier mixture, such as sugared egg yolks or melted chocolate, by using a gentle mixing motion.

food poisoning: The sickness resulting from eating food contaminated by bacteria or bacterial toxins; usually characterized by vomiting and diarrhea.

food processor: A small kitchen appliance featuring various blade attachments that can chop and combine food in a variety of ways.

forged: Used to describe knife blades that are hand-molded and made with high heat to bring out the best in density, hardness, and flexibility. Superior in quality to knives that are stamped out from a sheet of metal.

free-range: Products derived from or produced by animals (such as poultry) that are allowed to range for food, such as in a field, rather than being enclosed.

French press: A simple device for making coffee that consists of a glass carafe and a plunger. You add boiling water to coffee grounds and slowly press the plunger.

fumet: A concentrated fish stock that is used as a flavoring base for sauces.