Cooking & Recipes Glossary: W

wakame: Dried seaweed. Subtly sweet, thin, smooth, and chewy. Dried, it looks like black, curly shreds of confetti. When soaked in water, it multiplies in size into green wavy ribbons.

wasabi: A type of Japanese horseradish that has a fresh, hot taste. Available in powder and paste.

water-bath can: To preserve the contents of filled jars by submerging them in boiling water in a large kettle and heating the jars to an internal temperature of 212 degrees for a specific period of time. Used to preserve high-acid foods.

watercress: A green that has small leaves and long, thick stalks; you remove the stalks before eating.

weep: To exude liquid, as when uncooked beaten egg whites break down from standing or when meringues are tightly covered.

whey: A watery liquid that separates from the solids in cheese-making; used in crackers, breads, cakes, and processed foods.

whisk: A hand-held wire kitchen utensil used to whip ingredients like eggs, cream, and sauces. When used as a verb, the term whisk describes the process of whipping or blending ingredients together with a wire whisk.

wok: A large, bowl-shaped pan (originating in China) with a rounded bottom that sits inside a disk that fits over your heat source.