MIXING INGREDIENTS

If you've ever been confused by cooking terms and tools, this guide will help clear things up and help make your time in the kitchen easier, too.

MIXING TERMS

BEAT: Combine ingredients vigorously with a spoon, fork, wire whisk, hand beater or electric mixer until smooth.

BLEND: Combine ingredients with a spoon, wire whisk or rubber scraper until very smooth, or to combine ingredients in a blender or food processor.

CUT IN: Thoroughly combine butter, margarine or shortening with dry ingredients. As you cut in the fat, it will begin to clump with the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender with an up-and-down rocking motion until the particles are the desired size, such as the size of a pa. Or cut in by crisscrossing two knives or using the side of a table fork.

FOLD: Lightly combine ingredients without removing air. With a rubber spatula, cut down vertically through the mixture. Next, slide the spatula across the bottom of the bowl and up the side, turning the mixture over. Continue this down-across-up-over motion while rotating the bowl 1/4 turn with each series of strokes.

MIX: Combine ingredients in any way that distributes them evenly.

PROCESS: Use a food processor or mini-chopper to liquefy, blend, chop, grind or knead food.

STIR: Combine ingredients with a circular or figure-eight motion until thoroughly blended.

WHIP: Beat ingredients to add air and increase volume until light and fluffy (cream, egg whites).

MIXING TOOLS

FORK OR HAND BEATER: Use a fork or hand beater to lightly beat eggs, sauces and salad dressings as well as some batters.

HANDS: Use your hands for mixing doughs, streusel toppings and very thick mixtures, such as meat loaf. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the food, or if you prefer, wear plastic or rubber gloves.

PASTRY BLENDER: Use a pastry blender for cutting solid fat into flour for pie crusts and biscuit doughs. Lift it up and down with a rocking motion.

RUBBER SPATULA: Use a rubber spatula for folding, mixing and stirring batters or sauces. Use a heatproof rubber spatula for mixing hot foods in saucepans and skillets.

SPOON: Use a spoon for general all-purpose mixing and stirring. Most people prefer sturdy wooden or plastic cooking spoons.

WIRE WHISK: Use a wire whisk for beating eggs, egg whites and thin batters as well as for stirring puddings, sauces and gravies to remove lumps.

ELECTRIC MIXING APPLIANCES

BLENDER: For liquefying or blending mixtures or chopping small amounts of nuts, herbs or bread crumbs. Most batters or doughs are too thick for a blender.

FOOD PROCESSOR: For blending, pureeing, chopping, slicing, dicing, grinding, pulverizing and shredding many foods. Some food processors mix and knead dough.

HAND BLENDER: For liquefying or blending mixtures. This smaller, less-powerful blender may not perform as well as a regular one for some mixtures.

HANDHELD MIXER: For all but the thickest batters. Use for recipes in this book that specify "electric mixer." We used a handheld mixer for testing recipes.

MINI-CHOPPER: For mixing small amounts of sauces and dips or chopping small amounts of vegetables, nuts and herbs.

STAND MIXER: Has a more powerful motor than a handheld mixer, and it frees up your hands. It may have added attachments, including a dough hook.