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S

SALSA: A Mexican sauce of tomatoes, onions, green chilies and cilantro. Make it at home, or buy it fresh, canned or bottled. Green salsa, or salsa verde, is made with tomatillos. Also, any sauce of fresh chopped fruits and / or vegetables.

SAUTÉ: Cook over medium-high heat in a small amount of fat, using a frequent tossing or turning motion. See also Deep-fry, Fry, Panbroil, Panfry.

SCALD: Heat liquid to just below the boiling point and tiny bubbles form at the edge. A thin skin will form on the top of scalded milk.

SCALLION: With their long, straight green tops and thin white bottoms, scallions are often referred to as green onions. The terms are used interchangeably in recipes.

SCORE: Lightly cutting the surface of a food about 1/4 inch deep, using a knife. Scoring helps cooking and flavoring or it may be used for appearance (meat, yeast bread).

SEAR: Brown meat quickly over high heat.

SEASON: Add flavor with salt, pepper, herbs, spices and seasoning mixes.

SHALLOT: An onion with multiple cloves that resemble garlic. The papery skin that covers the bulbs ranges in color from beige to purple and should be removed. Shallots and onions can be used interchangeably.

SHRED: Cut into long, thin pieces using the round, smooth holes of shredder, a knife or food processor.

SIMMER: Cook in liquid on the stove top just below the boiling point while bubbles rise slowly and break just below the surface. Simmering usually is done after reducing heat from a boil.

SKIM: Remove the top layer of fat or foam that floats on top from a soup or broth, using a spoon, ladle or skimmer (a flat utensil with holes in it).

SLICE: Cut into flat pieces about the same size (bread, meat).

SNIP: Cut into very small pieces with a kitchen scissors.

SOFT PEAKS: Egg whites or whipping cream beaten until the moist, glossy peaks are rounded or curl when you lift the beaters from the bowl. See also Stiff Peaks.

SOFTEN: Let cold food stand at room temperature, or microwave at low power setting, until no longer hard (butter, margarine, cream cheese).

SOY SAUCE: A brown sauce made from soybeans, wheat, yeast and salt used in cooking and as a condiment especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking.

STEAM: Cook food by placing it on a rack or in a special steamer basket over a small amount of boiling water in a covered pan.

STEW: Cook slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time (stewed fruit, beef stew).

STIFF PEAKS: Egg whites or whipping cream beaten until moist, glossy peaks stand up straight when you lift the beaters from the bowl. See also Soft Peaks.

STIR-FRY: A Chinese method of quickly cooking similar-size pieces of food in a small amount of hot oil over high heat, lifting and stirring constantly with a turner or large spoon.

STRAIN: Pour a mixture or liquid through a fine sieve or strainer to remove larger particles.

SUGAR: Sweetener produced from sugar beets or cane sugar. Available in several forms:

• ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: A variety of products is available. It's not recommended for baking because it isn't really sugar and the flavor may break down.
• BROWN (PACKED): Brown sugar today is made by mixing white sugar with molasses. Available in light and dark varieties; dark brown sugar has the more intense flavor. If brown sugar hardens, store in a closed container with a slice of apple or a slice of fresh bread for 1 to 2 days.
• GRANULATED: Standard white sugar available in quantities ranging from 1-pound boxes to 100-pound bags, as well as in cubes and 1-teaspoon packets.
• MOLASSES: A dark, thick syrup from the sugar refining process.
• POWDERED: Granulated sugar that has been processed into a fine powder and used for frostings and for dusting pastries and cakes.