Home Cooks Are Sharing The Overused "Cooking Lingo" That Infuriates Them, And If You've Ever Read A Single Recipe Online, You'll Agree
If you've ever watched a cooking show on TV, scrolled through food content on TikTok or Instagram, or read recipes online only to come across some "food lingo" that rubbed you the wrong way, you're not alone. Recently, u/alilbabybee asked redditors to share the cooking terms they dislike for no reason, and I'm feeling really seen now that I know I'm not the only one who can't stand some of these.
Here are the most infuriating cooking words people could think of, and if you have any to add to the mix, be sure to drop 'em in the comments below.
1."I think 'hack' is the worst offender to me. Most of them are just...good techniques. Or not really even worth doing in the first place."
GBH / Via giphy.com
2."Calling food 'crack.' I can’t stand that trend. I honestly used to think crack pie was called that because it was supposed to have a lot of cracks or something. When I found out it was some bakery that decided their cake is as good as crack, I was like...seriously? I don’t think I've had 'crack pie' since."
3."Describing foods as having more 'bite.' Like, what is that? When I was bartending at a beer bar, people would ask for a 'smooth beer that had a good bite.' I would blind-taste test them on Bud Light. When they said they liked it, $8. Next in line."
4."Classifying certain recipes as 'elevated.' It's not just pretentious, it's somewhat offensive. 'Oh, your classic dish everybody loves is just too trite and basic, so I, the master chef, have elevated it with my own ideas. Now it is elevated, so us true gourmands can enjoy it.' I've got no problem with dolling a recipe up with your own embellishments, but don't tell me that a dish is worth trying to make and in the same breath imply it's not good enough to eat in its familiar form."
"You didn't make an elevated taco; you made a your-style taco. And that's fine, that's cool, but it's not on a higher level, it's just different."
5."Using 'tendies' for chicken tenders makes me want to punch whoever says it."
6."The cutesy term for sandwiches causes me such revulsion that I cannot and will not type it, but y'all know. Disgusting. Foul and abject!"
"...you mean SAMMIES?"
7."Bone broth. It's stock, plain and simple, it's stock. If it's made from bones, it's stock — broth is made from just meat."
8."Marry me chicken. And 'better-than-sex' cake, chicken, or casseroles. It's usually not better than sex."
"Sexuality has no place in dining."
9."Crostini. They're just little toasts. You're just a bougie home cook from Des Moines, not Tuscany (as you'd like to pretend)."
10."Deconstructed. My mother-in-law once served deconstructed apple crumble for dessert. It was toasted oats, raw apples, berries, Greek yogurt, and cinnamon sugar. Essentially, she fed us granola for dessert."
11."I say 'mouthfeel' exclusively to be creepy. If you pronounce it just right, everyone around you will gag a little bit."
Searchlight Pictures / Via giphy.com
12."Maybe I watch too much Bon Appétit, and have seen the effect, but 'situation.' Examples: 'This is an umami-filled sort of situation,' or 'We've got a medium-rare situation.'"
13."'Shatteringly crisp' is a food-writing cliche that is wayyyy overused. It’s just crispy, people."
Munchies / Via giphy.com
14."Using the word 'porn' when describing really good versions of dishes, like 'cheese porn' or 'dessert porn.'"
15."When people seriously refer to pizza as 'za.' Pizza already wasn't difficult to say in the first place. You don't get cool points for making it one syllable."
16."Anytime people talk about the ingredients 'getting to know each other.'"
17."Curds. Lemon curd is delicious, and I even make it now and then...but I wish it had a better name that didn't make me want to gag."
18."Calling healthier foods 'clean.' Foods aren't either dirty or clean...aside from the literal dirt on my vegetables, of course."
19."When chefs talk about the Maillard reaction. I swear every cooking video on the internet says it as if they're dropping some brand new knowledge on you."
20."Veg. When did everyone decide that this is what we now call all vegetables?!"
21."Toothsome. It makes me think I'm chewing on loose teeth."
Benjamin Lamoine / Via giphy.com
22."Whenever I'm watching a cooking show, I've realized that they always do things 'off.' They don't fry the chicken — they 'fry it off.' They don't boil the potatoes, they 'boil them off.' It seems to mean absolutely nothing, but the industry has embraced it. Whatever cooking technique they do, they don't only do it, they 'do it off.'"
23."People intentionally mispronouncing, stumbling over, or using shitty unoriginal phrases for Worcestershire sauce — like 'wash your sister sauce,' and acting like they're so clever."
24."When people talk about the 'flavor profile' of a dish. Just say the flavors!"
25."I can't stand 'entrée' for a good reason. It means 'entry,' and thus in French, it's the appetizer. But to Americans, it means the main dish. Go figure!"
26."I hate when people refer to meats as 'proteins.' It feels so disconnected and disingenuous to me."
27.And finally: "Not really a cooking term, but the word 'foodie' is just ridiculous."
