Cooking related terms that make you squirm (title edited by MNHQ at request of OP)

[Words]

Sides. No. It is side dishes. See also mains (Shudder)

I made lamb at Easter. No, you cooked it.

Cooked to your liking. Well they woudn't deliberately cook it otherwise if they wanted to stay in business...

A deep fat fryer?

The recent obsession with dishes/recipes being called a something-bowl, e.g. ‘burrito bowl’, ‘smoothie bowl’, ‘teriyaki bowl’, ‘burger bowl’. I seem to see it everywhere and it really grinds my gears: I get that you’re serving the food in a bowl, but you wouldn’t say you’re having a ‘sandwich plate’ or a ‘lentil soup cup’… arrrrgh!

Oh and also (thank you for indulging peri-menopausal rage), we have family friends who refer to all meals as “eats”- as in “come over on Sunday for some eats”… they are so lovely but it makes me want to scream into a pillow every time

Oh bollocks, I've bunged!

Also food options rather than choices. This is entirely illogical but really irritates me.

I get that some of these terms are industry shorthand, popularised by TV chefs, but for the love of God, keep them off the menu and out of everyday parlance.

I also wince at desserts. But that is more a Hyacinth B'quay thing I think.

‘Fold in the cheese’

🤢

No that's a proper term. Happens also in baking.

The word "meal"

Slaw.

Deconstructed (which directly translates as "it isn't").

What the hell is muddled @Heronwatcher ?

Chicken Dinner, pickie tea or fish supper..... Ick !

Oh God yes, slaw.

This thread is cathartic. Wish I could correct thé typo in thé title!

How?

I watch a lot of food IG and YouTube and I have a long list of hated food phrases.

In no particular order....

'Aromats' for any herbs, spices, garlic - anything that smells, basically.

'Smashed' or worse 'smooshed'

'Bowl', as in 'Sesame, orange and broccoli rice bowl' - the bowl's the thing it comes in not part of the dish you w*nker

'Marry me' dishes - oh fuck off

And worst of the worst - 'food lube'. That's right, there are some utter nobs - usually gen Z food infuencer wannabes - who call oil 'food lube'. As in 'just add a bit of food lube if it needs it', delivered as gross, winking, double-entendre.

Yuck.

“Slap-up meal” annoys me. It sounds painful with all that slapping. Also, what does it actually mean - just a lot of food?

The Lakeland catalogue used to refer to “freezing down” soups. Why “down”? Very similar to “frying off” as a pp mentioned.

And I'm going to defend that!

We lob, we chuck, we bung, we whack...
It's just colloquialisms.

If I said 'place it in to the oven', then a silent atmosphere would descend, the likes of which would have not been experienced since 2 American tourists walked in to The Slaughtered Lamb.

Air fry, deep fry?

"Bone broth" - you mean stock

Ah!

You gô round thé bowl of flour or whatever with a spoon or spatula gradually depositing thé usually liquid ingredient in thé centre. It is to ensure everything in incorporated thoroughly without losing airation.

Sorry that was re folding in.

Bone broth. Oh yes I havé met my tribe.

If you say that word in our house you have to repeat it in a Kenneth Williams Carry On voice.

We know.