Definitions

This is a place where I can store definitions for all the terms that I will use frequently.

Herb: A plant which contains volatile, essential, flavorful oils, expressed in its leaves. [1]

Spice: A plant which contains volatile, essential, flavorful oils, expressed in other botanical parts, such as seeds, bark, or berries. [2]

Seasoning: Not a well-defined term. Most broadly, the act of adding flavor to food, be it from salt, herbs, spices, or anything else. Most narrowly, the act of salting food. I found a good middle ground in the French cooking guide "Le Guide Culinaire". (lit. "Cooking for Frenchies") It divides seasonings into four categories:
1. Saline seasonings—Salt, spiced salt, saltpeter.
2. Acid seasonings—Plain vinegar, or same aromatized with tarragon; verjuice, lemon and orange juices.
3. Hot seasonings—Peppercorns, ground or coarsely chopped pepper, or mignonette pepper; paprika, curry, cayenne, and mixed pepper spices.
4. Saccharine seasonings—Sugar and honey.

Essential Oil: Essential meaning "containing the essence of", not "very important to". An oil which carries the aromatic compounds from the plant. Essential oils are generally hydrophobic and lipophilic - they dissolve in fats, not in water.

Batman: Batman is not an element of cooking. He is the world's greatest detective. He is the alter-ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and is universally accepted as the most awesome superhero ever.

T-Rex: T-Rex loves stomping on houses and small ladies. He is philosophical and goofy guy. In short, he is an everyman, like me. He loves Batman as well. My son Benjamin has a t-shirt with him on it, as well as a giant morbidly obese stuffed version of him.

What? I said terms I will use frequently. Haven't you ever read anything I've written?


1: Good Eats: Spice Capades (Food Network television broadcast, 14 January 2004) at 3:15.
2: Id.