Restaurant Menu Terms To Watch Out For

Whether you're going out for breakfast or dinner, there are certain terms that are common on a restaurant menu that you may not know exactly what they mean. Below is a list for the good and the bad, with definitions.

Restaurant Terms to Embrace

Broiled- cooked without excess oil. Look for broth based soups.
Broth- water infused w/meat, seafood and or veggies. Look for broth based soups.
Grilled-cooked over a grate with dry heat, usually without much oil
Seared- cooked quickly over high heat to achieve a slightly charred surface, very little oil used
Steamed- cooked using moist heat, either using a steamer or just by trapping the steam in a
covered pan. Rarely involves oil
Roast/Fire-Roasted-cooked in a dry-heat environment with only a small amount of oil

Restaurant Terms to Avoid

Au Gratin- cooked in a sauce of cream and cheese
Bisque-soup with a heavy cream base
Breaded/Battered- coated with flour and generally fried. Skip it!
Candied- cooked with sugar and sometimes butter. Common treatment for nuts.
Caramelized- cooked until deeply browned. Typically involves a fair amount of butter!
Creamy- Red flag! Sauce description usually involves high-calorie ingredients are used: mayo, sour cream, milk, butter, etc.
Crispy/Crunchy- usually means deep fried. A combo of breading and oil is what usually achieves that crisp texture
Glazed-Generally indicates being lacquered in a sugar and/or oily sauce
Smothered- code word for “drowned in cheese, gravy, or cream sauce.”

Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions about the menu and to switch out the fried for grilled!

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