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!
Ready to find out more?
As a Diabetes Educator and Nutritionist I help my patients cope with managing their diabetes - whether it's diet, nutrition, supplements, blood sugar, or pump therapy.
Please reach out and contact me if you need support, I truly understand. I live it every day.
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