Culinary Terms: A Kitchen Glossary for Butlers & Service Staff

A butler doesn’t cook — but a butler who can’t speak the kitchen’s language will slow service, frustrate the chef, and stumble when a guest asks “what is this?” Fluency in culinary terms is part of working seamlessly with a private chef and presenting food with confidence. This glossary covers the essentials.

Kitchen organisation & service

• Mise en place — “everything in its place”; all prep done before cooking/service starts. The kitchen’s founding discipline (and a great model for table setup).
• The pass — where finished dishes are handed from kitchen to service; the boundary between the chef’s and the butler’s domains.
• Covers — the number of guests/meals to be served.
• 86’d — kitchen slang for an item that’s run out or is unavailable.
• À la carte — dishes ordered and priced individually.
• Table d’hôte / prix fixe — a set multi-course menu at a fixed price.
• Amuse-bouche — a small, complimentary bite before the meal, chosen by the chef.

Cooking methods

• Sauté — quick cooking in a little hot fat.
• Braise — sear, then slow-cook in liquid.
• Roast — dry-heat cooking in the oven.
• Poach — gentle cooking in barely-simmering liquid.
• Blanch — brief boil, then plunge into ice water.
• Confit — slow-cooking submerged in fat.
• Sous-vide — precise low-temperature cooking in a sealed bag in a water bath.
• Reduce — simmer a liquid to concentrate flavour and thicken.
• Deglaze — add liquid to a hot pan to lift the caramelised bits into a sauce.

Preparation terms

• Julienne — thin matchstick cuts. Brunoise — fine dice. Chiffonade — thin ribbons of herbs/leaves.
• Emulsify — combine fat and liquid into a stable mixture (mayonnaise, vinaigrette, hollandaise).
• Season — to taste with salt, acid, and aromatics; “to adjust seasoning” means to correct before serving.
• Garnish — the finishing element on a plate.

Describing dishes to guests

Knowing these terms lets you present a plate accurately — naming the cut, the method, the sauce, and any allergens — which is part of polished fine dining service. It also lets you relay guest requests to the kitchen precisely, in language the chef trusts.

Why this belongs in butler training

Fluency in the kitchen’s language is what makes the butler-chef partnership work, prevents service errors, and lets you talk about food like a professional. It’s a small body of knowledge with an outsized effect on the quality of service.

To learn fine-dining service and how to work with a private chef in full, explore the 133-lesson programme, or read working with a private chef.