Professional kitchens are subcultures. Maybe even sub-subcultures. It’s a tough life back there in the heat and pressure, and it translates — literally — into a vernacular that is all its own. Sometimes servers forget that they have left one world and entered another when they address guests in the dining room. They might let slip a term or two. Perhaps you’ve been told that your entree choice was 86’d, or that the cook just fired your steak. “What did the steak do wrong?” you might wonder.

This article from FirstWeFeast.com gives a list of some of the terms that are used in many kitchens. Beware: some are saltier and cross the line of nasty. Some things you may not want to know. But if you aspire to work as a chef — or you have a loved one who does — you should know how to talk the talk.

And chefs: are there any terms missing here?

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