Back of the house: The functional areas of the hotel in which employees have little or no guest contact, such as the engineering and maintenance department, laundry room and so on.

Back to back: Describes a heavy rate of checkouts and check-ins on the same day, so that as soon as the room is made up, a new guest checks into it.

Single-celled micro-organisms, some of which can cause diseases, including foodborne diseases.

Bain-marie - Hot water bath used to gently cook food or keep cooked food hot. An example is a container for holding food in a water bath.

Bake / Baking -  To cook food by surrounding it with hot dry air. similar to roasting, the term baking is usually applied to bread, pastries, vegetables and fish.

Baked - Cooked by dry heat in an oven.

Baking Powder- A mixture of sodium bicarbonate and one or more acids, generally the cream of tartar and/ or sodium aluminium sulfate, used to leaven baked goods; it releases carbon dioxide gas if moisture is present in a formula. 

Baking Soda - Sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline compound that releases carbon dioxide gas when combined with an acid and moisture; used to leaven baked goods.

Barbecue / Grilled - To cook food on a grill or spit over hot coals or burning of hardwood/hardwood charcoals or in an enclosed pit. A tangy tomato or vinegar based sauce used for grilled foods, and depending upon the type of barbecue the item may be seasoned or marinated before cooking.

Bard / Barding - To cover a piece of meat with salt pork or slices or bacon prior to cooking. Example tying thin slices of fat, such as bacon or pork fetlock, over meats or poultry that have little to no natural fat covering in order to protect and moisten them during roasting. This method then adds additional moisture and flavour to the cooked food.

Baste - To pour dripping or other fat over a food before or during cooking in order to prevent drying or to glaze the item. Basting shouldn't be done with stock for meats because this will then wash away the fats which protect it from drying.

Batter - Semiliquid mixture or flour and other starchy ingredients and liquids, which has a pouring consistency. Example semi-liquid mixture containing flour or other starch used to make cakes and bread or to coat foods for deep-frying.

The principal compartment, generally of a suite, that is the space equivalent of a standard guestroom. A suite may have a single-bay or multiple-bay living room

Béarnaise (bare-nayz) - A sauce made of butter and egg yolks and flavoured with a reduction of vinegar, shallots, tarragon and peppercorns.

Beat / Beating is a method to move a whip or spoon rapidly back and forth to blend products together to achieve a smooth texture.

Béchamel (bay-shah-mell) - A leading sauce which is made by thickening milk with a white roux and adding seasonings.