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Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Cooking Methods & Techniques

Boil

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

/bɔɪl/verbCore term

In culinary arts & cooking, boil means: To heat a liquid until it bubbles strongly, or to cook food in such a liquid. Water boils at 100°C at sea level.

In Turkish: kaynatmak, haşlamak, kaynamak

How it is used

Used for water, pasta, potatoes, eggs and green vegetables. Chefs say bring to the boil (UK) or bring to a boil (US), then often turn it down to a simmer. A rolling boil is a strong boil that does not stop when you stir.

Example sentences

  1. Bring the water to the boil and salt it before you add the pasta.

  2. Don't let the sauce boil or the cream will split.

Common collocations

  • bring to the boil
  • rolling boil
  • boiled potatoes
  • boil for ten minutes
  • come to the boil
  • simmerTo cook food gently in liquid kept just below boiling point, so that only small bubbles rise slowly to the surface.
  • blanchTo put food briefly into boiling water and then usually straight into iced water to stop the cooking, fixing the colour and partly cooking it.
  • poachTo cook food gently in liquid that is hot but not bubbling, roughly 70–85°C, such as water, stock, wine or milk.
  • saucepanA deep, round metal pan with one long handle and often a lid, used for boiling, simmering and making sauces.

More terms: Cooking Methods & Techniques

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