parboil
/ˈpɑː.bɔɪl/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To boil food for a short time, usually before cooking it fully in another way. People often parboil rice, potatoes, or vegetables.
- Parboil the potatoes before frying them.
- She parboiled the rice for ten minutes.
- We parboiled the carrots, then roasted them.
Adinary Nuance
Parboil is more specific than boil. It means you boil something only partly, often as a first step before frying, roasting, or finishing another dish. It is not the same as simmer, which means to cook gently below a full boil. It is also more exact than 'cook' because it tells you the food was only partly boiled.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chần sơ
- Spanish
- hervir parcialmente
- Chinese
- 焯一下
- Japanese
- 下ゆでする
- Korean
- 살짝 삶다
Etymology
Parboil comes from Middle English and Latin roots through Old French. The first part means 'partly', so the word originally meant 'partly boil'.
Common phrases
parboiled riceparboiled potatoesparboil brieflyparboil before frying
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is parboil the same as boil?
- No. Parboil means to boil only partly, not until fully cooked.
- Is parboil a common word in cooking?
- Yes, especially in recipes and cooking instructions.
- Can I use parboil for vegetables?
- Yes. It is often used for potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables.
- What is the difference between parboil and simmer?
- Parboil means partly boil; simmer means cook gently at a low heat.