Simmering is a

food preparation Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ing ...

technique by which

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...

s are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the

boiling point The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding env ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

(lower than ) and above

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

(higher than ). To create a steady simmer, a liquid is brought to a boil, then its heat source is reduced to a lower, constant temperature.

In food preparation

Simmering ensures gentler treatment than

boiling Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding atmosphere. Th ...

to prevent food from toughening and/or breaking up. Simmering is usually a rapid and efficient method of cooking. Food that has simmered in

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

or cream instead of water is sometimes referred to as creamed. The appropriate simmering temperature is a topic of debate among

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...

s, with some contending that a simmer is as low as .

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

, simmering is often considered one of the four essential cooking techniques, along with grilling, steaming, and deep frying.

American cuisine

Food prepared in a crockpot is simmered. Examples include

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables a ...

s, chili,

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling soli ...

s, etc.

Bulgarian cuisine

Bulgarian traditional food, especially tender meat dishes are often simmered for extended periods of time. Examples include

s, Vanyas, etc.

Dutch and Flemish cuisine

Molen Emmamolen Nieuwkuijk, petroleumstel

In traditional Dutch and Flemish cuisine, less tender cuts of

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

are simmered for several hours to obtain

carbonade flamande Flemish Stew, known in Dutch as stoofvlees or stoverij and in French as carbon(n)ade ''à la flamande''cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuri ...

pan is used with a thick bottom. The meat is ready if it can be easily torn apart into threads.

Persian cuisine

Simmering is one of the most popular styles of cooking in Iran and Afghanistan. In traditional Persian cuisine, almost all types of Persian Khoresh are simmered for several hours. That is also the case with some other Iranian dishes like Abgoosht, Bozbash, etc.

Modern stoves

Some modern

gas range A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by combustible gas such as syngas, natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or other flammable gas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels such as coal or wood. The fir ...

s are equipped with a simmering burner, with such burners usually located at the rear of the range. Many

electric ranges An electric stove or electric range is a stove with an integrated electrical heating device to cook and bake. Electric stoves became popular as replacements for solid-fuel (wood or coal) stoves which required more labor to operate and maintain. ...

have a simmer setting.

Slow cookers

Slow cooker A slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot (after a trademark owned by Sunbeam Products but sometimes used generically in the English-speaking world), is a countertop electrical cooking appliance used to simmer at a lower temperature than o ...

s are countertop electrical appliances used to simmer foods for hours at a time.Gisslen, W. (2011). ''Professional Cooking, 7E'' (p. 71). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

References

{{Cooking Techniques Cooking techniques Culinary terminology