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 foods are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the boiling point of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

(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 measurement, measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...

(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 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-modula ...

or cream instead of water is sometimes referred to as creamed. The appropriate simmering temperature is a topic of debate among chefs, 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 A slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot (after a trademark owned by Sunbeam Products but sometimes used Genericized trademark, generically in the English-speaking world), is a countertop electrical cooking Small appliance, appliance used to si ...

is simmered. Examples include stews, chili, soups, etc.

Bulgarian cuisine

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

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 Iranian cuisine () refers to the culinary practices of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 ( ...

, almost all types of Persian

Khoresh Khoresh ( fa, خورش) or Khoresht ( fa, خورشت, ckb, خۆرشت) is a generic Iranian term for stew dishes in the Iranian cuisine, Afghan cuisine, Tajik cuisine and also Kurdish cuisine. The word is a substantive of the verb ''khordan'' ...

are simmered for several hours. That is also the case with some other Iranian dishes like

Abgoosht Abgoosht ( ''Âbgušt'', ; literally "meat broth") is an Iranian stew. It is also called Dizi (, ), which refers to the traditional stoneware crocks it is served in. Some describe it as a "hearty mutton Persian soup thickened with chickpeas." P ...

Bozbash Bozbash ( az, bozbaş; fa, آبگوشت بزباش; Tat: ''guşto buzbaş'') is an Iranian dish consisting of meat stew (also described as a soup) popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. History and etymology Bozbash is a word of Azeri Turki ...

, 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 ...

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 A countertop, also counter top, counter, benchtop, worktop (British English) or kitchen bench ( Australian or New Zealand English), bunker ( Scottish English) is a raised, firm, flat, and horizontal surface. They are built for work in kitchens ...

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