Techniques › Heat and cooking methods
Parboiling
Beginner Heat and cooking methods
Partly cooking food in boiling water so it can finish faster or more evenly by another method.
Written with AI help from the sources listed, and published by Cory. Sources: USDA safe minimum internal temperatures, USDA on the danger zone (40-140°F). Spot a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
How do you do it?
1Bring a pot of well-salted water to a full boil.
2Add the food and cook until it is just starting to soften but still firm in the center, often 3-10 minutes.
3Drain well and let it steam dry for a few minutes before roasting, grilling, or frying.
Why does it work?
Parboiling gets the dense inside of foods like potatoes started, so the second method only needs to brown the outside. Roughed-up, dry surfaces crisp better than raw ones.
What are the common mistakes?
- Cooking until fully soft — food falls apart in the next step.
- Skipping the drying — wet surfaces steam instead of crisping.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
More heat and cooking methods
- SearingBrowning the surface of meat or fish in a very hot pan for flavor.Beginner
- BraisingBrowning food, then cooking it slowly, partly covered in liquid, in a covered pot.Intermediate
- SautéingCooking pieces quickly in a little fat over medium-high heat, moving them often.Beginner
- SweatingCooking onions and other aromatics gently so they soften without browning.Beginner
- PoachingCooking gently in liquid kept just below a simmer (about 160–180°F).Intermediate
- Simmer vs. boilA simmer has small bubbles gently breaking the surface; a boil is big, constant, rolling bubbles.Beginner