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parboil
verb
par·boil
ˈpär-ˌbȯi(-ə)l
parboiled; parboiling; parboils
: to boil briefly as a preliminary or incomplete cooking procedure
Examples of parboil in a Sentence
Parboil the potatoes before you roast them.
Recent Examples on the Web
The veggies are parboiled until bright green and tender-crisp.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024
The mottled beans that are parboiled and salted, the toxic pokeweed cooked into tasty greens, the dumplings wrapped in hickory leaves and tied with stalks of rush — these, like the milkies, are meant to be shared.
—Jacey Fortin Mike Belleme, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
Among the innovations in the bridges was a stroke of pasta genius first tried out by Williams in his basement lab: parboiling spaghetti strands before attaching them to the bridge.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Ralph Stayer, retired CEO of Johnsonville, said his brat grilling method skips parboiling in favor of enjoying a cocktail while grilling the brats.
—Daniel Higgins, USA TODAY, 25 May 2020
Fresh potatoes can be frozen if soaked in cold water (with a little lemon juice or vinegar) and then blanched/parboiled.
—Mary Bergin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 22 May 2020
Industrially produced frozen versions, tricks like doctoring parboiled rice with coloring additives in place of saffron, and nontraditional ingredients like lobster and chorizo are a common, dispiriting sight.
—Jeff Koehler, Saveur, 20 July 2017
Weiss Lake, like all waters of Alabama at present, is hot enough to parboil any fish brave enough to prowl the shallows, with average water temperatures in the high 80's and even the 90's in shallow, dark-bottomed backwaters.
—Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 28 July 2017
Or grill zucchini and parboiled potatoes for the salad with burrata.
—Sacbee, sacbee.com, 20 June 2017
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from parboilen to boil thoroughly, from Anglo-French parboiler, perboillir, from Late Latin perbullire, from Latin per- thoroughly (from per through) + bullire to boil, from bulla bubble — more at for
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of parboil was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near parboil
Cite this Entry
“Parboil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parboil. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
parboil
verb
par·boil
ˈpär-ˌbȯil
: to boil briefly usually before cooking in another manner
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