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double boiler

American  

noun

  1. a utensil consisting of two pots, one of which fits partway into the other: water is boiled in the lower pot to cook or warm food or melt a substance in the upper.

double boiler British  

noun

  1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): double saucepan.  a cooking utensil consisting of two saucepans, one fitting inside the other. The bottom saucepan contains water that, while boiling, gently heats food in the upper pan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of double boiler

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Place the caramels and the cream in the top pan of the double boiler, or the saucepan in the skillet.

From Washington Times • Nov. 1, 2023

This deeply decadent, fudgy chocolate cake takes just five ingredients and 20 minutes; no sifter, stand mixer, or double boiler in sight.

From Salon • May 27, 2022

Some cooks prefer mixing the sauce in a double boiler, or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, which is one of the methods Gill and Parla share in their book.

From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2022

Swiss meringue is made from egg whites and sugar heated in a double boiler until the sugar melts, then beaten until buoyant and creamy.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2022

I paint polished wood, and metal: a copper-bottomed frying pan, as seen from the bottom, an aluminum double boiler.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.