emulsify
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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emulsifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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emulsified,
past participle, past
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emulsifying
present participle
verb
Usage
What does emulsify mean? To emulsify is to form an emulsion—a mixture of two liquids that don’t fully combine. An emulsion may look like a single liquid, but it’s made up of particles of one liquid distributed throughout another liquid. For example, if you emulsify oil and water, it forms an emulsion in which small droplets of oil are suspended in the water, but the two liquids aren’t fully blended together (as they would be if you stirred together water and vinegar, for example). In technical chemistry terms, an emulsion is a colloidal suspension in which the substances mixed together are both liquids. Both colloids and suspensions involve particles of one substance distributed in another without being dissolved. Emulsions are used in a variety of contexts, including pharmacology, cooking, and photography. In cooking, liquids or liquid-like ingredients are emulsified in order to make sauces with a smooth consistency. A common example of an emulsion is the kind of salad dressings called a vinaigrette, which is made by emulsifying oil and vinegar. Example: To emulsify oil and vinegar, you have to whisk very hard to separate the oil into tiny droplets, or else the two liquids will separate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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emulsibilitynoun
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emulsifiabilitynoun
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emulsificationnoun
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emulsifiernoun
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emulsibleadjective
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emulsifiableadjective
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unemulsifiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emulsifysimple
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emulsifiessimple
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have emulsifiedperfect
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has emulsifiedperfect
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am emulsifyingprogressive
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are emulsifyingprogressive
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is emulsifyingprogressive
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have been emulsifyingperfect progressive
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has been emulsifyingperfect progressive
Past
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emulsifiedsimple
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had emulsifiedperfect
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was emulsifyingprogressive
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were emulsifyingprogressive
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had been emulsifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emulsify
First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin ēmuls(us) ( see emulsion) + -ify
Explanation
When you emulsify something, you mix it so thoroughly that it becomes an emulsion, or a mixture of two liquids that can't be completely blended together. Home cooks emulsify any time they make a good oil-based salad dressing, thoroughly mixing the oil with the vinegar or other liquid ingredients. While the oil, because it's not soluble, can't be completely combined with the vinegar, you can emulsify the two so that the tiny drops of oil are dispersed across the volume of vinegar and the texture of the salad dressing is satisfying. Emulsify comes from the Latin word emulsus, or "milked out."
Vocabulary lists containing emulsify
Fast Food Nation
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Lupe Wong Won't Dance
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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.
See Examples For:
When using these components, food manufacturers need to emulsify, or mix them, together.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024
The therapy is a diglyceride formulation -- two omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, bound to a glyceride molecule -- which enhances their ability to emulsify into tiny, concentrated particles.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024
According to Rick Rogers, author of “Tips Cooks Love,” “mustard can absorb about twice its weight in liquid, so as it soaks up the vinegar and oil, it helps emulsify these two very different ingredients.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
Butter can be tricky to smoothly emulsify into a sauce; it helps to start with cold butter and shake the skillet back and forth as it melts, rather than stir the butter into the sauce.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2023
Weigh out Witté's peptone, 10 grammes, and emulsify it with 200 c.c. ammonia-free distilled water previously heated to 60°C. 2.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre
This show’s twist emulsifies the supernatural into the ludicrous.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2023
The mixture will split at first, but keep on whisking until it emulsifies.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 12, 2021
Did you know molasses emulsifies the olive oil and keeps the little fat molecules from stumbling into each other, thus allowing the oil and vinegar to mix?
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 6, 2020
If you liked that album, there’s no reason you wouldn’t like this one, which also emulsifies carols and Christmas standards to the consistency of a smoothie.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2016
Kerosene emulsifies grease and makes it easy to rinse away.
From School and Home Cooking by Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer
The ice crush preset can turn ice into snow, ready for a snow cone treat, while the stir function is great for emulsified sauces like Caesar dressing.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2024
The team says that result confirmed the hypothesis that VFD processing could be a "green" one-step technique for more stable, emulsified viscous liquids.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2024
According to the Journal of Food Science, the ethanol also helps more evenly disperse the fat, keeping the emulsified sauce bound, glossy and creamy.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
It rolled along, accompanied by a team of three who would clean up potholes, spray on a layer of tacky emulsified asphalt, then fill the hole with the steaming asphalt heated to 280 degrees.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 21, 2022
Moreover, on standing the oil will not again separate from the water; it has been emulsified.
From Household Administration Its Place in the Higher Education of Women by Various
That’s true if you’re emulsifying the sauce by using pasta water, tossing the pasta in the sauce and adding cheese and other fats to help it cling.
From Washington Post ● May 9, 2022
Whisk it all together or shake it up in a lidded jar for easy emulsifying.
From Salon ● May 17, 2021
You can also apply an emulsifying ointment or olive or coconut oil – not inside – to act as a moisturiser.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 8, 2019
If you want one book to explain temperature, food safety, labeling, chemical reactions and the science of browning, rising, marinating and emulsifying, this is your book.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2015
The most likely theory yet advanced is that based on the emulsifying power of soap solutions.
From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by W. H. Simmons
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