parboil
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to boil until partially cooked, often before further cooking
-
to subject to uncomfortable heat
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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parboilsimple
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parboilssimple
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have parboiledperfect
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has parboiledperfect
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am parboilingprogressive
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are parboilingprogressive
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is parboilingprogressive
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have been parboilingperfect progressive
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has been parboilingperfect progressive
Past
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parboiledsimple
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had parboiledperfect
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was parboilingprogressive
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were parboilingprogressive
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had been parboilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parboil
1400–50; late Middle English parboylen to boil partly, (rarely) to boil fully < Middle French parboillir < Late Latin perbullīre to boil through and through ( see per-, boil 1); change of meaning by confusion of par- with part
Explanation
To parboil is to boil food, usually vegetables, briefly and lightly. To parboil is to partially boil, like someone really sleepy is telling you to “part boil” the parsnips before you roast them. To boil something, you cook it in hot, steaming water, often for a long time. Parboiling takes boiling down a notch. When you parboil, you boil just a little while, which is enough for some vegetables but for other food that’s just the first step in the cooking process. Sometimes you parboil, also called blanch, food before you freeze it. The Latin root actually meant the opposite, but parboil sounds too much like “part boil,” so there you have it.
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:
Grab them, prep and parboil them, then stick them in the freezer.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2022
Rinse the rice thoroughly to get rid of excess starch, and then parboil until the rice is soft on the outside but still firm on the inside.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 14, 2020
That would take less than four minutes—three to get the water boiling and about 30 seconds more to parboil the vegetables before transferring them to an ice bath.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2018
Best grilled artichokes: Cut artichokes in half, scoop out the choke, parboil until tender.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2010
Pare and cut potatoes in one-half inch cubes, parboil five minutes.
From Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners A Book of Recipes by Hiller, Elizabeth O.
He rubs off the papery chaff with his fingers, parboils them and covers them with seasoned rice vinegar in a jar for 24 hours.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
He smokes chickpeas, connects asparagus spears with toothpicks to form rafts before grilling them and parboils cauliflower before spit-roasting it.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2021
She parboils thick slices of sweet potato, roasts them with garlic butter, then smashes them with a fork and sprinkles on some Parmesan cheese.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2019
The little cook, after washing and peeling her potatoes, next cuts them in thin slices, enough to fill the dish needed and parboils in salted water for ten minutes.
From Cookery for Little Girls by Foster, Olive Hyde
Wher' it rains nigh six months o' the year, an' parboils you the rest.
From The Son of his Father by Cullum, Ridgwell
Meanwhile, low glycemic index carbs, such as parboiled rice and al dente pasta, that are more slowly absorbed and produce a smaller blood sugar spike are associated with decreased risk.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2024
White and parboiled rice are more commonly consumed in the West and Asia, and this research found that these types accumulate more arsenic than brown rice when cooked with arsenic-spiked water.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2024
While the ban does not affect exports of basmati rice or parboiled rice, it will impact several other varieties of rice including sona masoori, which is popular in southern Indian cuisine.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
India's 5% broken parboiled rice is up almost 6% in 2022 and Vietnam's 5% broken rice has gained more than 15%.
From Reuters ● Dec. 30, 2022
A good platza will leave one parboiled and beaten half to death, yet woozy with gratitude to have survived.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Case in point: parboiling potatoes before roasting them.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2022
My go-to meal for the first night when everybody trickles in at different times typically involves marinating a mix of sturdy veggies and meats in herbs and garlic and parboiling cubed potatoes.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2021
Follow the manufacturer’s directions for parboiling, and make fewer layers than if using your own homemade pasta.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2017
On the day of the parboiling, Ray badgered people who were already vomiting, hallucinating, or passing out to “play full on!” as he liked to say, urging manic commitment to the exercise at hand.
From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2016
If in a hurry, or desiring a very salt relish, it may do to soak a short time, having water warm, and changing, parboiling slightly.
From The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) Cooking, Toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the Sick, Health Suggestions, Facts Worth Knowing, Etc., Etc. The Whole Comprising a Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the Home by Gillette, F. L. (Fanny Lemira)
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.
