- Also written
- simmering, simmered
To simmer is to cook food in liquid kept just below a full boil, so small bubbles rise steadily and break gently at the surface.
It sits between poaching, where the surface barely shivers, and boiling, where large bubbles churn the whole pan. Most soups, stews, sauces, stocks and pulses cook at a simmer, because it is hot enough to cook things through and soften them, but gentle enough that meat doesn't toughen, vegetables don't break up, and the liquid doesn't boil away too fast.
Recipes usually say "bring to the boil, then simmer". Heat the pan until it boils, then turn the heat down until the bubbling calms. A lid holds the heat in and keeps the liquid from reducing, so you may need to turn the heat down further once it is on. Leave it off, or ajar, when you want a sauce to thicken.
A "gentle" or "low" simmer means fewer, lazier bubbles; a "brisk" one means more.
The word is the same in British and American English.
By The Scullery team · Updated
