What It Means
Boiling means heating a liquid to its boiling point, which for water at sea level is 212°F, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Simmering holds the liquid just below that point, or right at the edge of it, so it steams and sends up small bubbles without churning. Britannica describes simmering as the gentler of the two and the usual way to cook soups, stews and pot roasts.
Try It: Simmer or Boil for These Four Jobs
Pick simmer or boil for each job. The answers follow Britannica and the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
1. A beef stew cooking slowly on the stove
Right. Britannica lists stews among the dishes cooked at a simmer.
Stews are cooked at a simmer, per Britannica.
2. Green beans going into the freezer, blanched first
Right. NCHFP calls for vigorously boiling water.
Blanching needs vigorously boiling water, per NCHFP.
3. A pot of vegetable soup
Right. Soups are a simmer job, per Britannica.
Britannica lists soups among simmered dishes.
4. A pot roast cooking in liquid
Right. Britannica names pot roasts as a simmered dish.
Pot roasts are simmered, per Britannica.
How It Sounds at Home
- "Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer."
- "Keep that sauce at a low simmer."
- "Wait for the water to boil before the beans go in."
The Breakdown
Side by side
| Simmer | Boil | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Just below the boiling point, or right at its edge | The boiling point: 212°F for water at sea level |
| What you see | Steam and a few small bubbles | Bubbles breaking across the whole surface |
| Burner | Turned down once the pot is hot | Kept high |
| Typical jobs (per the sources) | Soups, stews, pot roasts (Britannica) | Blanching vegetablesBlanchingBriefly cooking vegetables in boiling water or steam, then cooling them fast in ice water, usually before freezing them. See more (NCHFP) |
Pick a simmer if the food cooks for a long time in its liquid, like a soup, a stew or a pot roast, and you want it cooking gently the whole way through. Many recipes bring the pot to a boil first and then turn the heat down to hold a simmer.
Pick a boil if the recipe needs the liquid as hot as it gets and needs it to stay there when food goes in. Blanching is the clear case: NCHFP has you lower vegetables into vigorously boiling water and start timing only when it boils again.
Try it today. Next time you make soup, bring it to a boil, then turn the burner down until you see only a few small bubbles. That's your simmer setting on that burner; jot it down.
Good to Know
The 212°F figure holds at sea level. USDA FSIS has a separate guide on high altitude cooking because water boils at a lower temperature the higher you live, so a pot that boils high up is cooler than one that boils at the coast. If you live at altitude, read that FSIS guide before trusting a recipe's sea-level timing.
FAQ
What temperature is a simmer?
Just below the boiling point. Merriam-Webster defines simmering as stewing gently below or just at the boiling point, and water boils at 212°F at sea level, so a simmer sits a little under that.
How can I tell a simmer from a boil?
Look at the surface. A simmer steams with a few small bubbles, as Britannica describes it, while a boil has bubbles rising and breaking all over the surface.
Why do recipes say to boil and then simmer?
Bringing the pot to a boil heats it quickly. Turning it down to a simmer then lets soups, stews and pot roasts cook gently for as long as they need.
Do It in Buhata
Meals
Plan the week's soup or stew night in Meals in Buhata and note "boil, then simmer" on the day so whoever cooks it knows the heat.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Blanching
Briefly cooking vegetables in boiling water or steam, then cooling them fast in ice water, usually before freezing them.
- Internal temperature
The temperature at the center of cooked food, read with a food thermometer; USDA lists the minimum each food must reach to be safe to eat.
Sources
Merriam-Webster, "Simmer"; Britannica, "Simmering"; USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, "High Altitude Cooking"; National Center for Home Food Preservation, "Blanching Vegetables"
- www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simmer
- www.britannica.com/topic/simmering
- www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/high-altitude-cooking
- nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/freeze-general-information/blanching-vegetables
Last updated .