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Moist-heat cooking · beginner

Boiling

Cooking food in water or stock at a full, rolling boil.

668 recipes use it

What it is

Boiling cooks food in liquid at its boiling point, about 100 °C at sea level. It is used for pasta, rice cooked in excess water, potatoes, eggs and green vegetables, and for reducing liquids quickly.

Why cooks use it: It is fast and heats food evenly; rapid movement keeps pasta and noodles from sticking.

The science

Liquid water cannot get hotter than its boiling point at a given pressure, so boiling gives a fixed, predictable temperature. At altitude water boils at a lower temperature (roughly 1 °C lower per 300 m), so food takes longer.

How heat moves into foodHow proteins set when cookedStarch gelatinisationEvaporation and reductionAcids and bases in cookingSalt and osmosis

Step by step

  1. Use plenty of water in a large pot.

  2. Bring it to a rolling boil with the lid on to save time and energy.

  3. Salt the water if cooking pasta, vegetables or potatoes.

  4. Add the food and return the water to the boil quickly.

  5. Cook, stirring at the start so nothing sticks, then test for doneness.

  6. Drain promptly; keep some cooking water if it will be used in a sauce.

Heat and timing

  • Boiling 100–100 °C · 100 °C at sea level; lower at altitude.

Time: Eggs 6–10 minutes; pasta 8–12 minutes; potatoes 15–20 minutes depending on size.

How you know it’s right

  • Large bubbles breaking across the whole surface
  • Bubbling continues when you stir

Common mistakes

  • Too small a pot so the boil stops when food goes in
  • Boiling delicate fish or meat, which toughens it
  • Starting potatoes in boiling water (outsides break before centres cook)

Troubleshooting

Pasta sticky
Use more water and stir in the first two minutes.
Potatoes falling apart outside, hard inside
Start them in cold salted water and bring to a boil.

Restaurant DNA

How professionals do it

Kitchens keep large pots of salted water at a constant boil through service for pasta and blanching, cooking portions in baskets.

At home

Use a big pot and a lid to bring water to the boil fast; a kettle speeds it up further.

General professional practice — not any particular restaurant’s recipe.

Food safety

  • Turn pan handles inwards; pour away from you when draining.
  • Steam scalds; tilt lids away from your face.

Practise it

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