caramelise

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Word: Caramelise (or Caramelize in American English)

Definition:
To caramelise means to cook sugar until it melts and turns into a smooth, brown, sweet substance called caramel. This process also applies to fruits and vegetables when they are cooked until their natural sugars turn brown and create a sweet flavor.

Usage Instructions:

• Verb Form: Caramelise is used as a verb, meaning it describes an action.
• Tense Variations:
  • Present: caramelise
  • Past: caramelised
  • Present Continuous: caramelising

Example Sentence:

• "I will caramelise the onions for the soup to make it sweeter."

Advanced Usage:

• You can use "caramelise" in cooking to describe not only sugar but also other ingredients like onions, apples, or carrots that develop a sweet flavor when cooked.

Word Variants:

• Noun: Caramelisation (British) / Caramelization (American)
  • Example: "The caramelisation of the sugar took longer than I expected."

Different Meaning:

• In a broader sense, caramelise can also refer to the process of enhancing the flavor of foods by cooking them until they develop a rich, sweet taste, not just limited to sugar.

Synonyms:

• Sweeten
• Brown
• Glaze (in some contexts)

Related Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• While "caramelise" doesn't have specific idioms or phrasal verbs directly associated with it, the concept of cooking and flavor enhancement can be related to phrases like:
  • "Sweeten the deal": To make an offer more attractive.
  • "Cook up a storm": To cook a lot of food or to cook very well.

Summary:

Caramelising is a cooking technique that transforms sugar (or other foods) into a delicious caramel through heat.

Academic

Verb

1. convert to caramel
2. be converted into caramel
   • The sugar caramelized

Synonyms

• caramelize