flour

/flour/

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Word: Flour

Part of Speech: Noun and Verb

Definition:

• Noun: Flour is a fine, powdery food made by grinding and sifting the seeds of cereal grains, like wheat, rice, or corn. It is used in cooking and baking to make bread, cakes, cookies, and many other foods.

• Verb: To flour means to cover something, usually food, with flour. It can also mean to convert grains into flour.

Usage Instructions:

• As a noun, you can use "flour" when talking about cooking or baking. For example, "I need some flour to make bread."
• As a verb, you can use it when you are preparing food. For example, "Please flour the chicken before frying it."

Example Sentences:

1. Noun: "We need to buy a bag of flour for our baking class."
2. Verb: "Before cooking the fish, make sure to flour it to help it brown nicely."

Advanced Usage:

In baking, different types of flour (like all-purpose, whole wheat, and cake flour) have specific uses based on their protein content and texture. For example, bread flour has more protein, which helps create a chewy texture in bread.

Word Variants:

• Floury (adjective): Describes something that has flour on it or is made from flour, e.g., "The floury surface made it difficult to see the table."
• Floured (adjective): Describes something that has been covered with flour, e.g., "The floured surface was ready for rolling out the dough."

Different Meanings:

• In a non-food context, "flour" does not have other meanings. However, it is often confused with words that sound similar, like "flower," which is a plant part.

Synonyms:

• Meal (specifically when referring to ground grains)
• Powder (in general terms)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• There are no common idioms specifically related to "flour," but you might hear the phrase "to flour and fry," which means to coat food in flour and then cook it in oil.

Summary:

Flour is a basic ingredient used in many recipes. It can be both a noun and a verb, and knowing how to use it correctly will help you in cooking and baking.

Academic

Noun

1. fine powdery foodstuff obtained by grinding and sifting the meal of a cereal grain

Verb

1. convert grain into flour
2. cover with flour
   • flour fish or meat before frying it