purée

She serves a warm carrot purée in a small white bowl.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A smooth, creamy food substance made by grinding, pressing, or blending cooked fruits or vegetables until they form a thick, semi-liquid paste.
   • Often used as a base for soups, sauces, or baby food, or as a side dish.

2. Verb:

   • To process food (such as fruits or vegetables) into a smooth, thick paste by grinding, pressing, or blending.
   • Typically involves cooking the food first to soften it, then mashing or blending until smooth.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • She served a delicious apple purée alongside the roast pork. (A smooth paste made from cooked apples.)
  • The baby's dinner consisted of a carrot and potato purée. (A blended, smooth food for an infant.)

• Verb:

  • You should purée the cooked tomatoes before adding them to the soup. (Blend the tomatoes into a smooth paste.)
  • He puréed the strawberries to make a sauce for the cheesecake. (Mashed or blended the fruit into a thick liquid.)

Advanced Usage

• "to pass through a sieve": While not a set phrase, puréeing often involves forcing the cooked food through a fine sieve or food mill for an extra-smooth texture.

  • For a velvety texture, purée the soup and then pass it through a sieve. (Blend the soup and strain it to remove any lumps.)

• "purée of [ingredient]": A common way to specify the main ingredient in a purée.

  • A purée of roasted butternut squash makes an excellent base for a winter soup. (A smooth paste made from that particular vegetable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Puréed (adj): describing food that has been made into a purée.

  • The puréed vegetables were easy for the elderly patient to swallow. (The vegetables had been blended into a smooth paste.)

• Puréeing (n/adj): the act or process of making a purée.

  • The puréeing of the fruit took only a few seconds in the blender. (The process of blending into a smooth paste.)

Synonyms

• Mash: to crush food into a soft, pulpy mass (often less smooth than a purée).
  • He mashed the potatoes with butter and milk. (Crushed them into a lumpy paste.)
• Blend: to mix or combine substances into a uniform mixture, often by using a blender.
  • She blended the cooked peas into a smooth liquid. (Made them into a uniform purée.)
• Liquefy: to make something into a liquid or semi-liquid state.
  • The blender can liquefy even hard vegetables. (Turn them into a thin, pourable purée.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Purée down: to reduce a food to a purée by cooking and blending.
  • The chef puréed the onions down to a thick paste. (Cooked and blended them until smooth and concentrated.)

Related Idioms