parboil the potatoes

Meaning

To parboil potatoes means to boil them partially in water so that they are cooked on the outside but still firm in the middle. This technique is typically done before roasting, frying, or grilling them to ensure they cook evenly and get a crispy exterior. It saves time during the final cooking process and improves the texture.

Examples

• If you want the perfect roast dinner, you must parboil the potatoes for about ten minutes first.

  If you want the perfect roast dinner, you must parboil the potatoes for about ten minutes first.

• The recipe says to parboil the potatoes before throwing them on the barbecue grill.

  The recipe says to parboil the potatoes before throwing them on the barbecue grill.

• Make sure you don't overcook them; we just want to parboil the potatoes, not mash them.

  Make sure you don't overcook them; we just want to parboil the potatoes, not mash them.

• After you parboil the potatoes, drain them and shake the pot to roughen up the edges.

  After you parboil the potatoes, drain them and shake the pot to roughen up the edges.

• I always parboil the potatoes on Sunday morning so they are ready to roast quickly for lunch.

  I always parboil the potatoes on Sunday morning so they are ready to roast quickly for lunch.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I will half-boil the potatoes before roasting them.

  ✓ I will parboil the potatoes before roasting them.

  Learners often literally translate 'half-boil' or 'pre-boil' from their native languages instead of using the proper culinary term 'parboil'.

• ✗ You need to parboil potatoes in the oven.

  ✓ You need to parboil the potatoes in a pot of water.

  Parboiling specifically refers to boiling in liquid, not pre-cooking in an oven (which is called par-baking or roasting).

Related Expressions

Practice

• To get them crispy on the outside, you should ___ for ten minutes before roasting.

  💡 Partially boil the spuds in water first.

  Show answer

  parboil the potatoes

• Don't cook them completely; just ___ so they stay firm in the center.

  💡 The verb phrase for partially boiling this specific root vegetable.

  Show answer

  parboil the potatoes