garen
cook
Definition & meaning
garen means to cook food until it is done, usually by exposing it to heat. It is a broad culinary term and can refer to cooking in an oven, in water, by steaming, or through other methods.
- Das Fleisch gart im Ofen. — The meat is cooking in the oven.
- Das Gemüse langsam garen lassen. — Let the vegetables cook slowly.
Compared with kochen, garen does not specifically mean boiling. It describes the process of making food tender and fully cooked, regardless of the cooking method.
The verb can also be used figuratively or descriptively for something developing under heat, although the culinary meaning is by far the most common.
Grammar & Word origin
- Verb: garen
- Type: weak, regular verb
- Present tense: ich gare, du garst, er/sie gart
- Simple past: garte
- Past participle: gegart
- Auxiliary verb: haben
It can be used transitively:
- Sie gart das Fleisch. — She cooks the meat.
It can also be used intransitively:
- Das Fleisch gart langsam. — The meat is cooking slowly.
The word is related to the adjective gar , meaning “done,” “cooked,” or “ready.” It should not be confused with gären , which means “to ferment.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- kochen — to cook; often specifically to boil food in water, but also used generally in everyday speech.
- zubereiten — to prepare food; broader than garen, since it can include cutting, seasoning, mixing, and cooking.
- dünsten — to cook gently with little liquid or steam.
- dämpfen — to steam-cook food.
- braten — to fry or roast food, usually using fat or dry heat.
- schmoren — to braise food slowly, usually with some liquid.
Garen is the general term for bringing food to the desired degree of doneness, while these synonyms usually specify a particular cooking technique.
Antonyms
There is no exact single-word antonym. Depending on the context, possible opposites are:
- roh lassen — to leave raw.
- nicht garen — not to cook.
- roh — raw; describing food that has not been cooked.
Common phrases & collocations
- Fleisch garen — to cook meat
- Gemüse garen — to cook vegetables
- im Ofen garen — to cook in the oven
- bei niedriger Temperatur garen — to cook at a low temperature
- langsam garen — to cook slowly
- gar ziehen lassen — to let something finish cooking gently
- durchgaren — to cook all the way through
- halb gar — half-cooked or undercooked
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Examples
Lass das Fleisch vollständig garen.verb
Let the meat cook completely.
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