Steaming, poaching, simmering, and boiling — both novice and experienced home cooks frequently find these terms confusing. All of them refer to cooking food using heated water, but at different ...

Key Points Simmer pots work best when the cold water is heated to a gentle simmer—never a rolling boil.Most ingredients can ...

Learn how to achieve a rolling boil and when to use this essential technique. Oskanov / Getty Images One day, our ancestors learned that fire creates heat—and we’ve been boiling water ever since.

Eggs should be poached in barely simmering, salted water with a splash of vinegar added. Use the freshest eggs possible for tidy poached eggs; using older eggs can lead to stringy whites. To make ...