Time frame - simmering, boiling?

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mumu

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
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347
I am completely stumped i was following a rec. and it says to gradually increase the heat until it simmers. Usually i BTAB and RTS,but on this rec. has you do the above. My question is how long do you wait before moving up the heat. Could stay at low and get there like i did my stock or if did at medium heat get to simmer too. So what do they want me to do?
 
I also seen this ..... How to Simmer (with Pictures) - wikiHow - wikihow.com - look at the second one. what or how do you do what they said just gradually increase the heat until it simmers? I am trying to get a copy of my other rec. to show you to it says the same thing but having difficulties copy it.
 
how do u gradually increase the heat until it simmers. sorry i dont get it. stay at any heat setting long enough will simmer so how long do u wait till u increase the heat? or what are they suggesting u do?
 
still cant get my rec. to copy . but here says the same thing as my rec.... the second one.
The first being that the liquid for the dish reaches boiling point first, and then is reduced to a simmer (so you need to turn it down);
The second being that the recipe will require that the liquid not boil but be brought to just below boiling point slowly and steadily over a gentle heat (so don't boil it first, just gradually increase the heat until it simmers). Like i said before any heat setting long enough will simmer,so how long of a time do u wait before increase the heat? Or is this statement not correct?
 
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I think you take things waaaay to literal.

You're also assuming everyone who writes recipes is a food scientist. Many recipes are written by home cooks who don't know all of the correct terminology.
 
It depends on what you're cooking. I usually put the pot on, turn on the flame, get the pot simmering and turn it down. If it needs a slow, gradual heating to simmer, it gets tossed in the to slow cooker so it can take it time. And that's how it goes in my kitchen, because I'm the boss there.
 
You will make yourself crazy and waste hours of time trying to get a pot of liquid heated to a simmer using low heat. First of all, you have to start with a burner setting that's higher than the setting which maintains a simmer. If you don't know that setting, your pot could never get to a simmer.

Please tell us the recipe you are making that calls for this. Can you provide a link to the recipe?
 
I am trying to get the rec. working......So with the second answer saying ....just grad. increase the heat until it simmers .... talking about starting at low heat and working up from there,not talking about medium heat start there? So just gradually increase the heat until it simmers ,is wrote wrong?
 
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I am trying to get the rec. working......So with the second answer saying ....just grad. increase the heat until it simmers .... talking about starting at low heat and working up from there,not talking about medium heat start there?


Just tell us the title of the recipe? What are you making?

I have NEVER heard of gradually bringing something to a simmer. BTB RTS is the standard.
 
When I made my soup ...i used low it took awhile but got there.
 
cream sauce..... at it says just what i been saying....grad. bring the heat to a simmer. I cant rem. the whole rec. how would u do this BTAB and RTS if the milk could scorch?
 
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I have NEVER heard of gradually bringing something to a simmer. BTB RTS is the standard.
I'll admit I've seen this phrase in recipes. Most notably in recipes involving milk or other dairy, where boiling might cause ingredients to curdle, separate, or burn (examples: stovetop custards or when making cheese). In these cases, rather than setting the burner to high and lowering the heat once it comes to a boil, I've just set the initial temperature lower - say, medium low - and once it comes up to the desired temp, I turn the burner down to low to maintain it.

But no, I've never seen any recipe that calls for gradually increasing the heat source. That seems a little silly.
 
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For your cream sauce I would turn the burner to high and let it heat while stirring. When it started to bubble around the edges, I'd turn it down to Med. High and keep stirring. When it starts to simmer, I'd turn it down to the appropriate temperature to maintain the simmer.

In my opinion, the instruction that recipe gives is there as a precaution against boiling over. That can be a real problem so you must take care. Rather than fiddling with burner settings hoping to get it to a simmer, I'd stand there stirring and watching for the brief time needed to get to a simmer on high then adjust the burner.

It seems overly fussy to me.
 
Andy..... just thinking out loud, wouldn't any of the burner settings if waited long enough get you at a simmer? I know have to watch the pot,but would this be correct.
 
would i be correct in the above statement when rec. calls for gradually bring to a simmer?
 
Andy..... just thinking out loud, wouldn't any of the burner settings if waited long enough get you at a simmer? I know have to watch the pot,but would this be correct.

would i be correct in the above statement when rec. calls for gradually bring to a simmer?

Any burner setting above the setting needed to maintain a simmer will do the job. Lower settings would just take forever to get there. I think it would also effect the final result, possibly making it thicker than needed.
 
so thats why the stock i made took so long i was below the maintain simmer settings.
 
Andy you mention you never heard bring up to a simmer. Standard BTAB and RTS. But i checked through some rec. i have and there are some written like that. So when it says bring up to a simmer,is it ok to think this way ....you can do it over low,med. or high .....thinking if you do at low will take the longest and med. little faster and of course at high faster. This way doesnt have nothing to do with doing it lower than the heat that maintains a simmer? I hope i said this right?
 
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