kochen

From Middle High German, from Old High German kochōn, kohhōn (“to cook”), from late Proto-Germanic *kukōną (“to cook”), either from *kukaz (“cook”) from Latin coquus, or borrowed from Vulgar Latin *coco, cocere, from Latin coquō, coquere. Compare Dutch koken. More at cook.

• IPA^(key): /kɔx(ə)n/, /kɔxŋ̩/

• Audio

  (file)

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

kochen (third-person singular simple present kocht, past tense kochte, past participle gekocht, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to boil
2. (transitive) to boil (to heat a liquid)
3. (transitive) to boil (cook in boiling water)
4. to cook, to prepare food

While kochen is the normal word used to refer to an undefined process of making food, its primary meaning is 'to heat a liquid'. The word hence cannot be used for processes of preparation which are known to not include boiling, such as frying, grilling and baking. Ein Steak kochen ('cooking a steak') would be understood solely as dropping a steak into a pot of boiling water.

• (boil): sieden
• (prepare food): garen

• erwärmen
• erhitzen
• dampfen
• qualmen
• rauchen
• brodeln

• kochen in Duden online