Spanish word

dorar

Pronunciation

IPA/doˈɾaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbbrown

Example

Voy a dorar la cebolla en la sartén.

I'm going to brown the onion in the pan.

Illustration for dorar (brown)

More examples

Para sellar los jugos, primero debes dorar la carne por ambos lados.

To seal in the juices, first you should brown the meat on both sides.

Core concept

A food surface lightly browned to a glossy golden color from brief direct heat.

Common phrases

  • dorar la carne

    brown the meat

  • dorar con aceite

    brown with oil

  • dorar la cebolla

    brown the onion

Similar words

saltear: Quickly cooks pieces while tossing them in a small amount of hot oil over high heat.
freír: Cooks food in plentiful hot oil so it fries and becomes crisp on the outside.
sofreír: Sweats ingredients gently in minimal oil over low heat to draw out moisture and scent.

Definition in Spanish

Cocinar brevemente la superficie de un alimento con calor directo para que adquiera un tono dorado y apetitoso sin quemarlo.

Word origin

The verb comes from medieval Latin aureare 'to make golden', from Latin aurum 'gold', and in Spanish it means giving food a golden-brown surface.

Usage tips

  • In recipes dorar signals a short, high-heat step to add color and aroma rather than to cook food through, and the verb also appears figuratively in dorar la píldora 'to sugarcoat'.

Related words

Word lists with this word