Spanish word

guisar

Pronunciation

IPA/giˈsaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbcook

Example

¿Puedes guisar algo rápido para la cena?

Can you cook something quickly for dinner?

Illustration for guisar (cook)

More examples

Este fin de semana voy a guisar a fuego lento para tener comida lista.

This weekend I'm going to simmer over low heat to have food ready.

Core concept

A covered pot of meat and vegetables gently simmering until a sauce forms.

Common phrases

  • guisar a fuego lento

    simmer over low heat

  • guisar algo rápido

    cook something quickly

  • guisar para la familia

    cook for the family

Similar words

cocinar: Using heat to transform ingredients into a ready-to-eat dish by any cooking technique.
preparar: Measuring, chopping, and arranging ingredients and tools as preparation before cooking.
freír: Cooking food in hot oil to fry and make the exterior crisp.
hervir: Cooking ingredients by keeping them at a rolling or gentle boil in water or stock.

Definition in Spanish

Preparar y cocer alimentos, especialmente combinando ingredientes y cocinándolos a fuego medio o lento para que los sabores se integren.

Word origin

The verb traces to medieval Castilian guisar and is cognate with the noun guiso, naming the practice of combining ingredients and cooking them gently over moderate or low heat so their flavors meld.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Spanish guisar signals a home-style, saucy preparation by slow simmering and contrasts with cocinar as the neutral verb for cooking and freír for frying.

Other meanings

  • simmerverb
  • stewverb

Related words

Word lists with this word