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to frizzle

to frizzle

1 6.8
Cook food in hot oil until it becomes brown and crispy
  • verb
  • /ˈfrɪzəl/
translation icon : freír
  • The chef decided to frizzle the bacon until it was crispy and golden.

Examples

  • The frizzled onions and sautéed mushrooms.

    Blog text (17)
  • - Turnt, burned, fried, and frizzled!

  • Their carcasses did not have much to offer, though the cooks would frizzle the innards and skin, and stuff those delicacies down their throats.

    Blog text (30)
  • As the oil heated up, the vegetables began to frizzle in the pan.

  • She watched the fish frizzle in the hot oil, turning it to ensure it was perfectly cooked.

Synonyms

to sear
vsto frizzle
76 6.1

To burn something quickly with very strong heat until it turns brown or black

uses oil to make food crisp and curled, not just scorch the surface
to deep-fry
vsto frizzle
8 2.8

Cook food by putting it completely in hot oil

is focused on producing crisp, browned pieces that sometimes curl
to fry up
vsto frizzle
7 2.9

Cook food in hot oil or fat

is done with more oil to make food crisp and sometimes curl
to french-fry
vsto frizzle
  • US
3 2.6

To cook food in hot oil until it becomes crisp and golden

is done with more oil to make food crisp and sometimes curl
to pan-fry
vsto frizzle
3 2.9

To cook food in a hot pan with a little oil

uses more oil and often aims for extra crisp and curling
to saute
vsto frizzle
1 3.7

Fry food quickly in a small amount of oil or butter over high heat

involves more oil and harder browning to produce crisp, curled results
to deep-fat-fry
vsto frizzle
1 3.3

To cook food by putting it completely in hot oil

is done to achieve extra crispness and sometimes make pieces curl
sauté
vsto frizzle
6.1

Cooked quickly in a little oil in a hot pan

uses more oil and longer contact to crisp and sometimes curl
to sear the meat
vsto frizzle
3.7

Quickly cook the outside of meat at very high heat to make a brown crust

focuses on full oil cooking to produce crispness rather than only crust

Surface Forms

frizzle infinitive
frizzled past
frizzled past participle
frizzling present participle
frizzles third person singular

Morphology

frizzle = frizz (semi-transparent) = frizz + le

The form shows a clear relation frizz + -le, but the cooking sense 'to fry until crisp' is not directly inferable from the usual sense 'to curl', so learners may not derive the meaning.

Etymology

Frizzle for cooking probably copies the sound of frying, much like the word sizzle, so a helpful way to remember it is as 'to fry' until food becomes crisp and sometimes curls up.