Congealers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A substance that causes liquids to thicken and solidify
2. A material that promotes the transition of a liquid into a more solid state
3. A component used in cooking or food processing to help achieve desired textures in recipes

Etymology: Congealers are a kitchen ingredient with an unusually literal ancestry: the word is built on "congeal," which came into English from Middle French "congeler," itself from Latin "congelare," meaning to freeze or harden together. The Latin roots combine "con-," meaning together, with "gelare," to freeze, so the original sense is physical stiffening, as when a liquid solidifies in the cold. The verb reached English through Middle English "congelen" and kept that concrete meaning of thickening into a solid or semi-solid mass. The agent suffix "-er" was then attached to make a noun for something that does the congealing. In the case of food, the things that perform this job are starches, gelatin, eggs and similar ingredients, which set a liquid into a thicker mass.

Synonyms: coagulants, thickeners, solidifiers

Antonyms: liquefiers, dissolvers, melters