Flamber

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cook food, especially alcohol-soaked dishes, by igniting the alcohol to create a brief flame ; to add a dramatic fiery effect by setting something aflame for culinary or visual appeal ; to finish a dish by flambéing, involving flames produced by burning spirits to enhance aroma and presentation
2. The act of cooking with fire produced by igniting alcohol in a pan to burn off liquor and impart flavor ; a culinary technique involving controlled flames that caramelize ingredients ; a method of presenting food with an impressive burst of flame to enhance dining experience
3. The culinary process of applying fire to food saturated with alcoholic liquids to create a burning effect ; igniting spirits poured over a dish to heat, flavor, and add spectacle ; technique using open flame from burning alcohol to prepare and decorate food with intense heat and light

Etymology: The French verb "flamber" originally meant to singe, as when a cook burned off the fine hairs or feathers on a bird or passed a flame over a surface. The sense of igniting alcohol over food came later, and the dish that results is called "flambé," the past participle. The verb came into English from French, and the culinary sense was adopted with it. Its root is the French noun "flambe," meaning "flame," which goes back to Latin "flamma." English "flame" comes from the same Old French source, so the two words are close relatives that entered English by different routes.

Synonyms: flambé, ignite, torch, set aflame

Antonyms: extinguish, douse, put out