What Does Infuse Mean in Cooking?
Infuse: To steep an ingredient in a liquid so its flavor passes into it, as with tea, herbs, spices or citrus peel in hot water, milk or syrup.
In the kitchen
Hot liquids draw out flavor faster than cold ones, so infusing is usually done with a gentle simmer or a hot steep that stops short of boiling. Strain out the solids when the flavor is where you want it.
Citrus peel, ginger, mint and basil all infuse well into simple syrup or tea, and the result can be diluted or sweetened to taste. A long steep can pull out bitterness from the pith, so use zest strips with as little white as you can.
See it in our recipes
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