The verb cuocere is a normal ho-hum verb about cooking, but that is not all it has to offer. 

Nel frattempo che la pasta si cuoce, cuociamo il pomodoro.

Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, we'll cook the tomatoes.

Caption 29, In cucina con Antonino Episodio 4: il coltivatore del pomodorino del

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When something is cooked, è cotto. It's worth noting that cuocere is an irregular verb. Check out its conjugation chart. An archaic version of cuocere is cocere, which allows the irregularities to make more sense. We might liken this verb to muovere (to move) in terms of conjugation, with its participle mosso.

If you like your meat well done, ben cotto is what you will ask the waiter for. 

È ben cotto, come piace a te.

It's well-done, just like you like it.

Caption 70, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 10

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Sì, perché deve essere cotto al punto giusto, ma stavamo parlando anche della cottura delle patate

Yes, because it must be cooked to perfection, but we were also talking about the cooking of the potatoes

Captions 49-50, JAMS S1 EP7 - Part 3

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When we talk about cottura, we often talk about tempo di cottura (cooking time), such as on a package of pasta. Every type of pasta has a different tempo di cottura. Or we talk about cooking method: il tipo di cottura.

Cuocere is a transitive verb. We cook something. But if we just cook, we can use the verb cucinare (to cook). 

Insegnami a cucinare.

Teach me to cook.

Caption 27, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP3 I giardini della memoria - Part 22

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Who does the cooking? Il cuoco (the cook, the chef).

Mi piacerebbe diventare cuoco.

I'd like to become a chef.

Caption 20, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 18

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The verb cuocere can be used figuratively, too. Quando prendi una cotta, (when you get cooked), you are head over heels in love with someone or you have a crush on someone. Cuocere is "to cook." And we use the verb prendere (to take, to get), usually in its reflexive form. 

Mi sa che qui qualcuno si è preso una cotta per te, eh.

I think that someone has a crush on you, huh.

Caption 60, JAMS S1 EP2 - Part 5

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È cotto marcio. -Totale.

He is cooked rotten [madly in love]. -Totally.

Captions 1-2, Provaci ancora prof! S3 EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 27

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Il cotto is a kind of tile, made of terracotta or earthenware. It is very popular in Italy for floors, both indoors and outdoors. Il cotto is also a regional, abbreviated way of referring to cooked ham — prosciutto cotto.

Let's not forget our S prefix. Scottare can mean to blanch something in water with its synonym, sbollentare. The verb "bollentare" without the s-prefix doesn't seem to exist, but we can see that sbollentare comes from bollire (to boil).

Seicento grammi di castagne sbollentate,

Six hundred grams of blanched chestnuts,

Caption 6, Ricette di Natale Il Monte Bianco

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Scottare can also mean "to burn," or "to sear." As an adjective, scotto means overcooked. 

Quindi gli han fatto mangiare risotto freddo scotto? -Sì, sì.

So they made them eat cold, overcooked risotto? -Yes, yes.

Caption 12, Benvenuti in Galera Bollate, Milano - Part 10

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Sbollire, on the other hand, has to do with calming down. In English, we have the expression "Simmer down."  Of course, if we are talking about cooking, then whatever was boiling has to cool down. 

Ho creduto fosse meglio fargli sbollire la rabbia, tanto prima o poi mi avrebbe richiamata.

I thought it best to give him time to let him calm down his anger, as, sooner or later, he would have called me back.

Captions 13-14, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP2 Una mina vagante - Part 7

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There is also a kind of beef called la scottona, which is a young female bovine that has never been impregnated. She may be in heat, and that might be where the term scottona  comes from (no one really knows).

Ad esempio la Fiorentina che è carne di vitello [sic: vitellone] o di scottona cotta alla brace o alla griglia.

For example, the Fiorentina (steak) which is veal [young beef] or young female bovine grilled or broiled.

Captions 49-50, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sulla Toscana

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A good expression with cuocere is lasciare cuocere nel suo brodo. Or, more properly, lasciare cuocere nel proprio brodo (to let someone cook in his own broth). It is used when you decide to let someone make their own decisions without interfering or influencing them (although often, you think they are not making the right decision). They'll make their own bed and lie in it. Or you might just be letting them think things over on their own. 

We hope you now have a new way of looking at the humble verb cuocere. Have we forgotten any connections? Let us know at [email protected]. 

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