Coddling

{{for|coddling of children|Helicopter parenting}}

{{Short description|Cooking method}}

File:Coddled Egg on hash.jpg

In cooking, to coddle food is to heat it in water kept just below the boiling point.{{cite book|last=Kipfer|first=Barbara Ann|title=The Culinarian: a Kitchen Desk Reference|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Hoboken, N.J.|isbn=9780470554241|page=137}} In the past, recipes called for coddling fruit,{{cite book|last=Hess|first=Karen (transc)|title=Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery; and Booke of Sweetmeats|year=1981|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=0231049307|pages=96, 239}} but in recent times the term is usually only applied to coddled eggs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.restodonte.com.br|title=Restodontê {{!}} Descubra receitas a partir de seus ingredientes|website=Restodontê|language=pt-BR|access-date=2018-03-17}} Coddling differs from poaching in that the coddled ingredient is not placed directly in hot water, but instead in a small dish placed in a hot water bath. {{cite web |last1=Alfaro |first1=Danilo |title=How to Gently Cook Coddled Eggs |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-a-coddled-egg-995623 |website=The Spruce Eats |access-date=3 August 2022 |language=en}} The process is either done in a regular pan or pot filled with water, either on the stovetop or placed in the oven, or through the use of a special device such as an "egg coddler" (originally known as a pipkin).{{cite web | url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/CoddledEgg.htm | title=Coddled Eggs | publisher=What's Cooking America | date=2004 | accessdate=28 February 2014 | author=Stradley, Linda}} The oven technique is similar to the preparation of baked eggs, the difference being that the preparation of baked eggs does not have to employ a water bath.

The word coddle evolved from the name of a warm drink, "caudle", and ultimately deriving from the Latin word for warm drink, calidium.{{cite web|last=Online Etymology Dictionary|title=Coddle|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=coddle&allowed_in_frame=0|publisher=Douglas Harper|accessdate=27 November 2012}}

{{wiktionary|coddle}}

Comparing the coddling cooking technique to boiling when it comes to whole eggs, the process of coddling takes a longer time due to the use of a lower cooking temperature, but it produces a more tender egg.{{cite web | url=http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1186/coddled-eggs.asp | title=Coddled Eggs | publisher=RecipeTips.com | accessdate=28 February 2014}}