To convert into gelatin or a gelatinous substance; in cooking, to cause starch to swell and thicken by heating with liquid.
From 'gelatin' + '-ize' suffix (from Greek '-izein' meaning 'to cause to be'), creating a verb meaning 'to make gelatinous'.
When you whisk flour into a roux and cook it, you're gelatinizing starch—this ancient culinary technique was the world's first chemistry, transforming raw ingredients into entirely new textures and flavors.
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