To cook or finish a dish by browning the top under a broiler or in an oven, often with a crust of breadcrumbs or cheese.
From French 'gratiner,' derived from 'gratin' (a crust or layer), which itself comes from the verb 'gratter' (to scrape). The culinary technique became popular in French cuisine and was adopted into English in the 1800s.
The word comes from 'scraping'—originally because the crusty top of gratinéed dishes was scraped off the pan, but now it's become a prized textural element that chefs deliberately create.
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