Cooking something in liquid just below boiling point with small bubbles rising gently; also means barely holding back emotions.
From Middle English 'simeren,' possibly from Old Norse. The cooking sense dates to at least the 1500s. The emotional sense (simmering anger) emerged as a metaphor comparing emotions to heat levels.
Restaurant chefs use simmering (not boiling) to make sauces because boiling violently breaks down delicate flavors and nutrients—so 'low and slow' isn't just trendy, it's actual food science that's been perfected over centuries.
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