Parboil (or leaching) is an action which refers to partially boiling food in water before it's finished cooking using another method. When something has been parboiled it has been partially cooked; that is, subjected to boiling for a brief period of time. To be parboiled can also mean to be subjected to uncomfortable heat. The etymology of the word includes influences from the Middle English parboilen meaning to boil partly and the Old French parboillir meaning to boil thoroughly. These words in… (More on Parboil)