The core idea: the flame against the bottom of the pan
A Japanese recipe rarely says turn the knob halfway; it names the heat by what you should see. The words are compounds of hi, fire, which becomes bi after another word: yowabi (弱火) is literally weak fire, chūbi (中火) middle fire and tsuyobi (強火) strong fire. Torobi (とろ火), from torotoro, burning low and gently, is the smallest flame a burner can hold.
Why not the knob? Burners, pans and gas supplies differ, so one knob position gives different heat in different kitchens, while the flame against the pan means the same everywhere. The general word for the setting is hikagen (火加減), literally fire adjustment. At a cooking class, the teacher calls out the heat.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中火にしてください。 | Chūbi ni shite kudasai. | Please turn it to medium. |
| これで中火ですか。 | Kore de chūbi desu ka. | Is this medium? |
| 沸騰したら弱火にします。 | Futtō shitara yowabi ni shimasu. | Once it boils, we turn it down to low. |
| 最後に強火で一気に炒めます。 | Saigo ni tsuyobi de ikki ni itamemasu. | At the end, we stir-fry quickly over high heat. |
| 火加減に気をつけてください。 | Hikagen ni ki o tsukete kudasai. | Keep an eye on the heat. |
The levels side by side, with the steps between
The table adds what you see in the pot, which helps when a lid or a wide pan hides the flame, and the two in-between steps that recipes use constantly.
| Japanese | Reading | The flame | The liquid | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| とろ火 | torobi | Barely alight, well below the pan | Hardly moves | Keeping food warm, reheating a stew |
| 弱火 | yowabi | About halfway up, heating the centre | Small, lazy bubbles: kotokoto | Long simmering, softening garlic in oil |
| 弱めの中火 | yowame no chūbi | Just short of touching | Gentle, steady bubbles | Eggs, pancakes, anything that burns easily |
| 中火 | chūbi | Tips just touching the bottom | Steady bubbling: futsufutsu | Most frying and simmering |
| 強めの中火 | tsuyome no chūbi | Touching and starting to spread | Lively bubbling | Stir-fries once a lot of food is added |
| 強火 | tsuyobi | Spread across the whole bottom, not up the sides | A rolling boil: guragura | Boiling water, quick stir-fries |
Tsuyome no chūbi is medium turned up a little, not high heat, and yowame no chūbi is medium turned down a little. The steps exist because the gap between chūbi and its neighbours is wide on most stoves. When a recipe gives no heat at all, chūbi is the safe assumption.
Each verb and the heat it usually takes
The verbs themselves are covered in a separate guide to cooking verbs; here the point is the heat each assumes. Niru, to simmer, usually reaches the boil on chūbi or tsuyobi and then drops to yowabi. Itameru, to stir-fry, lives on chūbi, often finishing briefly on tsuyobi to keep vegetables crisp. Yaku, to grill or pan-fry, is chūbi for thin food and a lower flame under a lid for thick food. Yuderu, to boil in water, needs tsuyobi to get the water boiling.
One compound is worth learning whole: hitonitachi (ひと煮立ち), literally one boiling-up, meaning bring it to the boil once, then turn it down or off. Miso soup and delicate sauces use it. These recipe lines are in the plain form, as printed.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 煮立ったら弱火にして、10分煮る。 | Nitattara yowabi ni shite, juppun niru. | When it boils, lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. |
| 中火で玉ねぎを炒める。 | Chūbi de tamanegi o itameru. | Fry the onion over medium heat. |
| フライパンを強火で熱する。 | Furaipan o tsuyobi de nessuru. | Heat the frying pan over high heat. |
| ふたをして、弱めの中火で5分焼く。 | Futa o shite, yowame no chūbi de gofun yaku. | Cover and cook over medium-low heat for five minutes. |
| ひと煮立ちさせて、火を止める。 | Hitonitachi sasete, hi o tomeru. | Bring it to the boil once, then turn off the heat. |
Deep-frying: temperature instead of flame
Ageru, to deep-fry, is the exception to the flame rule. What matters is the oil, and recipes give it as one of three bands. Without a thermometer, cooks dip wooden cooking chopsticks, dampened and wiped dry, and watch the bubbles, the method oil makers teach. A friend is showing you how to make karaage.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 油の温度は170度くらいね。 | Abura no ondo wa hyakunanajū-do kurai ne. | Keep the oil at about 170 degrees. |
| 菜箸を入れて、泡を見てみて。 | Saibashi o irete, awa o mite mite. | Put the chopsticks in and look at the bubbles. |
| 細かい泡が全体から出てきたら、ちょうどいいよ。 | Komakai awa ga zentai kara dete kitara, chōdo ii yo. | When fine bubbles come up all along them, it's just right. |
- Teion (低温), low: about 150 to 160 degrees. Fine bubbles rise quietly from the tips of the chopsticks.
- Chūon (中温), medium: about 170 to 180 degrees. Fine bubbles rise from the whole length in the oil. Karaage and tonkatsu are usually fried around 170.
- Kōon (高温), high: about 180 to 190 degrees. Bubbles rush up vigorously from the whole length.
Beyond the basics: the IH hob and its buttons
Many newer flats have an IH hob, said ai-etchi, which heats the pan by induction with no flame. Recipes still say chūbi. The hob shows karyoku (火力), heat power, as a row of levels on a scale that differs by maker, so the chart in the manual is your conversion table: one manual, for example, suggests levels 6 to 8 to bring water to the boil and 1 to 3 to simmer.
Two readings surprise learners. On keys, the single kanji for strong and weak are read kyō and jaku, as on fans and microwaves, and the power key says iri and kiri, on and off. Most models will not heat aluminium or copper pans, so look for IH taiō, IH-compatible, when buying; pans and appliances have their own guide to kitchen tools. An estate agent explains the hob in a new flat.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この「加熱」を押してから、火力を選びます。 | Kono 'kanetsu' o oshite kara, karyoku o erabimasu. | Press this kanetsu key, then choose the power. |
| アルミの鍋は使えないので、気をつけてください。 | Arumi no nabe wa tsukaenai node, ki o tsukete kudasai. | Aluminium pans won't work, so be careful. |
| 揚げ物は、このボタンで温度を設定します。 | Agemono wa, kono botan de ondo o settei shimasu. | For deep-frying, you set the temperature with this button. |
| しばらく操作しないと、自動で切れます。 | Shibaraku sōsa shinai to, jidō de kiremasu. | If you don't touch it for a while, it switches off by itself. |
Why a gas flame turns itself down
Since October 2008, household gas hobs in Japan have had to carry safety sensors on every burner; they are sold as Si sensā konro, Si-sensor hobs. The small probe in the middle of each burner rests against the pan and reads its temperature. When the base overheats, as with hot oil or an empty pan, the stove lowers the flame or shuts it off, and another device stops the gas if a boil-over puts the flame out.
So when your tsuyobi stir-fry suddenly goes quiet, the stove is doing its job; some models offer a high-temperature stir-fry mode, explained in the manual. Two flatmates are cooking dinner.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 火が勝手に小さくなったよ。 | Hi ga katte ni chiisaku natta yo. | The flame went down on its own. |
| センサーが働いたんだと思う。 | Sensā ga hataraitan da to omou. | I think the sensor kicked in. |
| 吹きこぼれて、火が消えちゃった。 | Fukikoborete, hi ga kiechatta. | It boiled over and the flame went out. |
| ガスは自動で止まるはずだよ。 | Gasu wa jidō de tomaru hazu da yo. | The gas should stop automatically. |
Two words read yonetsu: preheating and leftover heat
Yonetsu (予熱), literally advance heat, is preheating; its first kanji is the one in yoyaku, a reservation. Yonetsu (余熱), literally surplus heat, is the heat left in a pan after you switch off; its first kanji is the one in amari, leftover. They sound identical and recipes use both, so context decides: before the food goes in, preheating; after the flame is off, leftover heat.
Around them sit the phrases for heat on and off: hi ni kakeru, put on the heat; hi o tomeru, turn it off; hi o tōsu, cook through.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| フライパンをよく予熱してから、卵を入れる。 | Furaipan o yoku yonetsu shite kara, tamago o ireru. | Preheat the frying pan well, then add the eggs. |
| 火を止めて、余熱で火を通す。 | Hi o tomete, yonetsu de hi o tōsu. | Turn off the heat and let the leftover heat cook it through. |
| 鍋を火にかけます。 | Nabe o hi ni kakemasu. | Put the pot on the heat. |
| 中まで火が通ったか確かめてください。 | Naka made hi ga tōtta ka tashikamete kudasai. | Check that it's cooked all the way through. |
Common mistakes with heat levels
Reading tsuyobi as the knob fully open. Strong suggests maximum, so learners open the gas until flames lick up the sides of the pan. That heats the handle and wastes gas; tsuyobi stops at the edge of the base.
Cooking everything on tsuyobi. Cooks used to slow electric rings tend to overcompensate on gas. Japanese recipes use chūbi far more often, so if no heat is stated, start there.
Hearing tsuyome no chūbi as high heat. The noun at the end is chūbi; tsuyome only adjusts it. The same goes for yowame no chūbi.
Misreading the kanji. Learners say yowahi, or read the kanji for medium heat as chūka, which is Chinese food. The fire compounds take bi after another word. Karyoku, heat power, uses the other reading of fire, ka, and is not hiryoku.
Carrying IH numbers between kitchens. Level 5 on one hob is not level 5 on another, because the scales differ by maker. Use the manual's chart and your eyes: watch the liquid rather than the number.