Huuhtelee

Huuhtelee is a Finnish verb meaning to rinse or wash off by pouring water over something to remove dirt, soap, or residues. It is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb huuhdella. The action is typically transitive and performed on objects such as vegetables, grains, dishes, or surfaces.

Use and nuance: The form is common in everyday contexts, for example when rinsing vegetables or fruit, rinsing rice or pasta before cooking, or rinsing dishes. It can describe both manual washing and gentle rinsing of liquids through a filter or screen. In sentences, huuhtelee conveys that the subject is actively performing the rinsing at the moment of speaking. Colloquial variants may emphasize thoroughness, with phrases such as huuhtelee hyvin or huuhtelee perusteellisesti.

Examples: Hän huuhtelee perunoita veden alla. Hän huuhtelee riisiä ennen keittämistä.

Notes: In food safety guidance, rinsing raw meat or poultry is often discouraged to avoid splashing bacteria. The verb huuhdella and its forms appear in similar contexts beyond cooking, such as rinsing utensils, surfaces, or other materials.

Related forms and etymology: Huuhtelee derives from the infinitive huuhdella. Related nouns include huuhdonta (the act of rinsing) and the general term huuhteleminen for the process of rinsing. The word is primarily used in Finnish and has no widely used cognates outside the language.