pehmehentää

Pehmentää is a Finnish verb that translates to "to soften" or "to tenderize." It describes the process of making something less hard, stiff, or tough. This can apply to a variety of contexts.

In the context of food, pehmentää often refers to cooking processes that make ingredients more tender. For example, slow cooking meat or vegetables can pehmentää them, making them easier to chew and digest. Boiling, steaming, and braising are common methods used to pehmentää food. It can also refer to the act of soaking dry ingredients like beans or grains to make them softer before cooking.

Beyond food, pehmentää can be used metaphorically. It can describe the act of making something less harsh or severe, such as softening one's tone of voice or pehmentää a strict rule. In a more physical sense, it might describe making fabric softer through washing or using fabric softener. The term implies a transformation from a harder or more resistant state to a gentler or more pliable one.