Cooking in hot water is a popular method of preparing food. Boiling, POACHED and scalding are all terms used to describe this technique. Boiling involves submerging food in boiling water and cooking it until it is done. Poaching involves submerging food in hot, but not boiling, water and cooking it until it is done. Scalding involves submerging food in hot water for a short period of time before removing it from the heat. All three methods involve cooking food in hot water and can be used to prepare a variety of dishes.