Braise (to) Braisiere

Originally braiser in French, meaning to cook in a tightly covered specialized pot called a braisiere with just enough liquid to barely cover the meat in the case of a stew, or to reach halfway to the top of the meat if preparing a whole piece of meat or bird. The words braiser and braisiere originated from the fact that, when one cooked on the hearth, the pot was buried in hot embers (braise in French). The techniques of braising are nowadays often ill understood and not done with enough precision for good results. Please referfor full details.