flour
flour — noun
1. a soft, pale powder made by grinding cereal grains such as wheat or rice; it is
a soft, pale powder made by grinding cereal grains such as wheat or rice; it is the basic dry ingredient in baked goods like loaves, cakes, pastries, and noodles.
Naoko sifted the flour into a large bowl before adding the sugar.
sift + flour collocation
Felipe bought a bag of whole-wheat flour to make his own bread.
whole-wheat flour
The recipe calls for three cups of flour and two eggs.
Dahlia dusted the wooden board with flour before rolling out the pastry.
- meal
coarser grind, often of corn or oats, not as fine as flour
文法句型
flour + is + adjective (e.g. flour is sifted)
a cup / bag / kilo of flour
用法筆記
Uncountable — use 'some flour,' 'a bag of flour,' or 'a kilo of flour,' not 'a flour.' To count types, say 'a flour made from rye' or 'different flours.'
常見錯誤
2. a soft powder obtained by grinding starchy parts of plants such as potatoes, cas
a soft powder obtained by grinding starchy parts of plants such as potatoes, cassava roots, almonds, or rice, used in cooking to thicken sauces or as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour.
Piotr used potato flour to thicken the soup because he is gluten-intolerant.
potato flour for thickening
Rachid mixed tapioca flour with warm water to make a chewy dough.
tapioca flour
Linh prefers almond flour for baking because it adds a nutty flavour to the cake.
Corn flour is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking for coating meat before frying.
- starch
emphasises the chemical component; 'corn starch' and 'corn flour' are the same product in many regions but differ in the UK vs US
文法句型
[type] + flour (e.g. potato flour)
flour + made from + [plant part]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (GRAIN FLOUR): sense 2 covers flours that are NOT made from cereal grains. The word specifying the source (e.g. potato, almond, tapioca, rice) almost always comes before 'flour.'
flour — verb
1. to sprinkle or spread a thin layer of flour over a surface or piece of food so t
to sprinkle or spread a thin layer of flour over a surface or piece of food so that dough does not stick during preparation.
Reema floured the baking tray before placing the bread dough on it.
flour + tray / surface
Nila floured her hands gently so the sticky dough would not cling to her fingers.
The chef floured the countertop and began to knead the pastry by hand.
Roya floured each piece of chicken lightly before frying it in hot oil.
- dust
lighter application; 'dust with flour' suggests a very thin, fine layer
文法句型
flour + noun phrase (e.g. flour the work surface)
flour + noun phrase + with + noun phrase
用法筆記
Always transitive — you must state what you flour (the surface, your hands, or the food itself). Frequently used in recipe instructions in the imperative: 'Flour the surface lightly.'