to braise / to swelter
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to braise
To cook a food, usually meat or vegetables, slowly over moderate heat in a covered pot with a little liquid. This makes it especially tender and flavorful.
Die Köchin lässt den Rinderbraten drei Stunden im eigenen Saft schmoren.
The cook lets the roast beef braise in its own juices for three hours.
to leave someone hanging
To deliberately keep someone waiting or leave them in uncertainty, often as a form of punishment or to gain an advantage.
Nach dem Streit hat sie ihn erstmal ein paar Tage schmoren lassen, bevor sie ihn anrief.
After the argument, she left him hanging for a few days before calling him.
to swelter
Colloquial for enduring intense heat, sweating a lot and feeling uncomfortable.
Ohne Klimaanlage mussten wir den ganzen Nachmittag im Büro schmoren.
Without air conditioning, we had to swelter in the office all afternoon.
You can recognize the meaning of 'schmoren' (to braise / to swelter) from the context. If it is about food, it refers to the literal cooking method. In the expression 'jemanden schmoren lassen' (to leave someone hanging), it is an idiom. If someone is talking about heat, it is colloquial for 'schwitzen' (to sweat).
Der Gulasch muss zwei Stunden schmoren.
The goulash has to braise for two hours.
In the kitchen, 'schmoren' (to braise) is often associated with meat dishes like 'Braten' (roast) or 'Gulasch' (goulash). A very typical expression is also 'im eigenen Saft schmoren' (to braise in its own juices), which means that no additional liquid is added.
Für das Sonntagsessen schmort ein Braten im Ofen.
A roast is braising in the oven for Sunday dinner.
The idiom has a fixed structure: 'jemanden (Akkusativ) schmoren lassen' (to leave someone hanging). The person who is left in uncertainty is always in the accusative.
Der Chef ließ die Bewerber eine Woche auf die Antwort warten und hat sie richtig schmoren lassen.
The boss made the applicants wait a week for the answer and really left them hanging.
The meaning 'to suffer because of heat' is colloquial. You use it in conversation with friends or family, but usually not in a formal text.
In diesem Auto ohne Klimaanlage müssen wir jetzt zwei Stunden schmoren.
In this car without air conditioning, we now have to swelter for two hours.
to fry / roast
Braten and schmoren can both be used to prepare meat. With braten, the food cooks in hot fat; with schmoren, it cooks slowly in a covered pot with a little liquid. Choose braten for dry, high-heat cooking and schmoren for slow cooking with liquid.
Wir schmoren das Rindfleisch langsam mit wenig Flüssigkeit im geschlossenen Topf.
We braise the beef slowly with a little liquid in a covered pot.
Wir braten die Steaks in heißem Fett, bis sie außen braun und innen durch sind.
We fry the steaks in hot fat until they are browned on the outside and cooked through inside.
