heat
verb
hiːt 
hiːt Phrasal verbs
heat up
1 to become hot or warmSynonym
warm upThe oven takes a while to heat up.2 (especially North American English) (British English also hot up) to become more exciting or to show an increase in activityThe election contest is heating up.heat something 
up
to make something hot or warmSynonym
warm upJust heat up the food in the microwave.
Usage note: CookingPreparingprepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fishweigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredientswash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercresschop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoespeel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orangegrate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmegremove/discard the bones/seeds/skinblend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredientsbeat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whitesknead/shape/roll (out) the doughCookingheat the oil in a frying panpreheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broilerbring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boilstir constantly/gently with a wooden spoonreduce the heatsimmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by halfmelt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugarbrown the meat for 8-20 minutesdrain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colandermash the potatoes/banana/avocadoWays of cookingcook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dishbake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffinsboil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/waterfry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetablesgrill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dogroast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lambsauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetablessteam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplingstoast bread/nutsmicrowave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready mealServingserve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoesarrange the slices on a plate/in a layercarve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkeydress/toss a saladdress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrettetop with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrupgarnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orangesprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper