Completely new to cooking...boiling and simmering?!
Answers:
"Boil" means the water is bubbling fiercely throughout the whole pot. Bring water to boil on high.
"Simmer" means the water is boiling very slowly and gently. Simmer temperature is somewhere between medium and low, depending on your burner.
Bring a boil means heating the water until it reaches boiling point (Yes, bubbles) which is about 99.8 °C.
Not just small bubbles either, it should be bubbling and letting out steam.
Bring to a simmer means you should cook whatever you're cooking at the lowest possible heat. You should reduce the heat until there are only small bubbles.
Boiling means bubbles of steam are escaping, vigorously.
Reduce the heat to minimum, until it is just simmering.
That means the bubbles are only forming around the edges.
Put it on high heat for boiling. When the water starts rolling and there are lots of big bubbles, that's boiling. Then you turn it to low heat to simmer it. There will be small bubbles then.
You bring it to a boil on high heat (boil is when large bubbles form 1/2"-1" diameter bubbles and lots of them). Then you lower the heat to low heat and simmer (small bubbles).
Bring it to a boil means when it is bubbling fast...then turn down to the lowest temp on your dial..My sez simmer..some don't..
Hope this helps...