German Phrase
Koch so lange, bis die Farbe stimmt.
Meaning
A cooking instruction telling the listener to keep cooking until the colour of the food looks right. The colour is used as a visual cue for doneness.
When to use
Use this phrase in recipes, kitchen conversations, or when you want to emphasize that the cooking time depends on visual appearance rather than a fixed number of minutes.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Kochsolange,bisdieFarbestimmt.
Imperative du (Koch)
Use the stem of the verb (koch-) and add -e for the du‑imperative: Koch! (Cook!).
so lange
A fixed phrase meaning “as long as / for as long as”. It often pairs with bis to set a time limit.
bis (conjunction)
Introduces a subordinate clause meaning “until”. The verb moves to the end of that clause.
stimmt (verb stimmen)
3rd‑person singular present of stimmen – “to be correct/right”. In the bis‑clause the verb appears at the end.
🗨In Conversation
Wie lange soll ich das Gemüse braten?
How long should I fry the vegetables?
Koch so lange, bis die Farbe stimmt.
Cook until the colour is right.
✕Common Mistakes
Koch so lange, bis die Farbe ist.
The verb in the bis‑clause must be the appropriate verb for “to be correct”. Use stimmt, not ist.
Koch so lange bis die Farbe stimmt.
German requires a comma before the bis‑clause.
Koche so lange, bis die Farbe stimmt.
The du‑imperative drops the -e ending; “Koch!” is correct, not “Koche!”.
↔Alternatives
Koch, bis die Farbe passt.
Cook until the colour fits.
Lass es weiter köcheln, bis die Farbe die gewünschte Nuance erreicht hat.
Let it keep simmering until the colour reaches the desired shade.
Brate es, bis es die richtige Farbe hat.
Fry it until it has the right colour.
Cultural Tip
In German kitchens colour is a primary indicator of doneness – think of a golden‑brown roast or a lightly caramelised onion. The phrase “die Farbe stimmt” is idiomatic; native speakers rarely say “die Farbe ist richtig”. Also remember to place a comma before bis, as German punctuation rules require a comma before subordinate clauses.