WordGarden.ioblanch
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /blˈɑːntʃ/
US
- /ˈblæntʃ/
Meanings
Verb
to briefly boil food and usually cool it quickly to prepare it or loosen the skin
to turn pale in the face, especially from shock, fear, or illness
to make something white or paler by removing color, or for it to lose color
Beyond the definition
Imagine a cook dropping bright green beans into boiling water and then into ice water in a flash--that's blanching. It means briefly scalding food in boiling water and chilling it fast to stop overcooking, keeping vegetables, fruits, or nuts bright and crisp. But the word also stretches beyond the kitchen: it can describe someone's face suddenly losing color from fear, shock, or illness, like someone "blanching" at a bad headline.
To blanch has two major uses, both tied to a sudden or deliberate loss of color. In cooking, it is a short process: food is briefly plunged into boiling water, then rapidly cooled in ice water. This pause in heat inactivates enzymes that can degrade flavor, color, and texture, and it is often used before freezing or peeling produce. The goal is not to fully cook the ingredient, but to prepare it for the next step while preserving brightness.
In people, blanch means to become suddenly pale, usually from emotion, shock, fear, or poor health. If someone "blanched at the news," their complexion drained as they reacted.
Historically, blanch also referred to a way of whitening cloth, often through exposure to sunlight and air. That older sense is rare now, but it matches the core idea: reducing color in one way or another.
Examples
- 1
Financial shock
She blanched when she saw the final bill.
- 2
Medical fear
Even my toughest uncle blanched at the idea of surgery.
- Patternblanch at + frightening thing
react with shock or fear
- 3
Cooking
Blanch the tomatoes for a minute, then slip off the skins.
- Domainin cooking, blanch
boil something briefly, often before peeling or freezing it
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- blanchverb
Forms
- blanchedpast tenseverb
- blanching-ing formverb
- blanchesverb