Vocabulary Spotlight
Blanch
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To make white or pale by extracting color; to briefly boil food (especially vegetables) to remove skins or prepare for further cooking.
“She blanched the almonds by soaking them in boiling water.”
Pronunciation
[blanch]
Synonyms, Antonyms & Related Words
Synonyms
Whiten
Bleach
Parboil
Scald
Antonyms
Darken
Blacken
Warm
Brown
Related Words
Faint
Pale
Word Origin
“Blanch” comes from the Old French word “blanchir,” meaning “to make white,” and from the Latin “blancus,” meaning “white.” It is commonly used in culinary and figurative contexts to describe lightening or becoming pale.
Word Family
Adjective: Blanched – Made pale or whitened.
Noun: Blanching – The process of making something white or pale.
Mnemonics
Think of “Blanch” as “Blank” — making something blank, white, or pale by removing color.
Industry-specific Usage
Culinary
Blanching vegetables involves briefly boiling them, then plunging into cold water to stop cooking.
Cosmetics
Skin treatments may involve blanching techniques to lighten dark spots or discoloration.
Gardening
Blanching is used to remove sunlight from certain plants to achieve a desired pale color or taste.
In Context
“Blanch” describes processes that involve lightening or removing color, often temporarily. It can refer to physical whitening or metaphorically to becoming pale from shock or fear.