blanched: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal or technical (culinary/horticultural).
Quick answer
What does “blanched” mean?
Made white or pale by removing colour, especially by scalding or chemical treatment.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Made white or pale by removing colour, especially by scalding or chemical treatment.
To become or cause to become pale from shock, fear, or illness; to remove the skin or improve the texture of a food by briefly boiling or soaking.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Meaning is identical. Usage in cooking instructions is universal. 'Blanched almonds' is the standard term on both sides of the Atlantic.
Connotations
In emotional contexts (e.g., 'He blanched at the news'), slightly more literary in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in general discourse, but common in culinary and gardening contexts internationally.
Grammar
How to Use “blanched” in a Sentence
Subject blanched (intransitive)Object was blanched (transitive, passive)She blanched the almonds (transitive, active)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “blanched” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- She blanched the tomatoes to remove their skins.
- He visibly blanched when he saw the bill.
American English
- Blanch the green beans for two minutes before freezing.
- The witness blanched under the prosecutor's questioning.
adverb
British English
- Not typically used as an adverb.
American English
- Not typically used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- The recipe calls for blanched, flaked almonds.
- Her blanched cheeks betrayed her terror.
American English
- Add the blanched spinach to the sauce.
- His face was a blanched mask of disbelief.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Could be used metaphorically: 'Investors blanched at the quarterly report.'
Academic
Used in botany (blanched celery, etiolated plants) and food science.
Everyday
Most common in cooking instructions or describing a sudden pallor from shock.
Technical
Standard term in culinary arts for the process of scalding and cooling food.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “blanched”
- Misspelling as 'blanced' or 'blaunched'.
- Using it as a synonym for 'washed' or 'rinsed' without the heat element.
- Confusing 'blanched' (pale) with 'blenched' (flinched), though they are related.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While common for vegetables (and almonds), it can refer to any food briefly scalded (e.g., tomatoes for peeling) or to a person's face turning pale.
'Pale' is a general state of low colour. 'Blanched' implies a process of becoming pale, often sudden and caused by a specific agent (shock, boiling water).
Yes. When describing a person's reaction ("He blanched"), it is intransitive. In cooking ("Blanch the beans"), it is transitive.
Yes. In both British and American pronunciations, the 'ch' is a voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/ as in 'church'.
Made white or pale by removing colour, especially by scalding or chemical treatment.
Blanched is usually formal or technical (culinary/horticultural). in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specifically with 'blanched'. Associated with 'blanch at the thought/idea/sight' (to react with fear/disgust).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BLANket being white, covering colour. Or, a BRANCH that's been BLEACHed by the sun = BLANCHed.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION IS COLOUR (fear/ shock drains colour from the face). PREPARATION IS PURIFICATION (blanching cleanses/readies food).
Practice
Quiz
In a culinary context, what is the primary purpose of blanching vegetables?