blanch

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verb \ ˈblanch \

Definition of blanch

transitive verb

:to take the color out of

Age had blanched his hair.

: such as

a cooking :to scald or parboil in water or steam in order to remove the skin from, whiten, or stop enzymatic action in (such as food for freezing)

blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water

b :to bleach by excluding light

blanch the leaves of a plant

c :to make ashen or pale

fear blanches the cheek

intransitive verb

:to become white or pale

—

blancher

noun

See blanch defined for English-language learners

See blanch defined for kids

Examples of blanch in a Sentence

Blanch the potatoes before slicing them.
a cup of blanched almonds
She blanched and remained silent when the store owner accused her of taking the money.

Recent Examples of blanch from the Web

The Pad Thai, with minced pork and shrimp, hits every flavor note — sweet, tangy, acidic, salty, umami (from the fish sauce) — and the Pad See Ew combines the crunch of blanched broccoli with tender al dente noodles.

— carlos frías, miamiherald, "Her family defined Thai cuisine in Miami, and now they have a new restaurant," 17 Aug. 2017
Years later, Bruce recalled that an emotional John Kennedy gripped the windowsill so firmly his knuckles blanched. '

— steve donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Kennedy and King' portrays two giants of 1960s America," 22 June 2017
Moreyball acolytes may blanch at Tatum’s rep as a mid-range master, but he shouldn’t be confused for a ball-stopping chucker.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "2017 NBA Draft Superlatives: Biggest Sleeper, Safest Pick And More," 21 June 2017
But officials in the European Union this month proposed changes to the frites cooking process, including a suggestion that the potatoes first be blanched in hot water to avoid the formation of a chemical compound that has been linked to cancer.

— james kanter, New York Times, "An Olio of European Union Rules, Leading to Food Fights," 21 June 2017
Bring medium pot of water to boil and blanch radishes for about 2 minutes.

— sacbee, "Cool off with a salad," 20 June 2017
Note: To blanch the mustard seeds, place them in a small fine-mesh strainer.

— bonnie s. benwick, charlotteobserver, "A deviled egg sampler? You're welcome.," 13 June 2017
This recipe is super simple but still elegant enough for a special occasion in the summer. Blanching the radishes cuts a bit of their bite, while the piment d'Espelette adds a different kind of heat.

— gretchen mckay, charlotteobserver, "Who doesn’t love a creamy shrimp salad?," 13 June 2017
Cook trimmed asparagus until tender-crisp (can be blanched (boiled), grilled or roasted.

— cathy thomas, Orange County Register, "The Ranch Made-Simple Asparagus Salad," 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blanch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.