blanched

[ blancht ]

adjective

1. made white; whitened or bleached:

   The threads used for the lace were once made of hemp, but are now of raw or blanched linen.

   The museum’s blanched interior is penetrated at the core by a large black staircase linking the lobby to the main gallery.

2. Cooking. scalded or parboiled briefly and then drained, as to facilitate removal of skins, get rid of odor or bitterness, shorten cooking by other means, etc.:

   I use blanched almonds, as they already have the papery, slightly bitter skins removed.

   Stir in the blanched cauliflower and frozen peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes longer.

3. made pale, as by sickness or fear:

   His trembling hands and the look on his blanched face suggested he’d been hurt or badly scared.

4. Horticulture. (of the stems or leaves of plants, as celery or leeks) whitened or prevented from becoming green by excluding light:

   Dense sowing and immature harvesting yield tall seedlings with tender, blanched stems and bright, well-developed leaves.

5. Metallurgy.
   1. (of metals) given a white luster, as by means of acids:

      Platinum has an appearance similar to blanched gold.

   2. (of sheet metal) coated with tin:

      Scowling, he watched the fly as it sat brazenly on the rim of his blanched metal camp mug.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of blanch ¹.

Other Words From

• un·blanched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blanched¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; blanch ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; blanch ¹( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

“When Issa came up with the guitar scene, I initially blanched, thinking that if this guy was creative he probably wouldn’t be the person he is,” the actor says.

From Los Angeles Times

Larger veggies, like blanched green beans or cauliflower florets, make for a great pickle-y snack.

From Salon

When the mural was installed in April, fair officials blanched.

From Los Angeles Times

The best bet for an approach like this is to blend an herb — or multiple herbs — after having blanched them for 10 to 15 seconds.

From Salon

The Vienna is patchy, the Berlin livelier but finicky, the shrunken ensemble blanched of tone.

From New York Times