What is "blanching"

Blanch \Blanch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanched; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanching.] [OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F. blanchir, fr. blanc white. See Blank, a.]

1. To take the color out of, and make white; to bleach; as, to blanch linen; age has blanched his hair.

2. (Gardening) To bleach by excluding the light, as the stalks or leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them together.

3. (Confectionery & Cookery)

   1. To make white by removing the skin of, as by scalding; as, to blanch almonds.

   2. To whiten, as the surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into cold, so as to harden the surface and retain the juices.

4. To give a white luster to (silver, before stamping, in the process of coining.).

5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of tin.

6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash; to palliate.

   Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things.
   --Tillotson.

   Syn: To Blanch, Whiten.

   Usage: To whiten is the generic term, denoting, to render white; as, to whiten the walls of a room. Usually (though not of necessity) this is supposed to be done by placing some white coloring matter in or upon the surface of the object in question. To blanch is to whiten by the removal of coloring matter; as, to blanch linen. So the cheek is blanched by fear, i. e., by the withdrawal of the blood, which leaves it white.

n. The act by which something is blanched. vb. (present participle of blanch English)

Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water ( shocking or refreshing) to halt the cooking process.

The meaning of blanch is "to whiten", but this is not always the purpose of blanching in cooking. Food is blanched to soften it, or to partly or fully cook it, or to remove a strong taste (for example of cabbage or onions).

When almonds or pistachios are blanched, the skin of the nut (botanically the seed coat surrounding the embryo) softens and can be easily removed later.

Blanching is the whitening of metal, by various means, such as soaking in acid or by coating with tin. This term is commonly used in coinage, in which pieces are given a lustre and brilliance before images are struck into the surface.

The ancient method of blanching involved putting the pieces, after heating, in a large vessel of water, and some ounces of aqua fortis, but in different proportions for gold and silver. This method is no longer used, partly due to its expense, and partly because it diminishes the weight of the metal.

Category:Currency production Category:Coins

Blanching is a technique used in vegetable growing. Young shoots of a plant are covered to exclude light to prevent photosynthesis and the production of chlorophyll, and thus remain pale in color. Different methods used include covering with soil ( hilling or earthing up) or with solid materials such as board or terracotta pots, or growing the crop indoors in darkened conditions. Blanched vegetables generally tend to have a more delicate flavor and texture compared to those that are not blanched.