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Glite Dictionary
to blanch the vegetable

to blanch the vegetable

4.6
Briefly boil vegetables then put them into cold water to stop cooking
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : blanquear la verdura
  • Remember to blanch the vegetable before adding it to the stir-fry.

Examples

  • It is best to blanch the vegetable briefly to retain its bright color.

  • Many cooks blanch the vegetable to make it easier to peel.

  • You should blanch the vegetable before freezing it.

  • Don't forget to blanch the vegetable for the salad!

  • To blanch the vegetables, briefly boil them in water before transferring them to an ice bath.

  • You should blanch the carrots to enhance their vibrant color before serving.

  • When preparing a stir-fry, it's important to blanch the broccoli to maintain its crispness.

Synonyms

to blanch
vsto blanch the vegetable
7 5.1

To cook vegetables briefly in boiling water to soften them or loosen their skins

adds a cold water immersion after boiling to preserve color and texture
to parboil
vsto blanch the vegetable
2 5.6

To cook vegetables a little by boiling them for a short time

includes a cold water bath after boiling to halt cooking and keep color

How Cooked

to boil
269 1.0
to blanch the vegetable
4.6
to parboil
2 5.6

Surface Forms

blanch the vegetable infinitive
blanched the vegetable past
blanched the vegetable past participle
blanching the vegetable present participle
blanches the vegetable third person singular

Morphology

blanch + the + vegetable

The meaning is directly compositional: 'blanch' denotes briefly immersing in boiling water (then cooling) and 'vegetable' is the patient of that action, so the phrase simply names that cooking procedure. The definite article 'the' is semantically neutral and this verb + object pattern is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common construction that a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand.

Etymology

The verb blanch the vegetable comes from the simple cooking action: you put a vegetable into boiling water for a short time and then quickly put it in cold water. This quick hot-then-cold trick brightens the color and stops the cooking, so 'blanch the vegetable' means 'to briefly boil and cool' to keep color and texture.