ébouillanter

Senses

1. 1.

   to scald; to pour boiling water over

   to treat with boiling water, often to remove skin or feathers

2. 2.

   to blanch (vegetables)

   to briefly immerse in boiling water then plunge into cold water

Examples

• "Il faut ébouillanter les tomates avant de les peler."

  You have to scald the tomatoes before peeling them.

• "Ébouillantez les haricots verts pendant deux minutes."

  Blanch the green beans for two minutes.

• "La poule a été ébouillantée pour enlever ses plumes."

  The chicken was scalded to remove its feathers.

Usage

Primarily a culinary and butchery term. Often used in cooking contexts to describe preliminary food preparation. The past participle can also mean "scalded" (injured by boiling water), though this is less common.