blanchissez

Blanchissez is a French verb form that comes from the verb blanchir, meaning to whiten, to blanch, or to scald briefly. Specifically, blanchissez is the second-person plural present indicative form (vous blanchissez) and also the imperative form (Blanchissez !) used to address a group. In practice, it translates as “you whiten” or “you blanch,” and as a command it means “Blanchissez [les légumes]” – “Blanchish the vegetables.”

Etymology and meaning: The verb blanchir derives from Old French blanchir, itself from blanch “white,” related to the Latin root albus for white. The core sense is to make something lighter in color, either by whitening, bleaching, or by briefly cooking in hot water or steam to loosen skin or inactivate enzymes.

Usage in cooking: In culinary contexts, blanchir refers to scalding vegetables, fruits, or nuts in boiling water or steam for a short time, then plunging them into cold water to stop the cooking. This preserves color, softens skins, and makes peeling easier. It is also used to describe pre-cooking steps for freezing or preparing ingredients for further cooking.

Other contexts: Blanchir can also mean to whiten or bleach fabrics or other materials, often with a chemical agent. In everyday French, blanchissez (with vous) remains common as a simple present-tense form or as a direct command to a group.

Conjugation note: Blanchissez is a regular -ir verb form, following the standard present tense endings for -ir verbs in vous form.