When you ébouillanter something, you put it quickly into very hot, boiling water. You might do this to vegetables to make them softer or easier to peel, like tomatoes before making sauce. It's a quick way to cook the outside just a little bit. Think of it like giving food a very hot, short bath!
Examples by Level
Pour enlever facilement la peau des tomates, il faut les ébouillanter quelques secondes.
To easily remove the skin from tomatoes, you need to blanch them for a few seconds.
The infinitive 'ébouillanter' is used here after 'il faut' (it is necessary to).
J'ai ébouillanté les pêches avant de les mettre en conserve pour qu'elles se conservent mieux.
I blanched the peaches before canning them so they would keep better.
Past participle 'ébouillanté' with 'avoir' (to have) to form the passé composé.
Si tu veux que les amandes soient moins amères, tu devrais les ébouillanter rapidement.
If you want the almonds to be less bitter, you should blanch them quickly.
Conditional tense 'devrais' (should) followed by the infinitive 'ébouillanter'.
Attention, ne te brûle pas ! L'eau pour ébouillanter le poulet est très chaude.
Be careful not to burn yourself! The water to scald the chicken is very hot.
Infinitive 'ébouillanter' used after 'pour' (for/to).
Le chef a demandé d'ébouillanter les légumes pour qu'ils gardent leur couleur vive.
The chef asked to blanch the vegetables so they would keep their bright color.
Infinitive 'ébouillanter' used after 'demander de' (to ask to).
On doit ébouillanter les bocaux avant de les remplir pour une bonne stérilisation.
We must scald the jars before filling them for good sterilization.
The verb 'devoir' (must) followed by the infinitive 'ébouillanter'.
Elle a ébouillanté les herbes fraîches pour préparer une infusion.
She blanched the fresh herbs to prepare an infusion.
Past participle 'ébouillanté' with 'avoir' to form the passé composé.
N'oubliez pas d'ébouillanter les pâtes quelques minutes avant de les cuire complètement.
Don't forget to blanch the pasta for a few minutes before cooking it completely.
Infinitive 'ébouillanter' used after 'oublier de' (to forget to).
Related Content
More food words
à base de
B1Made from; based on.
à la boulangerie
A2At the bakery.
à la carte
A2À la carte; ordering individual dishes from a menu.
à la charcuterie
A2At the deli; where cold meats and prepared foods are sold.
à la coque
A2Soft-boiled (for eggs).
à la demande
B1On demand; upon request.
à la poêle
A2Cooked in a frying pan; pan-fried.
à la poissonnerie
A2At the fishmonger's; where fresh fish is sold.
à la vapeur
A2Cooked by steam; steamed.
à l'apéritif
B1As an aperitif, served before a meal.
