Unsalted water is brought to the boil and vegetables or fruit is plunged into it for about 30 seconds to loosen the skin so that it peels easily. Blanch literally mean “to whiten” because it also tones down the flavour of certain foods like bacon and sweetbreads. It maintains the colour of fruits and vegetables and loosens skins off hard to peel foods such as tomatoes and nuts (particularly almonds). Blanching is a good method to rid your rice and potatoes of excess starch.