Meaning & use
frenched
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“frenched” is a form of “french”.
Meanings
verbtransitivetechnical
To trim meat, especially a rack of lamb or ribs, by cutting away fat and meat from the ends of the bones to make it look neat and cook evenly.
Grammar: Takes an object: french the rack of lamb.
Patterns
- french something
- frenched rack of lamb
The chef frenched the rack of lamb before roasting it.
You can ask the butcher to french the ribs for you.
The recipe calls for a frenched rack of lamb, so the bones are clean.
verbtransitivetechnical
To cut green beans into long thin strips, often used in French cuisine.
Grammar: Takes an object: french the beans.
Patterns
- french something
- frenched green beans
She frenched the green beans to make them cook faster.
The salad was topped with frenched green beans.
Frenching the beans takes time but gives an elegant look.
Word forms
| third person singular | frenches |
|---|---|
| past tense | frenched |
| past participle | frenched |
| -ing form | frenching |
Common combinations
- frenched rack of lamb
- The restaurant is famous for its frenched rack of lamb.
- frenched green beans
- Frenched green beans are a classic side dish.
- frenched ribs
- He ordered frenched ribs at the barbecue place.
- french the meat
- It takes skill to french the meat properly.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- frenching noun
- The act of trimming meat or cutting vegetables in this way.
Commonly confused: frenched or French?
frenched vs French
Capitalized 'French' refers to France or its language; 'frenched' in cooking is often lowercase and means trimmed.
Practice
What does 'frenched' mean in the phrase 'frenched rack of lamb'?
Choose one answer.
In cooking, 'frenched' means the meat and fat have been cut away from the ends of the bones. It does not refer to French cooking style or sauce.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frenched”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.