N. A dry, tan- or brown-colored area on the skin of a fruit, such as an apple. It's usually caused by overexposure to sunlight and rarely affects the fruit quality. scald v. 1. A cooking technique — often used to retard the souring of milk — whereby a liquid is heated to just below the boiling point. 2. To plunge food such as tomatoes or peaches into boiling water (or to pour boiling water over them), in order to loosen their skin and facilitate peeling. Also referred to as blanch.