Glossary B
Blind bake means to bake a pie crust without a filling. There are several techniques used to ensure that the pie crust holds it shape when baked empty. Pie weights can be placed in the shell to keep it from puffing. The shell can be lined with foil and dried beans or peas. Pricking the crust with a fork before baking also helps the crust keep its shape.
Blubber refers to the thick layer of fat between the skin and the muscle layers of whales and other marine mammals, from which an oil is obtained. Arctic marine mammals, like whales, seals and walruses, are warm blooded but spend most or all of their lives in the cold water. Heat loss is much greater in water than in air, and without a way to keep heat from leaving their bodies, they would freeze to death in water that is usually just above the freezing point. To insulate them from the cold, these animals have a thick, dense layer of connective tissue and fat under their skin called blubber.