Online Reporter
BLANCHING is a food preparation technique that involves boiling vegetables for a short time, then submerging them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Blanching vegetables
Blanching vegetables helps preserve their flavour, colour and texture. Most vegetables, such as carrots and broccoli, need blanching before freezing.
Blanching and freezing can extend the life of:
seasonal vegetables
your garden’s harvest
vegetables about to spoil
Some vegetables don’t require blanching, such as:
onions
peppers
Blanching is a two-step technique of plunging something into a big pot of boiling water for a very short amount of time, sometimes seconds, sometimes minutes, then quickly moving it to an ice water bath (a bowl filled with water and ice). It’s really easy to blanch vegetables once you know how to do it.
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath.
Step 2: Carefully place the vegetables in the pot of boiling water. Use a spoon to push down and submerge the vegetables.
Step 3: Cook until the vegetables become crisp-tender but retain some texture. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon or pour into a colander.
Step 4: Immediately transfer the vegetables into the ice water bath. This stops the cooking. Keep in the ice water for the same amount of time they were in the hot water.
Storage: Store blanched vegetables in an airtight container with a damp paper towel on top, and they will keep well for 2 days.
Freezing: Blanched vegetables can be frozen for up to 6 months. Let the cool completely drain and spread on a sheet pan to prevent the vegetables from sticking together and then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag.
