Blanching Vegetables: Whether you are cooking a recipe or trying to prepare produce Blanching is a technique that is often recommended. There are numerous perks of blanching vegetables in terms of cooking time or removing bitterness, etc.
In this article, we have covered info on What is meant by Blanching, Why Blanching is Required, Tips & Tricks to Blanch Vegetables, etc. In addition, we have outlined some of the drawbacks of the blanching technique too in the later sections.
- What is Blanching?
- How to Blanch Vegetables?
- Why Blanching is Required?
- Tips for Blanching Vegetables
- Drawbacks of Blanching
- How long should you blanch your vegetables?
- What is the point of blanching enzymes?
- Is it better to blanch or steam vegetables?
What is Blanching?
Blanching is the process of plunging something into a pot of boiling water for a short period of time. Later, you need to shift the veggies into an ice water bath to halt the cooking process.
How to Blanch Vegetables?
The procedure to blanch vegetables is listed below. They are along the lines
- Firstly, prepare the veggies right after thawing.
- Keep a pot of water in the oven.
- While the water is boiling make sure to keep an ice bath for veggies. If you Blanch a handful of veggies you can skip the process of placing ice cubes.
- If the water in the pot is boiling keep the prepared veggies in the pot.
- After the water is boiling keep a timer and place the veggies for a given time. The timing depends on the size and texture.
- Shift the veggies into an ice bath and leave the veggies for at least 5 minutes.
- Pat the vegetables for drying before freezing. Use paper towels to get rid of any wetness.
Why Blanching is Required?
Blanching is needed to preserve color, texture, and flavor and thus nutritional value is preserved. It even softens the food from the outside and keeps the interior crisp. The process even holds the color for a long period of time.
- Vegetables will become crisp and bright in salads.
- Before adding the veggies into a stir fry blanching will soften the veggies and reduces the cooking time.
- Bitterness in veggies like cabbage, leafy greens, and onions will be removed.
- Blanching helps to loosen the skin on certain vegetables like tomatoes and peaches and can be peeled off easily.
- When compared to freezing, drying, or canning blanching is often considered as it gives plain texture and color.
Tips for Blanching Vegetables
Follow the simple tips & tricks over here while blanching vegetables. They are as follows
- Cut the vegetables into uniform slices so that they don’t undercook or overcook.
- Take a bigger pot and use lots of water.
- Add salt to your water so that flavors and nutrients are not leached into the water.
- Make sure to add enough water for the number of vegetables being blanched.
- Keep the vegetables after boiling them in the ice bath.
- Stir the vegetables once or twice while they are kept in water so as to ensure even cooling.
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Drawbacks of Blanching
Blanching has got its own drawbacks. It takes additional time to do so. However, it takes a time of around 20-30 minutes to blanch a small batch of veggies. The best method to do so is to mitigate it while cooking another method. One more drawback is the loss of nutrients in the process. In the boiling process veggies leach water-soluble nutrients.
Temperature destroys heat-sensitive ones. We can freeze vegetables to cook later. Cooking and reheating vegetables can reduce the risk of nutrient loss.
FAQs on Blanching & How You Do It
1. How long should you blanch your vegetables?
You can blanch your vegetables for about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the vegetables.
2. What is the point of blanching enzymes?
Blanching prevents enzyme actions which result in loss of color, flavor, and texture.
3. Is it better to blanch or steam vegetables?
Steaming Vegetables is better as it retains more nutritional value compared to blanching.
Summary
We as a team believe the knowledge shared on our page regarding Blanching Vegetables has been useful to you. If you have any questions left unanswered feel free to ask us through the comment section so that we can get back to you. Stay connected to avail latest updates on similar kinds of articles like Can You Freeze Jalapenos and Can Freeze Leeks, etc. in the further modules.