There are a number of reasons for a cook to blanch vegetables, and it is an easy skill to learn. When foods need to be peeled, blanching makes the process much easier. Tomatoes, almonds , fava beans , and other foods can be blanched to loosen their peels. The blanching may also enhance the flavor of the food, and it will help the food keep its color as it is cooked.
The blanched and peeled foods can be used immediately, or preserved in a freezer. In the case of vegetables and fruits treated with pesticides, blanching is an excellent way to remove the peel without transferring the chemicals to the edible part of the fruit. Before freezing food, blanching is highly recommended. Blanching will neutralize bacteria and enzymes in the food which could cause it to go bad. Knowing how to blanch vegetables will not only help you keep them vibrant in color, but also the perfect texture for freezing and including in all your favorite dishes.
You may have heard cooking shows or Mom for that matter mention the cooking term "blanching," but if someone asked you to blanch green beans , would you know how? You will now. Blanching is a heat-and-cool process that plunges a fruit or vegetable into boiling water for a short amount of time before transferring it to an ice bath, which quickly stops the cooking. Also known as parboiling, this quick and simple yet super useful technique is most beneficial in getting vegetables ready for canning or freezing because it improves the texture and keeps their colors bright.
A lot of veggies, such as carrots, peas, and asparagus, benefit from blanching before freezing so they'll maintain their color and texture, but there are more reasons to make sure you add this method to your food prep. In general for blanching all vegetables, start by filling a large pot with water, using 1 gallon of water per pound of prepped vegetables. Not all vegetables require blanching, but here are the most common veggies that benefit from the technique. Blanching makes tomatoes easy to peel and protects their quality when freezing or getting them prepped for canning.
Use peeled tomatoes for sauces and salsas, too. This same technique works well for peeling peaches. After you've prepped your pot with water, follow these steps:. Place corn, a few cobs at a time, in boiling water for 4 minutes. After corn has cooled in ice bath, remove and cut kernels from the cob. Use immediately or store in freezer-safe bags.
After you're finished blanching your vegetables and they're all nice and tender, you can enjoy them in your favorite recipes or you can freeze the vegetables to have fresh veggies at the ready. Remember to label and date them before they go in the freezer. Put the vegetable in a blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, or you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water.
Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing. Heating in steam is recommended for a few vegetables. For broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and winter squash, both steaming and boiling are satisfactory methods. To steam, use a pot with a tight lid and a basket that holds the food at least three inches above the bottom of the pot. Put an inch or two of water in the pot and bring the water to a boil.
Put the vegetables in the basket in a single layer so that steam reaches all parts quickly. Cover the pot and keep heat high. Start counting steaming time as soon as the lid is on. See steam blanching times recommended for the vegetables listed below.
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