How to Blanch Vegetables (and Why You Should)
Blanching is a great cooking method to add to your toolbox, and it turns out that some vegetables are actually better. If you’ve heard about it but aren’t quite sure how to do it, you’ve come to the right place. HOUR
What is blanching?
Blanching is a cooking method in which fruits and vegetables are gently and quickly cooked in boiling water. The fast part is important. “Blanching” is not the same as “boiling.” A dunk usually takes a minute or two and may only last a few seconds. You don’t boil the ingredient to fully cook it; Blanching is done to simply soften or cook the outer surface. That’s why it’s usually a good method for cooking vegetables when you want to soften the outer surface to remove bitter tannins and woodiness, such as in green beans or asparagus.
The second part of blanching is usually an ice water bath. Anything that has just been removed from a heat source, be it an oven or microwave, retains heat. This internal heat can continue to cook the product for several minutes. It may not seem like a big deal, but something you want to gently cook for 20 seconds to give it a nice pop of color can end up losing its quality due to something called leftover cooking. This cooking can be stopped by immersing it in ice water.
Confession: I’m a little lazy; This is a small portion of vegetables, I just fill it with cold water. You can be better than me and take an ice bath.
What’s the point of blanching?
If blanching doesn’t cook the food completely, why do it? The main reasons why you would even consider blanching or why you see it in recipes is that you want to preserve the integrity of the interior for some reason or the vegetable is particularly bitter.
Let’s talk about bitterness first because it is very specific. When boiling, some properties of vegetables are lost, including taste. This is why boiling is usually not the most recommended method for preparing everything : you can lose the flavor of the water, and unless it’s soup, it will go down the drain. However, the unpleasant bitter taste can be eliminated by prolonged blanching. My favorite example, because it’s disgusting if you don’t blanch it, is rapini. If you think you don’t like broccoli rapini, read this and try making it again.
In terms of keeping the insides intact, blanching removes the raw edges of some vegetables while maintaining their crispness and juiciness. This is a great way to enhance your Crudité dish . Another great use is to peel some fruits. You can do this with tomatoes to get a silky sauce that doesn’t have bits of curled skin floating around, or with peaches to make a delicious peach pie or peach chips .
There are levels to this
The length of time you immerse something in slowly simmering water will depend on what kind of food it is and the desired result. If I blanch the green beans, it only takes about a minute for a beautifully presented side dish. They will become soft and less bitter, but not mushy or mushy in any way.
Blanching something very delicate can be tricky. Sometimes asparagus or peas can become overcooked in just a few seconds. For these products, it is better to use pourover blanche. Drain the vegetables in a colander and simply pour boiling water over them. This flash of hot water is enough to cook the outside without wilting the most fragile parts.
Basic Blanching Method
1. Set up a blanching station.
Blanching happens quickly, so you need to be prepared for the next step. Place a large saucepan over medium heat with a lid and bring the water to a boil. While this is happening, fill a large bowl with cold water and add a cup of ice. Prep the vegetables (trim or chop if necessary), use a handy timer and a wide slotted spoon to submerge and scoop out food.
2. Blanch
When the water boils, remove the lid and add a little salt – half a teaspoon is enough for a medium saucepan. Add a handful of vegetables. If the pot is large, you can add more, but you don’t want the water to cool so much that it stops boiling; you’ll probably work in batches. Activate the timer for the required time. Use a slotted spoon to submerge the vegetables until they are completely submerged. When the timer runs out, dig them up.
3. Diving under ice
Drop the vegetables directly into the ice bath and submerge them with a spoon. At this point you can see how the color of the vegetable has really become brighter. Submerge all vegetables in cold water as soon as possible. After about 20 seconds, you can place them on a wire rack to dry. They are ready to use.
Cruciferous vegetables are often tough and contain some bitterness, so they benefit from blanching. Try the same with broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus and thin carrots. I highly recommend this method for peeling tomatoes and peaches. Make a shallow cut in the bottom of any of the fruits, blanch for 20-30 seconds, and when you remove them from the water bath, you will feel the skin slide off immediately.