5 Reasons You Must Blanch Vegetables And How To Do It Properly
If you love to have vegetable dishes as sides alongside your meals or just generally love vegetable recipes, then you must have come across the concept of blanching them. Simply put, blanching is pouring vegetables or fruit into boiling hot water and letting them sit for very few minutes. Read on for the importance of this process and how to do it best.
You can blanch your vegetables or fruits before cooking or freezing for long-term storage but you must ensure that dousing them in hot water is closely followed by an ice bath that stops them from continuing to cook.
Blanching isn't just a menial task, it plays numerous essential roles. Some of them are:
1. It eliminates bitterness
Some vegetables like kale are naturally bitter which can ruin the overall flavor profile of any dish they are added to. That's why blanching is essential as it easily destroys specific enzymes in vegetables that cause this bitterness.
2. It reduces cooking time
Cooking the vegetables becomes even faster since you have already blanched them, giving you more time to focus on other aspects of the recipe.
3. It kills harmful microbes
The heat kills some bacteria and removes some of the dirt from the vegetables. This is why blanching is recommended before freezing as it'll keep the vegetables fresher for longer.
4. It makes the veggies turn brighter colors
Many green vegetables turn a brighter green color when blanched, making them aesthetically pleasing and appetizing.
5. It makes for fresh flavors and locks in vitamins
This is mostly due to the enzymes that are destroyed by the heat. Again, this is why it's best for when you're planning to freeze the vegetables.
How to Blanch Vegetables
Blanching can be performed in various ways, with boiling water, steam, or with a microwave. However, the boiling water method is the easiest to do.
Here's a simplified guide to the technique of blanching with boiling water:
- Boil a large pot of water.
- Drop the vegetables into the boiling water.
- Use a timer to make sure you take the vegetables out after the blanching time. The blanching time varies depending on whether you’re blanching the vegetable to freeze it or if you’re blanching it for other purposes – it needs to be more exact if you’re planning to freeze it.
- Use a large strainer to remove the vegetables quickly.
- Dip the vegetables immediately into cold or ice water.
Enjoy!
