Blanching is a cooking method where fruit or vegetables are briefly immersed in boiling water. It is usually considered as food preservation and pre-heat treatment before drying, freezing, or canning. Blanching not only cleanses contaminants from the surface but also brightens colours and helps maintain flavour and nutritional value. Sometimes it might be to soften it or to loosen the skin to make peeling easier. Generally, followed by shocking which rapidly cools the food in an ice bath.
Blanching is essentially dropping vegetables or fruits into a pot of boiling water. After just a few minutes (2-3 for many food items), shock the vegetables by removing them from the boiling water and putting them directly into an ice bath. This will immediately halt the cooking process.
How to Blanch
- Take a head of broccoli and cut it into bite-size pieces
- Add 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to a large saucepan
- Bring water to a boil
- Add broccoli and cook for 2 minutes after water returns to a boil
- Immediately proceed to the Shocking process
**If freezing, strain broccoli from saucepan and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat dry with additional paper towels and then place into a large rigid container or freezer bag.
How to Shock
- Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water while the broccoli is cooking
- Strain broccoli from the saucepan
- Plunge directly into the ice bath for approximately 2 minutes or until cold to the touch
**We generally shock for around the same amount of time that we blanch.