Blanched vegetables are boiled briefly, usually 1-2 minutes, in salted water, just past the raw stage. Blanching helps to bring out a vegetables flavor and vibrant color. Blanched vegetables are often used for crudités. Blanching deactivates enzymes that can turn plants soft, brown, or otherwise unsavory. Take basil, for example, which turns an ugly dark brown (and eventually blackens) when cut. Blanching basil leaves for a few seconds before puréeing them with oil makes for a bright green garnish.
Parboiled or par-cooked vegetables are boiled in the same way but cooked almost completely, to the [recipe id=’2605′ slug=’al-dente’ /] stage. Blanched or parboiled vegetables are usually submerged in an ice bath or “shocked”, to stop the cooking process and preserve their color. The vegetables are only submerged long enough to cool them but not become soft and water-logged. Blanched and shocked vegetables may be store refrigerated and quickly reheated by sautéing, steaming or plunged briefly back into boiling water.
For blanching or parboiling, taste the vegetables every 30 seconds or so, until the desired level of doneness is achieved. Use a large pot with plenty of boiling water and heavily salt the water with about 2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water. Use sufficient water so that it doesn’t fall off the boil when the vegetables are added. The additional water also dilutes the acids that vegetables give off that turn them brown. The salt seasons the vegetables and raises the boiling point of water, cooking the vegetables faster
Reasons to Blanch
- Loosen Thin Skins from Fruits and Vegetables
- Brighten and Fix Color
- Achieve “Crisp-Tender” Texture
- Remove Bitterness from Some Vegetables, ex. Broccoli Rabe
- Par-cook Vegetables for Mise en Place
- Prepare Fruits and Vegetables for Long-Term Freezer Storage
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