Blanching Vegetables For Better Color And Texture Recipe
Yield: 1 infoRecipe by luhu.jp
Ingredients:
None,
Directions:
Blanching is a quick, two-step cooking technique in which vegetables
are cooked briefly in a large pot of boiling water and then dunked
into ice water to stop the cooking process. Vegetables intended to be
part of an hors doeuvre platter will taste better if blanched, and
green, orange, and white vegetables will have a brighter, more
appetizing color. Blanching is also useful for long-cooking
vegetables that are part of a stir-fry or a saute and need more than
a few seconds in a hot wok or frying pan to be cooked through. If you
want to grill large, dense vegetables, such as potatoes or
artichokes, theyll cook faster if you blanch them first.
To blanch your vegetables quickly and evenly, you need a lot of
water. Fill a pot with at least four times the vegetables volume in
water; i.e. use 2 quarts of water for 2 cups of vegetables. Bring the
water to a rapid boil and add the vegetables. The water should come
back to a boil within a minute. Leave the pot uncovered and test for
doneness by skewering a sample and judging its "bite". Begin timing
once the water returns to a boil. The vegetables are done when
theyre slightly tender but not soft. Small tender vegetables will
only take a minute or so, while larger or tougher vegetables can take
4-5 minutes.
Scoop the cooked vegetables into a strainer and dunk them into a sink
or a large bowl filled with ice and water. Once the vegetables have
cooled to the touch, remove them from the ice bath or theyll start
to absorb water.
If youre blanching several different vegetables, cook each one
separately. You can save time, however, by reusing the water. Just be
sure to move from mild to strong flavors so that your snow peas dont
end up tasting like brussels sprouts. Also consider colors; white
celery root should go before orange carrots. Some cooks use salted
water, others dont. It depends on how the vegetables are going to be
used.
Fine Cooking
Aug-Sept 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-11-95
Source from luhu.jp
are cooked briefly in a large pot of boiling water and then dunked
into ice water to stop the cooking process. Vegetables intended to be
part of an hors doeuvre platter will taste better if blanched, and
green, orange, and white vegetables will have a brighter, more
appetizing color. Blanching is also useful for long-cooking
vegetables that are part of a stir-fry or a saute and need more than
a few seconds in a hot wok or frying pan to be cooked through. If you
want to grill large, dense vegetables, such as potatoes or
artichokes, theyll cook faster if you blanch them first.
To blanch your vegetables quickly and evenly, you need a lot of
water. Fill a pot with at least four times the vegetables volume in
water; i.e. use 2 quarts of water for 2 cups of vegetables. Bring the
water to a rapid boil and add the vegetables. The water should come
back to a boil within a minute. Leave the pot uncovered and test for
doneness by skewering a sample and judging its "bite". Begin timing
once the water returns to a boil. The vegetables are done when
theyre slightly tender but not soft. Small tender vegetables will
only take a minute or so, while larger or tougher vegetables can take
4-5 minutes.
Scoop the cooked vegetables into a strainer and dunk them into a sink
or a large bowl filled with ice and water. Once the vegetables have
cooled to the touch, remove them from the ice bath or theyll start
to absorb water.
If youre blanching several different vegetables, cook each one
separately. You can save time, however, by reusing the water. Just be
sure to move from mild to strong flavors so that your snow peas dont
end up tasting like brussels sprouts. Also consider colors; white
celery root should go before orange carrots. Some cooks use salted
water, others dont. It depends on how the vegetables are going to be
used.
Fine Cooking
Aug-Sept 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-11-95
Source from luhu.jp