What does blanching do for vegetables?

Question

Why do some people blanch vegetables instead of just cooking them? I wanna try blanched green beans, but I don't know how they would taste.

Answer 1

If you blanch vegetables, you not only keep the vibrant color of the vegetable but you get a crisp, bright vegetable instead of boiling them until they are completely soft and loose most of their flavor. Another reason for blanching them is when you want to roast them which adds another great dimension of flavor. Try blanching the green beans and then shocking them in ice water. Once you have done that, dry them and add olive oil over top with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then put them in a 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. I love vegetables cooked this way.

Answer 2

Blanch Veggies

Answer 3

Sorry about the vegetables. Blanching is just a quick heat treatment to stop the vegetables from continuing to ripen. It kills the ripening enzymes. Have a large kettle of boiling water, drop the vegetables in for about 2 minutes, then quickly fish them back out and drop them into ice water to immediately stop the heat from cooking the vegetables. Once cold, dry and put into freezer bags and Voila! All done. Now the answer about not bothering.......if you promise to use the veggies within 90 days, most do just fine without blanching. But I end up with the eternal greenbeans and come 5 months later I like having them edible. Sounds like tomatoes are not good this year......too bad because this blanching then ice bath is great for removing the tomato skin for freezing. Yes, I know if you use the tomato quickly, it can be frozen whole without blanching......good for stews or sauces.

Answer 4

Blanching is a cooking technique involving boiling food (usually vegetables and fruits) in water for a very short time. Blanching is often followed by plunging the food into cold water to stop the cooking process. Though the word means to make something white or pale, blanching certain vegetables like broccoli will make their colors more vivid.

Blanching is commonly used to remove skins from tomatoes and almonds.

Vegetables are often blanched prior to freezing or canning. This helps preserve the food by slowing down or halting enzyme action that causes foods to break down, losing color, flavor, and nutritional value.

Blanching is similar to parboiling, which also involves boiling food briefly in water. Certain vegetables may benefit from being blanched or parboiled before being stir-fried.

Answer 5

For the most part balnching just starts the cooking process so it doesn't take as long to finish them. You do this because veggies are best when they finish cooking as close to service as possible. You wouldn't normally just blanch green beans, but with cooking you will always get differing opinions.

Answer 6

Blanching starts the cooking process so that they can be quickly reheated to al dente stage for service. It also makes the colors more vibrant. Try it with broccoli carrots and even green beans, youll see the difference.

Answer 7

Blanching is a very quick process.
It help to seal the freshness inside the veggies by cooking just the outside.
remember to soak in ice cold water after blanching, it helps to keep the colors of the veggies vibrant.

Answer 8

It softens them a bit (people usually like the softer texture) without losing as many nutrients from the veggie as you would if you boiled them. Blanched green beans are pretty crisp, with a totally different, fresher flavor than fully cooked green beans. If you like sour cream, try them blanched with a dollop of sour cream on them. Yum Yum!

Answer 9

In the superstore, fruits are usually chosen far too soon. Some are rocks, many are bitter. Some of the fruit and vegetables are generally right (zucchini, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, and a few others) so I'd have to go with vegetables.

Answer 10

it blanches them