Blanching?

[bernie5711]

When someone says they "Blanch" something for 2 minutes in boiling water, do they mean they get the water boiling and drop the stuff in for 2 minutes or put the vegtables in cold water, bring it to a boil, and leave it at a boil for 2 minutes. I tried the second way and my broccoli seemed way too soft. After I froze it and then thawed it out for dinner a few weeks later, it was almost to soft to hold together? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My system for blanching is to bring the water to a full boil, add the vegetables and cover it with the lid, and start the timer. Keep the heat applied so it returns to a boil, but start the timer as soon as you put the produce in the hot water. When the timer goes off, take the lid off, raise the drainer out of the water with the produce, drain it, and dump it in ice water to immediately stop the cooking.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I do the first way, get the water really boiling hard, drop in the veggies, and start timing once its back to a nice hard boil again. I think that is the actual definition of blanch, but i'm not 100%. I think you'll have better luck if you try it this way, sounds like the broccoli was cooking as the water warmed up, and got overdone. Good luck!

 

[Smart Red]

As Ridgerunner said, add the veggies to already boiling water and start timing right away. Most important is the sudden cooling in ice water that stops the cooking and helps to keep the veggies firm after they are frozen. Blanching is done to stop natural enzymes from doing their decomposing work in food. The heat isn't to cook the food, but to kill the enzymes. Once they are gone, cool quickly to prevent further cooking and freeze.

 

[bernie5711]

THANKS!