BLANCHING

:''For the term used in coinage, see Blanching (coinage).''

'Blanching' is a cooking term that describes a process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.
'Uses of blanching'

★ 'Peeling' Blanching loosens the skin on some fruits or nuts, such as onions, tomatoes, plums, peaches, or almonds.

★ 'Flavor' Blanching enhances the flavor of some vegetables, such as broccoli, by releasing bitter acids stored in the cellular structure of the food.

★ 'Appearance' Blanching enhances the color of some (particularly green) vegetables by releasing gases trapped in the cellular material that obscure the greenness of the chlorophyll. Since blanching is done - and halted - quickly, the heat does not have time to break down chlorophyll as well.

★ 'Shelf life' Blanching neutralizes bacteria and enzymes present in foods, thus delaying spoilage. This is often done as a preparatory step for freezing and refrigerating vegetables.
Blanching can also describe deep frying in oil at a lower temperature as with the initial cooking of french fries/chips.
Blanching also weakens the structure of vegetables rendering them softer than fresh, this is benefitial for canning vegetables where the air in vegetables needs to be minimal.

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Effects on vitamins

Also see

Effects on vitamins

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Also see

★ Parboil