To blanch

Published on August 29 ^th 2017   in:   dictionary
  vegetables

What is it?

It is a technique of pre-cooking used to prepare ingredients while making other recipes.

What is it good for?

It is useful to clean the food, as it removes potential additives but also undesired bitter or sour tastes. But it also useful to soften vegetables (as an example you can soften lettuce, vine or cabbage leaves ro make rolls) or to ease the peeling of tomatoes, almonds, nuts…

How do you do it?

• Hot: Bring to a boil abundant water. You can use pure water or you can add salt or vinegar. Submerge the food a little at a time. When water boils again, strain the food and submerge in cold water with ice. When the food is completely cold you can strain it and use it in your recipe.
• Cold: you can do it by placing the food under running water for a long time or you can submerge it in a pot of cold water and then bring it slowly to a boil. When water boils, strain the food and cool it down in ice and water. This method is especially useful to clean meat and bones from impurities and strong flavors.