Blanching is a quick and easy method of cooking veggies while preserving their nutritional value. The fast cooking and cooling of blanching rids fresh veggies of contaminants and leaves them tender, yet crisp and colorful. Here’s how you can blanch delicious vegetables for salads, snacks, stir-fries and more.
Directions:
1. Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces or thin chunks.
Photo by Kai Huang
2. Place a colander in a mixing bowl with ice water to make an ice bath.
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3. Fill a small to medium-sized saucepan halfway with water, and bring to a boil.
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4. Put the veggies in the boiling water in small batches, one type at a time. You can season the blanching water with some salt and various spices for a light touch of flavor.
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5. Remove each batch when the veggies are cooked and crisp, and immediately place them in the ice bath. Blanching time varies between different vegetables—large chunks of broccoli and carrot can take 2 or 3 minutes while spinach and thin onion slices take 10 seconds or less.
Photo by Kai Huang
6. Once all veggies have been blanched, drain the colander and enjoy!
Photo by Kai Huang