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 vegetables.
Blanching can also describe deep frying in oil at a lower temperature as with the initial cooking of french fries/chips.
Content Courtesy: Wikipedia
