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Blanch
and Get the Skins Off - Nuts & Fruits; How to Blanch Vegetables |
Blanching is to immerse, usually vegetables,
nuts or fruit, briefly into boiling water. This inactivates the enzymes,
loosens skin or soaks away excess salt. |
BLANCHING
NUTS:
In the case of nuts, especially with almonds, pistachios
and
hazelnuts, in addition to the tough outer husk, they have a thin inner lining
which needs to be removed. This lining
can be bitter and somewhat unattractive when found in confection and baked
goods. Blanching can be a time consuming process. Think about purchasing
them already blanched and skinned. Nuts can then
be
chopped
and then
toasted,
if desired.
ALMONDS:
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 | Shell almonds and place them in a saucepan. Cover them
with water. |
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| Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse nuts in
cold water. |
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| Pinch off the almond skins by holding them at one end
with your index finger and thumb, and then while pointing them into a
bowl, press your fingers together -- be careful because they can shoot
across the room ! |
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| Place blanched nuts on a jelly roll or rimmed pan and
dry them out in a 300 degree preheated oven for about 5 - 10 minutes.
Don't let them brown. |
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PEANUTS, HAZELNUTS OR PISTACHIOS:
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| Roast nuts on a jelly roll or rimmed pan in a 325
degree preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the smell delicious.
Do not let them burn. |
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| While hot or cool, briskly rub them in a
coarse-textured towel or on the inside of a small mesh strainer to loosen
the skins. |
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| Separate the nuts from the skins. If some skins
are recalcitrant, just leave. A little amount won't hurt. |
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 BLANCHING
FRUIT:
Remove the skin of peaches, etc. with a paring knife
or by blanching in hot water for a few seconds and then into cold water and then
peeling the skin back.
Peaches: must be peeled first before using as the filling in a
pie recipe. This is best done by
blanching them: slicing a cross in the bottom and then plunge them into boiling
water, two at a time. You will see the cut begin to peel, immediately remove
them and then plunge into ice water to chill quickly. Then after a few minutes
you can pick them up and with a paring knife, peel them. They are blanched, so
you don't need to worry about them browning at this point.
 BLANCHING
VEGETABLES:
Blanching is scalding the vegetables in water or in steam for a short period of
time. It is a very important step in freezing vegetables because it slows or
stops the action of enzymes. These enzymes are essential for growth and
maturation of the plant. If the enzyme action is not stopped before freezing,
the vegetables may develop off-flavors, discolor, or toughen so that they may be
unappetizing in a few weeks.
Blanching times vary with
the size and kind of vegetable. The times recommended are just long enough to
stop or destroy the enzymes. Be sure to follow the recommended blanching times.
In underblanched vegetables enzyme action continues. Overblanched vegetables are
cooked and have a leftover look when served.
To blanch in boiling water
Use a blancher, which
has a blanching basket and cover, or fit a wire basket into a large kettle
with a cover. Use at least 1 gallon of water for each pound of vegetables. Put
the vegetables into the basket and lower the basket into the boiling water.
Cover. Using a high heat setting, water should return to boiling in about one
minute. Use an accurate timer and blanch for the time specified for individual
vegetables. If boiling is not resumed in a minute, you are blanching too large
a quantity at one time.
To blanch in steam
Put 1 to 2 inches of
water in a kettle and bring to a rolling boil. Suspend a thin layer of
vegetables in a wire basket or cheesecloth over the rapidly boiling water.
Cover, keep the heat on high and steam blanch vegetables the time recommended
in the table.
Blanching in the microwave
You may blanch many
vegetables with microwave using the following tips.
| Prepare fresh
vegetables carefully. Don't blanch more than 4 cups of prepared leafy green
vegetables or 2 cups of all other prepared vegetables at one time. Always
add ¼ cup of water to the vegetables before blanching. Blanching times
increase unpredictably for larger food pieces or quantities and larger
amounts of water. |
| Use a 2-quart round,
glass casserole or a similar-sized and -shaped microwave container. Do not
use a metal container or lid. Cover the container with Saran wrap or similar
film before blanching as glass lids unpredictably increase blanching times.
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| Use a medium-sized to
large oven (more than 1 cubic foot) and an appropriate blanching time for
individual vegetables and your oven type. |
Cooling
After vegetables are
heated they should be cooled quickly and thoroughly to stop the cooking. After
heating, plunge the basket of vegetables immediately into a large quantity of
cold water. Change water frequently or use cold running water or iced water. If
ice is used you'll need about one pound of ice for each pound of vegetables. It
takes about as long to cool the vegetables as it does to heat them. When
vegetables are cool, remove from water and drain thoroughly.
Preparation
Table for Freezing Vegetables
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VEGETABLE |
PREPARATION |
BLANCHING TIME (in boiling water unless otherwise stated)
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| ASPARAGUS |
Wash thoroughly, sort by size. Cut into
2-inch lengths or leave in spears. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and
freeze. |
Small stalks - 2 minutes
Medium stalks - 3 minutes
Large stalks - 4 minutes |
| BEANS, lima |
Select beans ready for table use with
slightly rounded, bright green pods. Shell, wash and sort according to size.
Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
Small beans - 2 minutes
Medium beans - 3 minutes
Large beans - 4 minutes |
| BEANS, green or wax |
Select young tender beans. Wash and remove
ends. Leave whole, slice or cut into 1- to 1½-inch lengths. Blanch, cool and
drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
3 minutes |
| BEETS |
Wash and sort according to size. Trim tops
leaving ½ inch of stem. Cook in boiling water until tender. Cool, peel and
cut into slices or cubes. Package, seal and freeze. |
Cook:
Small beets - 25-30 minutes
Medium beets - 45-50 minutes |
| BROCCOLI |
Wash and trim. If insects are present soak ½
hour in a solution of 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon of cold water. Split
lengthwise into pieces no more than 1½ inches across. Blanch, cool and
drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
In water - 3 minutes
In steam - 5 minutes |
| BRUSSELS SPROUTS
|
Select green, firm compact heads. Make sure
no insects are present. Trim, removing coarse outer leaves. Wash and sort.
Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
Small - 3 minutes
Medium - 4 minutes
Large - 5 minutes |
| CABBAGE (for cooked dishes)
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Select fresh, compact heads. Remove coarse
outer leaves. Cut into medium or coarse shreds, thin wedges, or separate
leaves. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
1½ minutes |
| CARROTS |
Select tender, mild-flavored carrots. Remove
tops. Wash and peel. Leave small carrots whole. Cut others into ¼-inch
cubes, thin slices or lengthwise strips. Blanch, cool and drain. Package,
seal and freeze. seal and freeze. |
Small, whole - 5 minutes
OR
Diced, sliced or strips -
2 minutes |
| CAULIFLOWER |
Choose tender, firm, snow-white heads. Break
into pieces about 1 inch across. Wash. If insects are present, soak ½ hour
in a solution of 4 teaspoons salt to 1 gallon of cold water. Drain. Blanch,
cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
3 minutes |
| CORN, sweet |
Select ears with plump kernels and thin
sweet milk. Husk ears, remove silk and wash. |
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| whole kernel and creamed
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Blanch, cool and drain. For whole kernel
corn -- cut corn off cob about 2/3 the depth of kernels. For cream style
corn -- cut at ½ depth of kernels and scrape cob with back of knife to
remove juice. Package, seal and freeze. |
4 minutes |
| on the cob |
Sort ears according to size. Small ears --
1¼ inches or less in diameter. Medium ears -- 1¼-1½ inches in diameter.
Large ears -- over 1½ inches in diameter. Blanch, cool and drain. Package,
seal and freeze. |
Small ears - 7 minutes
Medium ears - 9 minutes
Large ears -11 minutes |
| EGGPLANT |
Wash, peel and slice into slices 1/3 inch
thick. Preserve color by soaking 5 minutes in a solution consisting of 4
tablespoons salt to 1 gallon of water. Ascorbic acid mixture, used according
to package instructions, can be substituted. Blanch, cool and drain.
Package, seal and freeze. |
4 minutes |
| GREENS, beet greens, collards, chard,
kale, mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens |
Select tender leaves. Wash and remove stems.
Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
Collards - 3 minutes
Other greens - 2 minutes
Very tender leaves -1½ minutes |
| KOHLRABI |
Select young, tender, mild-flavored
kohlrabi. Remove tops and roots. Wash, peel and leave whole or dice into
½-inch cubes. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
Whole - 3 minutes
Cubes -1 minute |
| MUSHROOMS |
Choose mushrooms free of spots. Sort by
size; wash and trim ends. Blanch, cool and drain. Optional method: saute in
butter or margarine until tender. Package, seal and freeze. |
In steam: whole - 5 minutes
Button or quarters - 3½ minutes
Slices - 3 minutes |
| ONIONS |
Peel, wash and chop fully mature onions.
Loosely pack and freeze in large freezer bags. Take out as needed. |
No heat treatment needed |
| PARSNIPS |
Choose tender small to medium parsnips.
Remove tops, wash, peel and cut into ½-inch cubes or slices. Blanch, cool
and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
2 minutes |
| PEAS, green |
Pick sweet and tender table-ready peas.
Shell, blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
1½ minutes |
| snow, sugar or Chinese |
Choose table-ready, tender pods. Wash,
remove blossom ends and strings. Leave whole. Blanch, cool and drain.
Package, seal and freeze. |
Small pods -1½-2 minutes
Medium pods - 2½-3 minutes |
| PEPPERS, green or hot |
Select tender, crisp peppers. Wash, cut off
stems, remove seeds. Cut into rings or slices as desired. Package, seal and
freeze. |
No heat treatment needed |
| POTATOES |
Wash, peel and cut into ½-inch cubes. Blanch
and cool. Package, seal and freeze.
For hash browns: cook in jackets until nearly done. Peel,
grate and form into desired shape. Freeze.
For French fries: peel and cut into strips. Fry in deep
fat until light golden brown. Drain, cool. Package and freeze. To serve,
heat in 450° oven until golden brown. |
5 minutes |
| PUMPKIN and WINTER
SQUASH |
Select mature squash or pumpkin. Wash, cut
into small pieces and remove seeds. Cook until soft in boiling water, in
steam or in 350° oven. Remove pulp from rind. Mash cool, package and freeze. |
Cook until tender |
| SUMMER SQUASH
(ZUCCHINI) |
Select young tender squash. Wash and cut
into ½-inch slices. Blanch, cool and drain. Package, seal and freeze. |
3 minutes |
| ZUCCHINI, grated |
Steam in small quantities until translucent.
Pack in amounts used in recipes allowing head space. Put containers in cold
water to cool. Seal and freeze. Drain before using in baking. |
In steam --1-2 minutes |
| TOMATOES, juice
|
Wash, sort and trim tomatoes. Cut in
quarters or eighths. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Press through a sieve. Cool. Pour
into freezer containers. Leave 1½ inch headspace. Seal and freeze. |
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| stewed |
Wash, scald 1 minute to loosen skin, peel
and core. Cut into quarters. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool. Pack into freezer
containers. Leave 1 inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
OR: |
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| raw |
Peel and core tomato as above. Cut into
quarters or smaller. Put into freezer containers. Press down with wooden
spoon to release juice to cover. Leave 1 inch headspace. Seal and freeze. |
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| TURNIPS |
Select small to medium, firm, mild-flavored
turnips. Wash, peel and cut into ½-inch cubes. Blanch, cool and drain.
Package, seal and freeze. |
2 minutes |
from:
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/he187w.htm
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