Blanching or Wilting

Blanching/wilting are cooking terms that describe a process of food preparation wherein an ingredient is rapidly plunged into boiling water and then removed after a brief, timed interval and then plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water. This process rapidly heats and then cools the food. This allows the food, usually fruits and vegetables, to firm up and makes the food's natural flavour more pronounced, and is often a preparative technique for freezing food.

It is also an effective method of loosening the skin on fruits or nuts that one may wish to peel, such as tomatoes, plums, peaches, or almonds. In addition, the process enhances the colour of some (particularly green) vegetables.

Steam blanching is also used to neutralise bacteria and enzymes present in foods so that they may be processed and gain a greater shelf life, such as peanuts. Blanching can also describe deep-frying in oil at a lower temperature as with the initial cooking of French fries.

It is very important to remember that blanching time varies with the size and variety of ingredient. Under blanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Over blanching causes loss of flavour, colour, vitamins and minerals.

Blanching sufficiently wilts vegetables like spinach and silver beet so they pack better. Without blanching, the flavour in frozen vegetables changes noticeably.

Some vegetables, although they can be eaten raw, have a tougher structure than traditional salad vegetables. Some of these benefit from blanching before addition to a salad of raw vegetables. The blanching softens the cellulose structure enough to make the vegetable more palatable than in their raw state, so that they combine better with the natural crispness of the raw vegetables in the salad.

How to Wash and Trim the Ingredient to be Blanched if Necessary

• Place some water in a saucepan and bring it to the boil.
• Place the fruits or vegetables into a strainer or colander that will fit inside the saucepan and that, when placed into the saucepan, allows the food in it to be immersed in the water.
• Cut the fruits or vegetables into even sized pieces, ideally the size they will be when served.
• When the water is bubbling vigorously, submerge the strainer or colander holding the fruits or vegetables in the water for about 30 seconds and then remove.
• Quickly chill by either rinsing under cold water or plunging into an ice filled bowl of cold water.