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Blanching Vegetables

A method for briefly boiling vegetables to preserve color and texture.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Blanching Vegetables

Ingredients

Directions

Blanch

  1. Fill a large stewpan half full of rapidly boiling water.

  2. Add 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt for every 2 quarts of water.

  3. Clean and drain the vegetables.

  4. Drop the vegetables into the boiling water.

  5. Bring the water back to a boil quickly.

  6. Boil rapidly for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the vegetable.

  7. Drain the water.

  8. If not finishing cooking immediately, pour cold water over the vegetables to cool them quickly.

  9. Drain and set aside.

Finish cooking

  1. To continue cooking, place the vegetables in a small stewpan with butter or drippings and seasonings.

  2. Add a few spoonfuls of liquid for juicy vegetables or half a pint for drier ones.

  3. Cover the stewpan, leaving a slight opening for ventilation, and cook gently until done.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Vegetables of choice
The main food being cooked; blanching softens them while keeping their color and texture.
Butter or drippings
Adds fat and richness when the blanched vegetables are finished in the stewpan.

The step that matters

Boil rapidly for 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the vegetable. Boiling fully after the vegetables go in keeps the water near boiling, so cooking is quick and even. Chilling promptly when stopping early sets the color and stops overcooking, leaving the vegetables crisp-tender rather than dull and mushy.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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