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Blanching

Blanching is a cooking step, pronounced chāo shuǐ.

Blanching refers to placing pre-processed ingredients in a pot of boiling water and heating them until half-cooked or fully cooked, then removing them for further cooking or seasoning.

Blanching is an indispensable step in cooking, especially for cold dishes. It plays a crucial role in the color, aroma, and taste of the dish, particularly the color.

Most vegetables and meat ingredients with strong fishy or muttony odors need to be blanched.

Procedure

Blanching in Boiling Water

Blanching in boiling water involves heating the water in the pot first, then adding the ingredients. Stir promptly after adding the ingredients, keep the time short, and avoid overcooking.

This method is mostly used for plant-based ingredients, such as celery, spinach, and celtuce. When blanching, pay special attention to the heat and timing; if the time is too long, the color will fade, and the texture will lose its crispness and tenderness. Therefore, remove the ingredients from the pot and let them cool once the water is just simmering.

  • Leafy vegetables should be blanched before slicing to prevent excessive loss of nutrients.
  • Use plenty of water and high heat when blanching to ensure the water boils immediately after adding the ingredients; when blanching leafy green vegetables, remove them as soon as the water reaches a rolling boil.
  • Vegetables should be immediately cooled and drained after blanching to prevent them from turning yellow or becoming mushy due to residual heat.
  • Adding a small amount of salad oil, such as peanut oil, corn oil, or soybean oil, during blanching helps maintain the vibrant green color of vegetables.

Blanching in Cold Water

Blanching in cold water involves adding the ingredients and cold water to the pot simultaneously. The water should cover the ingredients, then bring to a boil. The purpose is to cook the ingredients thoroughly, making them easier to process further.

Potatoes, carrots, and other large-volume ingredients take longer to cook and need more time.

Some animal-based ingredients, such as pork belly, beef tripe, and beef brisket, are also heated in cold water until cooked before further processing. Some animal-based ingredients used for making soup should also be started in cold water to allow nutrients to gradually leach out, enhancing the soup's flavor. If hot water is used, the proteins will coagulate, preventing this.

  • The amount of water in the pot should not be excessive; just enough to cover the ingredients is sufficient.
  • During the gradual heating process, stir the ingredients frequently to ensure even heating and achieve the purpose of blanching.

Additional Precautions

  • Blanching may cause some unstable, soluble nutrients in the ingredients to leach out, especially water-soluble vitamins in fresh vegetables, which are more prone to loss.
  • Animal-based ingredients and plant-based ingredients should be blanched separately; ingredients with strong colors and flavors should be blanched separately from those with mild colors and flavors; large chunks should be blanched separately from small chunks to prevent cross-flavoring.
  • The broth after blanching animal-based ingredients can be used as fresh stock after skimming the foam and clarifying.

Blanching Meat

  • Meat ingredients only need to be blanched in boiling water until they change color. Remove them, drain the water, and proceed with the next step of cooking.
  • After blanching meat, wash off the attached blood foam and impurities. Remember to use warm water; otherwise, the meat's thermal expansion and contraction will cause it to absorb the impurities, making it difficult to clean off the blood foam.

Blanching Green Vegetables

  • When washing leafy greens, add some salt to the clean water to help remove any insects from the greens.
  • After blanching, immediately submerge the leafy greens in cold water to preserve their color and texture. If you don't soak them in cold water, the residual heat from the boiling water will make the greens lose their crispness and become mushy.