Do You Blanch?

Do you blanch your veggies?







You should.

Here's why:

All the cool* kids are doing it.

It will make you feel culinary.

Your veggies will automatically look more appetizing.

..And thus, your veggies will taste better.

People will assume you have a knack for finding beautiful produce. They will like you more.

(Bedsides the time it takes to boil some water on the stove) It takes under a minute.

You will eat more healthy foods and live longer.



Here are my broccoli "before and afters:"

Straight out of the fridge:


After I blanched them (same time of day, no flash, no color adjustment):



In conclusion, If you have at all tried the all-day veggie tray (which, by the way, has been wildly successful), blanching is a must. Or if you find yourself pre-packing raw vegetables to take to work or in a cooler, just give it a try.

*(I'm just assuming all of you already don't do this...I could be totally off base here...you may all have an extensive background in vegetable preparation for all I know...cut me some slack, I'm relatively new to the liking-raw-vegetables arena...)

Here's a basic rundown of the procedure:

1)Throw a handful of your vegetable of choice into a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds (the time will vary depending on the veggie and the amount: anywhere from 15 seconds to a minute)

2)Then quickly transfer them into a bowl full of ice water until they're not hot.

That's it. (If you'd like more detailed instructions, you can find them here: How to Blanch Vegetables) And just a general FYI, the best vegetables to do this with are broccoli, carrots, snap peas, snow peas, cauliflower, green beens, fennel, and asparagus. Stuff like celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, don't need it.)

What do you think? Too busy? Not worth it? Give it a try I say!