Chemistry
Food Spoilage
Storage of Fruits and Vegetables
Why do you blanch food before freezing it?
Wiki User
2010-06-10 05:51:25
Blanching is the scalding of vegetables in boiling water or
steam. Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes. Up until
harvest time, enzymes cause vegetables to grow and mature. If
vegetables are not blanched, or blanching is not long enough, the
enzymes continue to be active during frozen storage causing
off-colours, off-flavours and toughening. Blanching time is crucial
and varies with the vegetable and size of the pieces to be frozen.
Under-blanching speeds up the activity of enzymes and is worse than
no blanching. Over-blanching causes loss of flavour, colour,
vitamins and minerals.
Related Questions
Asked in Broccoli
How long do you blanch broccoli before freezing?
Blanch broccoli for 3 minutes (or blanch with steam for 5
minutes) before freezing. Freeze in small amounts is better that
freezing in a big lump.
Asked in Food & Cooking, Freezing and Drying Food
What foods can be frozen?
Just about every food can be frozen. Freezing foods is one great
way to store foods. Fresh vegetables and fruits are not easy to
freeze. You must blanch these foods first before freezing.
Asked in Grapes
Can you freeze the grape leaves from your vine?
yes, blanch them first in boiling water for a few seconds before
freezing
Asked in Fruits and Vegetables
How do you prepare asparagus for freezing?
You blanch it then vac-pack it.
Asked in Zucchini
Do you have to cut up the zucchini before freezing?
Yes. It's also best to blanch it in hot water first too.
Asked in Cooking Terminology
What the word for when you add food to a saucepan containing water heated to 212F?
To boil or to blanch before refreshing
Asked in Green Beans
Will green beans hurt you if they wasn't blanch before freezing them?
No, they won't hurt you. In fact, some people freeze green beans
without blanching them first.
Asked in Storage of Fruits and Vegetables, Corn
Do you have to blanch corn before freezing?
Corn does not need to be blanched before freezing. The excess
liquid in it will cause the corn to expan upon freezing and then
wrinkle more when defrosted. The caveat to all of this is that you
do need to cook the corn thoroughly at a high enough temperature to
kill any bacteria no matter which path you choose to take.
Asked in Cooking Poultry, Chicken Meat
How do you blanch chicken?
You drop the chicken into boiling water for a few seconds, and
then drop it into freezing water.
Asked in Credit and Debit Cards, Grammar, Sentence and Word Structure, Example Sentences
How do you use blanch in a sentence?
I will blanch the vegetables in simmering water briefly before I
add them to the pan.
The face of a tourist would invariably blanch when he
encountered a rattlesnake.
Asked in Recipes
Why are certain food items boiled before used in a recipe?
This would depend on the recipe, but you may need to boil some
food items before using them in a recipe to cook them, soften them
or blanch them.
Asked in Cooking Techniques, Cooking Times and Temperatures
How do you parboil vegetables for freezing?
When preparing vegetables for freezing, it's called "blanching".
To blanch raw vegetables for freezing, let them boil for one to
three minutes, depending on the vegetable. Then drain and place in
cold water to stop the cooking process before placing them in air
tight freezer bags.
Asked in Pork
How do you blanch salt pork?
Blanch salt pork (or any food) by boiling it for 2-4 minutes and
them removing it from heat.
Asked in Food Science
Why is blanching important for fresh food that will be frozen?
It is important to blanch fresh vegetables before freezing them
in order to denature the enzymes. By denaturing the enzymes, it
prevents off-flavours, faded colours, musty hay-like odours and
tough textures to occur during frozen storage.
Asked in Cooking Measurements, Factoring and Multiples
What do blanch braise and poach have in common?
They are ways to prepare food.
Asked in Food & Cooking
Date marking frozen food is NOT necessary because freezing food?
Date marking frozen food is not necessary when the food will be
eaten before its expiration date. The process of freezing food
prolongs its life but does not allow it to be stored
indefinitely.
Asked in Cooking Techniques, Food Spoilage, Storage of Meats Poultry and Seafood
How long should you cool chicken before freezing it?
You should cool food down at least to room temp before
freezing.The faster you cool cooked food the less likely bacteria
will have to form on it. Putting it in an ice bath is the correct
way to cool food before refrigerating or freezing it.
Asked in Gardening, Fruits and Vegetables
Can radishs be frozen?
Yes, but because of their high water content there will be a lot
of damage to the radishes cells and you may not want to eat them
later. If you do decide to freeze them you will need to cut them up
and blanch them before freezing.
Asked in Freezing and Drying Food
Does freezing food stop expiration?
Yes, you can safely freeze food before the sell-by date and cook
it later.
Asked in Bacteria
Freezing food does what to the action of bacteria?
Freezing food SLOWS the action of bacteria
Asked in Cooking Poultry
Why do you blanch chicken before you cook or stew it?
To seal in moisture and flavor.
Asked in Storage of Meats Poultry and Seafood
Do I need to wash salmon before freezing it?
No.
I disagree. I clean my fish before freezing. There can still be
microbial activity in frozen food. That is all the more likely in a
fish that is still full of fecal matter.
Asked in Food Spoilage, Bacteria
Freezing food the action of bacteria?
Freezing food slows or stops the action of bacteria
Asked in Food Canning, Cucumbers, Pickles
Should you blanch cucumbers before making pickles?
No, you definitely do not blanch cucumbers before making
pickles. Follow a tested recipe when making anything for home
canning. Refer to the National Center for Home Food Preservation
(NCHFP) website, it is an excellent source for current
research-based recommendations for most methods of home food
preservation. They also have tested recipes for many different home
canning projects.