Blanching - technique for fresh vegetables

Blanching is a fundamental cooking technique involving briefly immersing foods in boiling water followed by rapid cooling in an ice bath. This process stops enzymatic reactions responsible for browning and flavor loss. Vegetables retain their vivid color, crisp texture, and nutritional value as a result. Blanching is used before freezing vegetables, to facilitate peeling tomatoes or peaches, and as a preparatory step before further cooking. Blanching times vary depending on the type of food.