blanching

• blanching involves partially cooking food in boiling water for a very short time before putting it in cold or iced water
• the cold water stops the cooking process - this helps preserve colour, texture and vitamins
• blanching can be used to remove harsh flavours in food
• blanching foods like tomatoes and almonds makes their skins shrivel up, making the skins much easier to remove
• blanching is also used to prepare fruit and vegetables for freezing