How To Blanch Vegetables

How To Blanch Vegetables

Emily Han
Feb 11, 2010

Along with steaming, blanching vegetables is a basic technique every cook should know. Briefly boiled and then plunged into ice water, these bright and tender-crisp vegetables may be used in crudité platters, salads, sushi rolls, and stir fries, or refrigerated or frozen for later use. Just about any vegetable can be blanched. Here's how…

What You Need


Large bowl
Slotted spoon
Plate lined with a cloth or paper towel
Large pot
Cutting board and knife


1. Have ready a large bowl of ice water (known as an ice bath), a slotted spoon, and a plate lined with a cloth or paper towel.


3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Doing this just before blanching prevents oxidation. Cut them into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking.

4. Just before blanching the vegetables, add couple of tablespoons of salt to the boiling water. Salt helps to maintain color and improve flavor, but it may be omitted if you wish.

5. Add the vegetables to the pot in small batches so that the water continues to boil. If blanching more than one type of vegetable, blanch each one separately and blanch lighter colored ones first, as darker colored ones will tinge the water and subsequent vegetables.

6. After about 30 seconds, test for doneness. Remove one piece, dip it into the bowl of ice water, and taste. Keep tasting every 30-60 seconds until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Most vegetables take between 2-5 minutes.



Additional Notes:
• To cover or not to cover the pot? See Blanching Veggies with the Lid On or Off: Does It Make a Difference?

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(Images: Emily Ho)

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