Big Pot Blanching or Vegetables the French way !

The classic method of blanching vegetables in salted water and shocking in ice water to stop the cooking process and lock in the vibrant color and natural flavors of some of your favorite vegetables . This method is used at the best restaurants and is really simple to employ. The results will be a pleasant surprise to you if you have never had vegetables treated in this manner , in fact you will not want to go back to any other method .

Having already done Asparagus in a separate post in this video we will do Cauliflower , Broccoli and Green Beans .

Note tender young beans work best with this method .

Other vegetables that work well with this method include , Brussel Sprouts , Carrots , White Asparagus and R

Radishes

Once Blanched and dried the vegetables can be used in a number of different side dishes , hot or cold dressed or un-dressed the sky is the limit and we will be posting different preparations here . But you must master the basic process .

Requirements

Kosher Salt

Large pot or Dutch oven that ¾ full will hold at least four quarts of water with a lid

Mixing bowl or other container that will hold at least 2 quarts of ice water

A spider or tongs for removing vegetables from boiling water.

Salad dryer

Preparation .

Dissolve enough salt into water till taste like sea water, this can be done while the water is heating over a burner on high.

Bring now salted water to a rolling boil and maintain high heat.

Carefully drop vegetables in boiling water one group at a time starting with the white vegetables first like cauliflower or white asparagus then move on to the green vegetables like broccoli .

Cover and wait till pot comes back to a rolling boil.

Remove vegetables and plunge into ice water to set the color and stop the cooking process.

Once cool remove to salad dryer dry off excess water and set aside. Note do not use salad dryer to dry asparagus as it my damage the heads, instead gently dry in a clean wash cloth.

Repeat till all vegetables are done.

Don’t over load the pot but work in batches and keep the cold water cold by adding Ice as you go.