On 7/16/2013 5:29 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 9:00:26 AM UTC-7, Moe DeLoughan wrote:

What my family has always done is pack the raw cleaned vegetables
into

those heatproof vacuum-seal bags, seal the bags, then drop the
bags

into boiling water to blanch. They then go into ice water for
the

quick chill before going into the freezer. It's much less hassle

bagging them before blanching. It might also preserve a bit more

flavor, being that the juices aren't being washed away in the

water/ice baths.

Very interesting. Raises another question. If water is not
contacting the veg -- which I assume is the ordinary definition of
blanching?? -- why not pop the bags into the micro to "blanch"?
(for what period of time, compared with water blanch?). Then into
ice water, then freezer.

I used to blanch the snap beans in the microwave, but the process
actually goes faster in boiling water. It takes more time for the
microwave to heat the vegetable to the required temperature. Also, for
denser packages - corn kernels, for instance - it usually doesn't heat
evenly. So we moved to boiling water for everything.


I strongly agree with you on preserving not only flavor, but also
VITAMINS! When I nuke fresh veg with a tbsp of water, I always
drink the water.

That's the other advantage of this process. Frankly, I don't like
watery vegetables, and I don't like bags full of ice crystals, which
you can get if too much water sticks to the veggies when you bag them
after the water dip. Plus, when you exhaust the air from the bag
during the sealing process, you can smooth the bag evenly flat so they
blanch evenly, then stack nicely and freeze fast in the freezer.

Anyhow, we've been doing it this way since the days of the Dazey
Seal-A-Meal, if any of the old-timers remember that early precursor to
the vacuum sealers now on the market.