2. Blanch away. When the water is boiling, remove the lid and add a bit of salt—a half-teaspoon is fine for a medium pot. Add a handful of the veggies.

Quick: Most vegetables only require a few minutes of blanching before being plunged into cold water. Convenient: On a hot summer day, blanching is a quick way to get dinner ready.

Blanching, a technique in which vegetables are cooked briefly in boiling salted water and quickly submerged in ice and water, is the name of the game for these tender offerings.

For perfectly cooked crisp-tender vegetables, all you need is water, salt, and ice. When you find fresh vegetables at the farmers market — snappy asparagus, fuzzy fava beans, sweet peas — it’s an ...

For perfectly cooked crisp-tender vegetables, all you need is water, salt, and ice. When you find fresh vegetables at the farmers market — snappy asparagus, fuzzy fava beans, sweet peas — it’s an ...

Most blanched vegetables will keep in the freezer for up to a year and can be cooked straight from frozen without thawing (the blanching actually cuts down on cooking time).

Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture.

food science educator, University of Minnesota Extension Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen successfully.