Blanching Techniques

Blanching is a technique whereby food is rapidly plunged into boiling water and then removed after a brief, timed interval and then plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water. Blanching is used for several reasons:

To help remove skin; for example from peaches, tomatoes or nuts.
To remove strong flavours; for example from kidneys or liver before frying.
To destroy enzymes in vegetables that are to be frozen, thus preventing discoloration.
To reduce the salt content from certain foods, such as ham, before cooking.
To soften or semi-cook food, such as fennel for a salad.
To reduce the roasting time of vegetables such as potatoes, onions and parsnips.