Techniques

Blanch

To boil raw ingredients in a liquid. Vegetables are commonly blanched. The key to blanching vegetables is to not cook them too long. To blanch asparagus, bring a pot of water to about the poach stage over medium high heat. Add the asparagus and let it cook until the color becomes very green. The spears should just barely bend when picked up out of the water (about 3 minutes or so for thin asparagus and 5 minutes for the thickest).

If the asparagus is not going to be used right away, remove them to a bowl of ice water. This is known as "refreshing." The cold water stops the food from continuing to cook from internal heat and keeps the food fresh and crisp. This is also known as "shocking" the food.

Blanching can also be used for softening foods, making it easy to remove their skins. Almonds and tomatoes are two examples of this.