When it comes to cooking, there are many ways, frying, stir-frying, frying, stewing, boiling, stewing... There are many ways to prepare it, but there is actually an important step before cooking - blanching. If blanched well, the taste cannot be wrong.
So "Should you use hot or cold water for blanching?" "Is blanching necessary?" "How to control the blanching time?" "Today, the waiter will explain to everyone clearly "blanched water"!
01
These 5 dishes
It is best to blanch the water before boiling
"Blanching" is the heating of raw materials in boiling water until half-cooked or fully cooked, and then taken out for use. This is a commonly used process in cooking. So, which ingredients need to be blanched and what is the function of blanching?
1. Vegetables with high oxalic acid content
Including: spinach, amaranth, purslane, fresh bamboo shoots, cocoon, bitter melon and other bitter vegetables.
Too much oxalic acid can affect the body's absorption of nutrients such as calcium and iron, and even increase the risk of stones. For people with a bad stomach, it can also irritate the stomach lining, causing discomfort. After blanching these vegetables, oxalic acid can be reduced by 30%-87%.
2. When vegetables with high nitrite content mention "nitrite", many people will think of "carcinogenic". In fact, nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, but after ingestion into the human body, nitrosamines will be generated in the stomach acid environment. Nitrosamines are carcinogenic and excessive intake can increase health risks. In general, fresh vegetables are low in nitrites. But some vegetables have higher nitrite content, including toon, celery, cocoon, purslane, etc.
Toons contain nitrates and nitrites. Even if it does not reach the level of poisoning, the digestive metabolism of the elderly is relatively weak. Toons have a high nitrate content, and if consumed too much, it is easily converted to nitrite in the body, leading to poisoning and even increasing the risk of cancer.
Therefore, it is best to blanch water for 1 minute before serving. Also, these vegetables are best not stored for too long. The longer they are stored, the more nitrite they contain. Remember to eat fresh.
3 kinds of vegetables that are "poisonous to eat raw"
Including beans, fresh cauliflower, green beans, lentils, etc.
Legumes contain saponins and phytohemagglutinins. If not prepared properly, it will cause vomiting, nausea, dizziness, palpitations and other poisoning phenomena after ingestion.
This ingredient is relatively heat-resistant. Heating at 100 ° C for more than 10 minutes, or thoroughly frying at higher temperatures, can break down saponins and eliminate the toxicity of harmful substances. Also note that the ends and stems of the beans contain the most toxic substances, so it is best to remove them during processing.
Fresh yellow cauliflower contains a substance called colchicine, which can form toxic colchicine after gastrointestinal absorption. Eating too much can cause symptoms of poisoning such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. Therefore, it is best to choose dried yellow cauliflower when eating. If you want to eat fresh yellow cauliflower, remove the stamen of yellow cauliflower before eating, blanch water for ten seconds, and then soak in cold water for more than an hour to reduce toxicity.
In addition, aquatic plants are also likely to be contaminated by parasites, such as water chestnuts, lotus roots, water chestnuts and so on, which we often eat. Do not use them directly to prepare cold dishes. After eating, you may become infected with ginger worms, and symptoms include stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and fever. In severe cases, it can lead to intestinal obstruction and even death.
4. Vegetables that are worried about pesticide residues
Vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli are difficult to clean and can contain dust, parasites, and pesticide residues.
Pesticides have high solubility in boiling water. Blanching can remove organophosphorus pesticides sprayed on some vegetables. At the same time, boiling water can also kill pathogenic microorganisms and some parasites, making it safer to eat. You can also wash vegetables with 1~3% light salt water before blanching.
5 foods with a special smell
Many vegetables themselves have a special smell, such as bitter melon, the earthy taste of mushrooms, the sour taste of bamboo shoots, etc. Blanching these vegetables can effectively reduce these special odors;
In addition, blanching the meat not only removes blood stains, but also reduces the fishy smell and tastes better.
02
Should you use a pot of cold or hot water when blanching?
The cutting method for different ingredients is also different:
1. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil
This means putting the food in a pot along with cold water, boiling or removing the water until it is half cooked.
(1) Meat with a larger head and a heavy fishy smell. Heating the meat with cold water can avoid premature solidification of surface proteins; Internal and external maturity will be relatively consistent, and it is easier to release blood droplets and odors.
In addition, when blanching meat, you can add some cooking wine, green onions, ginger, pepper and other spices to achieve a better effect of removing fishy smell.
(2) Root vegetables are large and not easy to ripen. Ingredients such as potatoes and bamboo shoots are also suitable for blanching in a pot under cold water, so that it is easier to ripen. When blanching cold water, add water to the pot, the amount of water should be less than the ingredients, but not too much; During this period, the material should be turned frequently so that the material is heated evenly and to avoid sticking to the pan.
2. Boil the water pot and blanch the water
Bring the water to a boil, put it in the food, turn it in time, and fish it out as soon as possible, which is conducive to retaining the color and tenderness of the ingredients.
(1) Most vegetables. Most vegetables, such as spinach, rapeseed, bean sprouts, broccoli, etc., are more suitable for blanching in boiling water. First, it helps reduce the loss of water-soluble vitamins. Second, it can maintain the color and crisp taste of vegetables.
(2) Seafood and some meat with few blood stains, small size, and light odor. Seafood and small pieces of meat are easy to cook and have less blood, so blanching them in hot water works better.
03
Master the art of blanching
Reducing nutrient loss There are two aspects to everything, and the same goes for blanching. In the blanching process, it is inevitable to lose some nutrients, especially some water-soluble vitamins and inorganic salts, and high temperature will accelerate the decomposition and oxidation of some heat-resistant nutrients such as vitamin C.
Therefore, we must master some techniques to minimize these drawbacks of hot scalding:
1. Avoid too long time
When blanching, pay attention to "wide water, fierce fire, fast forward, fast out" to reduce nutrient loss.
In general, leafy vegetables can be removed after about 1 hour. 15 seconds until the color becomes darker. It should not be blanched for too long;
Vegetables such as broccoli and bamboo shoots take a little longer, generally 1 to 2 minutes;
Put the meat in a pot under cold water, and if there is a lot of foam, remove it;
Put shrimp, clams and other aquatic seafood into boiling water, change color and take out;
Eating poisonous vegetables raw can be blanched for a long time to ensure that the ingredients are thoroughly cooked.
2Add an appropriate amount of water
The amount of water added to the pot should not be too much, and it is advisable to have no ingredients.
3 Try not to cut into small pieces
When blanching, if you can blanch the whole plant, do not cut it off. If you can cut it into large pieces, don't cut it into small pieces. This will help reduce the loss of nutrients. If more vegetables need to be blanched, blanch the lighter-smelling vegetables first, and then the heavier-smelling vegetables. If the color of different ingredients is light, it is recommended to blanch the lighter one first, then the heavier one, or blanch it in separate pots.
4. Blanch the vegetables with a little oil or salt
When vegetables are blanched, water-soluble nutrients such as B vitamins and vitamin C will be lost in the water. But if some salt is added to boiling water, vegetables will be in a relatively balanced environment of concentration inside and outside the cell, and the speed of diffusion of soluble components into the water will be reduced. However, be careful not to add too much salt. Simply add half a spoonful to the half pot of water.
In addition, you can add two drops of oil to the boiling water, which will form a protective film on the surface of the vegetables, isolate the air, and help the vegetables stay bright.
Finally, the waiter will remind everyone that many people use the water after blanching the dish to make soup or continue to cook the dish. This does more harm than good. Dissolve some substances harmful to the human body in blanching water, such as oxalic acid, pesticides, nitrites, etc. It is recommended to dump it in time.
(CCTV while eating at home)
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