Ken Knecht wrote:
> Why is blanching suggested for food to be frozen? For example, I looked
> up celery in a book on freezing stuff I have and it tells me to blasnch
> the celery for three minutes before freezing. Cool off, then bag and
> freeze. What does the blanching do? What would happen if I didn't bother
> to? Anyone know?

As far as I know blanching hasn't a whit to do with enzymes/bacteria,
freezing is what preserves the vegetable in total and at the same time
controls any further decay/decomposition. If blanching were a
necessary process for preservation there'd be no need to then
subsequently freeze. And then there's parboiling, a more aggressive
form of blanching, that will stop bacterial.enzymatic action, but then
there'd be no subsequent freezing... parboiling is typically done prior
to dehydrating or when food will be refrigerated for an extended period
before fully cooking.

blanch
1. To plunge food (usually vegetables and fruits) into boiling water
briefly, then into cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching is
used to firm the flesh, to loosen skins (as with peaches and tomatoes)
and to heighten and set color and flavor (as with vegetables before
freezing).

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Sheldon