Pennyaline wrote:
>
> Okay, Shelly, it's a waste of time. A total waste of time. Okay.
> Continuing this with you is too, as there is no point in trying to
> communicate with anyone who is chronically correct about everything.

Part of the communication problem is that you're trying to maintain an
academic position and he's speaking from personal experience. No doubt
you're correct about the effects of blanching and freezing. But, and
it's a large but, the question remains whether it matters in its
practical application.

There are obvious detriments to blanching in its effect on the eventual
quality of the vegetable when it is finally used. Not blanching often
yields a superior result in the frozen-then-thawed product. What you
have not addressed in your zeal to be academically correct is whether
blanching is necessary or beneficial in any way when the intention is
that the freezing period will be relatively brief, say, up to a couple
of months.

All your references will say, for example, to blanch green beans or
asparagus for 1 to 2 minutes. Most say 2 minutes. I know from
personal experience that green beans blanched for 15 to 30 seconds will
give me a better result 30 days later when I thaw them. I know from
personal experience that blanched asparagus is no better than limp
canned asparagus when thawed after a month's freezing, while asparagus
frozen raw is at least tolerable. I know that bell peppers frozen raw
are better than blanched peppers. And so forth.

Perhaps what you say would matter if I kept them for a year or two but
I don't care because I have no need to do that. -aem