Blanching (cooking)
Technology
Traditionally, blanching is done using either a water bath or saturated steam. In both methods, the food is heated for a short period of time and then introduced into either cold water or cold air to quickly stop the heating process. At the industrial level, foods move on a continuous conveyor belt through preheating, holding, and cooling. For hot water blanching, vegetables are immersed under pre-warmed water (70 to 100 °C) for varying amounts of time, depending on type and quantity. When the product is heated by water, greater uniformity of heating is achieved, especially when compared to hot air. This advantage allows hot water blanching at lower temperatures, but requires longer blanching times. Water is heated and cooled using heat exchangers and recirculated for continuous use, reducing costs.
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