Blanching Vegetables

Rinse and prepare produce for cooking as you normally would. Trim off stems, roots and any damaged areas. Shell fresh peas and beans. If you would typically peel, deseed or core the vegetable before cooking, do that now as well. Chop larger vegetables into a uniform size.

For greens and most other veggies, blanch for two to three minutes before freezing. Work with one type of vegetable at a time, as some require longer blanching times than others. (The National Center for Food Preservation has published a handy chart that can help you determine how long to blanch specific foods.)

Step by step

1. Bring a large pot of water up to boil.
2. Submerge the vegetables in the hot water for the recommended length of time. You’re not cooking them through, so the vegetables should still be quite firm after blanching. In the case of greens and herbs, you’re just looking for them to wilt slightly and turn bright green.
3. Use a slotted spoon or spider to scoop blanched veggies out of the pot, and immediately transfer to an ice bath. The cold temperature of the ice bath “shocks” the veggies to halt the cooking process.
4. Once cooled, shake dry and pat with paper towels to absorb excess water. This will help prevent freezer-burn. Note: There are a few exceptions, like bell peppers, celery and onions, for which blanching isn’t necessary before freezing.

Sources: How to freeze fresh vegetables while preserving their best qualities