There is no doubt that french fries are loved by almost everyone. However, to have those perfectly crispy and yummy fries you will have to use the best preparation method. Blanching is a part of the preparation and it enhances the taste and texture of your fries. Let’s learn more about it in this guide
What is Blanching?
Blanching is very essential while making french fries. It is a process of dipping your sliced or pre-cut potatoes in a blanching basket and scalding it in boiling water, steam, or oil for a short period. Blanching helps in maintaining the color of your potatoes as the process breaks down the enzymes with high temperature, which are responsible for the browning of uncooked potatoes.
Other than color loss, the enzymes also cause loss of flavor and texture which can be stopped through blanching. Moreover, the blanching process is very productive for cleansing out dirt and different bacterias. The required blanching time, for each vegetable, has to be maintained very carefully otherwise it can also stimulate the enzymes instead of killing them.
How to Blanch Your French Fries in Water?
Blanching can be done with water, steam, and oil. You can immerse your pre-cut potatoes into any liquid of your choice for a short period. However, in this guide, we are focusing on blanching in water.
After immersing your fries in boiling water for a short period you have to hastily remove it and place it immediately in cold water so that the cooking process stops abruptly.
You have to make sure that the amount of water you are using is more than the number of potatoes in ratio because your water must reach the boiling point within 1 minute of immersing your french fries. Every vegetable has a different blanching time so you must find out the blanching time for your potatoes and it’s better if you use a timer to be more yielding.
Some people also perform microwave blanching which is not an effective process because it leaves some of the enzymes from being inactivated. However, if you choose to blanch a small batch of fries then it can work for you.
5 Reasons Why Blanching French Fries in Water is Effective
There are various benefits of blanching your uncooked potatoes.
- One of the best benefits of blanching is it kills and removes all pathogenic microbes present in the food.
- This process is also approved by American Frozen Foods Institutions according to their recent work.
- The other benefit of blanching your fries before frying is it reduces the moisture content inside the potato which helps them have a greater crisp.
- It also allows you to freeze your french fries before frying for a long duration.
- However, the most talked reason for blanching remains the deactivation of the enzyme as it stops the discoloration. The enzyme present in your potato reacts with oxygen particles which later causes discoloration and can be prevented by deactivating them.
Hopefully, this blog helped you clear your mind about how to blanch your French fries in water.