Food & Receipts

How to Avoid 4 Common Mistakes When Blanching Vegetables

Boiling vegetables the wrong way can turn them an unappetizing dark color and leach them of their sweet flavor and essential nutrients.

Administrator

22 April, 2024

Using Too Little Water When Boiling Vegetables

One of the mistakes when boiling vegetables that makes them turn dark, lose their flavor, and lose their nutrients is using too little water. This habit of saving time boiling water and time, which some housewives have, makes the vegetables less delicious and somewhat “stiff”. Therefore, when boiling vegetables, you should add more water and boil over high heat so that the vegetables cook quickly and avoid them turning dark.

Cutting Vegetables Before Washing Them

One of the mistakes when boiling vegetables is cutting and washing them too long before boiling. This is a very bad habit that many housewives have. The reason for this is that the vitamins in vegetables exist in the form of water, so they are easily dissolved in water when washed.

Cutting and washing vegetables and not cooking them right away also causes a significant loss of vitamins in the vegetables through the evaporation of water. Therefore, do not cut vegetables before washing to ensure the quality of the vegetables.

Mistakes when boiling vegetables that make them turn black

Eating Uncooked Vegetables

Some types of vegetables are inherently toxic and must be cooked to destroy toxins, such as lentils, potatoes, and bean sprouts. Some vegetables can be eaten raw, such as radishes, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

However, you should still remember to wash vegetables thoroughly before eating them because most vegetables on the market are sprayed with pesticides. Soaking and washing vegetables will remove about 30% of pesticides. In addition, boiling vegetables until they are not fully cooked can make you susceptible to food poisoning, stomach pain, and diarrhea if there are still irritants, pesticides, or growth hormones in the vegetables…. .

Mistakes when boiling vegetables that make them turn black and taste bad

Adding Cold Water When the Vegetable Boiling Water is Boiling

Many people boil vegetables with too little water. Therefore, after putting the vegetables in the pot and seeing that there is not enough water, they often add cold water to boil the vegetables. However, this is the wrong way to boil vegetables because when the water is boiling, adding cold water will take time for the water to boil again. And by this time, you have already put the vegetables in the pot of boiling water, and the vegetables will turn black due to being in the water for too long and lose their inherent nutrients. Therefore, in this situation, if you see that there is not enough water and need to add more water, you should choose boiling water so that the vegetables do not turn black.

Frequently asked questions

Cutting and washing vegetables too long before boiling is a common mistake. Vitamins in vegetables are water-soluble and easily dissolve when washed, leading to nutrient loss. Additionally, not cooking cut and washed vegetables immediately causes further vitamin loss through water evaporation. It’s best to avoid cutting vegetables before washing to maintain their quality.

Certain vegetables, like lentils, potatoes, and bean sprouts, contain inherent toxins and must be cooked to destroy these harmful substances. While some vegetables can be eaten raw (radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers), always wash them thoroughly to remove pesticides. Incomplete cooking may also lead to food poisoning, stomach pain, and diarrhea if irritants, pesticides, or growth hormones remain.

Adding cold water to boiling vegetables is incorrect as it takes time for the water to reach boiling point again. By then, the vegetables have been in the water for too long, causing them to turn black and lose nutrients. Always use boiling water if you need to add more to prevent discoloration.