green peas to 11 minutes for large ears of

green peas to 11 minutes for large ears of com. Start counting blanching time when water returns to a boil after food is added.

Enzyme action may be stopped by steaming foods rather than boiling them. The time required for heat penetration is greater for steaming than for blanching.

Whether blanched, steamed, or par-cooked, it is important to cool the vegetable quickly to stop the cooking process. Plunge the vegetable into ice cold water for about the same length of time you heated it. Then drain, package, and freeze.

For some foods, you may find in ice water for cooling.

Remember, enzymes affect food quality, not food safety. If food is used in a short time or heavily seasoned, changes in quality may not be detected.

Microwave Blanching

Microwave blanching of vegetables would appear to be a quick, energy efficient method, but research designed to test its effectiveness has not shown it to be especially quick of effective.

Some of the drawbacks — only a small amount of food can be handled at a time; the suggested blanching times are very similar to those for water blanching; the vegetable has to be stirred; and finally, tests after storage indicate that conventionally blanched vegetables are of better quality.

Enzymes in Fruits

Enzymes are active in fruits, too. One obvious example of enzyme action is the darkening of light colored fruits. Blanching fruits to inactivate the enzymes would cause them to have a cooked flavor.

There are other ways of inhibiting enzyme activity. One way is to exclude oxygen (air) which the enzyme requires for activity. Packing fruits in syrup or water will achieve this, but the fruit on top may be poorly protected.

Antioxidants are chemical substances which interfere with enzyme activity. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) combines with the oxygen, sparing the fruit. Citric acid makes the food more acid; enzymes are less active in an acid medium.

Ascorbic acid and citric acid are