Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Blanching spinach is a great way to add flavor, brighten color, and soften texture. For blanching, you need to prepare several bunches of spinach, since in the process one bunch will decrease to a handful of spinach (from 450 g of fresh spinach, 1 cup of blanched is obtained; 450 fresh spinach is 10-12 glasses).

Steps

1. 1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. You can add salt to the water if you like.
2. 2 Wash the spinach leaves and pat dry.
3. 3 Place ice cubes in a large bowl and cover with water. Fill a bowl 3/4 full with ice and cover with water. You will use the bowl right after cooking the spinach.
4. 4 Place the spinach leaves in boiling water and cook for 30-60 seconds, until they turn bright green.
5. 5 Drain excess water from the spinach through a sieve or slotted spoon.
6. 6 Place the spinach in ice water. Leave the blanched spinach in ice water for a few minutes, or until cool. This will stop the cooking process and preserve its texture and nutrients.
7. 7 Grasp the spinach with your hands to remove excess water. Leaving in too much water will ruin the texture. Spinach is 90% water, so it doesn't need additional moisture.
8. 8 Place the spinach in an airtight storage container. Freeze for later use or use right away.

Tips

• Blanched spinach can also be cooked in a dehydrator.
• You can also blanch other vegetables and store them in the freezer for use at other times of the year. You can blanch green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus. Simply removing the vegetables from the boiling water will not stop the cooking process, so the texture of the vegetables may become soft.
• When you want to eat spinach, just heat it up a little. If it gets too hot, it will re-cook and lose a lot of nutrients.

Warnings

• Cooking too long will destroy most of the nutrients and deprive spinach of valuable vitamins and minerals.
• Do not use spinach leaves if they are yellow, lethargic, or darkened.
• Spinach is sensitive to ethylene. Storing it with tomatoes, apples, or melon will cause the leaves to turn yellow. These fruits naturally release this chemical.

What do you need

• Spinach leaves
• Large saucepan
• Salt (optional)
• Skimmer or sieve
• Large bowl
• Ice water
• Sealed container (optional)