Stew is a classic cooking technique that makes the meat soft while preserving its original flavor. Before stewing meat, there is an important step – blanching, which has a significant impact on the texture and flavor of the final dish.

Here are a few of the key roles that blanching plays in the stew process.

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1. Removes blood, water and impurities

The primary function of blanching is to remove blood, water and impurities from the meat. Fresh meat may have blood and some impurities left during processing and storage, which may affect the clarity and taste of the soup during the stewing process.

2. Reduce fishy odors

The blood water and certain proteins in meat can produce a fishy smell at high temperatures. By blanching, these substances that cause fishy odors can be effectively removed, making the stewed meat more delicious.

3. Keep the meat tender

Blanching can cause the surface of the meat to shrink rapidly, which helps to lock in the moisture and nutrients inside the meat and keep the meat tender. This is especially important for stews, as prolonged stews may cause the meat to become older.

4. Improve cooking efficiency

Blanching can shorten the simmering time. The meat has already begun to ripen during the blanching process, so the desired softness can be reached more quickly during the subsequent stewing process.

5. Clean the surface of the meat

Blanching also cleans the surface of meat from bacteria and dust that may be present, improving food safety.

6. Improve the color and flavor of the soup

Blanching helps to remove impurities that affect the color and flavor of the soup, resulting in a clearer and more authentic stew in color.

7. Facilitate follow-up processing

Blanched meat is easier to handle, such as dicing or further cooking, as the meat becomes firmer.

The correct way to blanch

• Plenty of water: Make sure you use enough water to cover the meat so that it can heat evenly.
• Moderate water temperature: heat the water to a slight boiling state, then add the meat, avoiding boiling water, so as not to shrink the meat too quickly and affect the taste.
• Time control: The blanching time should not be too long, usually a few minutes, subject to the whitening of the surface of the meat.
• Cold water rinse: Immediately after blanching, rinse the meat with cold water to stop the cooking process and further remove impurities.

epilogue

Blanching is an important step before stewing meat, not only helping to remove blood and fishy smell from the meat, but also keeping the meat tender, improving cooking efficiency, and improving the color and flavor of the final dish.

Knowing the right way to blanch can make your stew dishes even better and your family more delicious and healthy.