Why is it recommended to blanch veg before freezing but not fruit?

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LivvyW

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Someone else posed this question in another thread and i thought it was a very good point.

Anyone know why veg and not fruit?
Liv.

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Yorkie

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Erm .......  :wacko:
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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mumofstig

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Is it simply because fruit, I'm thinking fragile berries here, simply wouldn't stand up to the blanching process?
Fruits also include more acid than veg so I think they are slower to go off in the freezer :unsure:

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Val H

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When fruit and veg are harvested, they continue to undergo chemical changes which can spoil them and lead to deterioration – causing loss of colour, flavour and texture.

With fruit it isn’t as important to blanch as, as mumostig says, they contain more acid and are slower to go off in the freezer. However, we do for some fruit such as apples by submerging slices in boiling water for a couple of minutes to retain their colour.

Fruit is often frozen in dry sugar or a sugar syrup solution to help retain their colour and texture.

The reason to blanch veg and not fruit is mainly due to the difference in texture – most frozen fruits are a different texture once frozen and de-frosted and are a lot softer – whatever you do to them! Usually used for jams, pies, etc and not as a “stand alone” ingredient.

With vegetables you expect them to be pretty much the same as fresh (or at least I do) and that is why we blanch them. Freezing merely slows down, not stops, the enzymes which cause deterioration. Blanching destroys them.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2010, 23:30 by Val H »
Val
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Livinhope

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Thankyou for that.  Now I know I didn't do wrong blanching apples, as I was led to believe.  They appear to be retaining their colour and not browning as has happened before despite lemon juice.

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LivvyW

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Yes, Thanks for that explanation.



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