One of the best ways to cook vegetables is by blanching them; and using a colander.
Simply put, blanching is the technique of cooking your vegetables in super hot salted water. Then placing them in an icy cold water bath to stop the cooking process. The objective is to have a perfectly cooked “crisp & tender” texture.
An iced water bath is all well and good. However, if you dump your vegetable from the hot into iced water it will mix. Inevitably chunks of ice will come out along with your perfectly cooked vegetable.
To prevent this add a colander to your bowl of iced water. The colander must be submerged. You’ll want to find one that fits into the bowl you are using for your iced water.
Use the same motion of adding the cooked vegetable from the hot water to your iced water, only put the vegetable inside the well of the submerged colander. Swish your vegetable around to cool. Lift the colander out of the water, shake gently to remove excess water and place vegetable on toweling to pat dry.
Now you have your vegetable ready to go; and without excess ice melting away.
That’s your Tuesday Tip; a colander just rocks!