Parboil Carrots

Hi Tiffani,

Sorry I'm just now posting this--I've been off the net for awhile due to a crazy work schedule. To parboil (sometimes called "blanching") carrots, clean the carrots, scrape them (if you want to--otherwise scrub them with a veggie brush) and cut into slices or sticks. In the meantime, heat a good-sized pot of water (I use a big soup pot filled almost to the top with water) until it is really boiling well. Thow the carrot slices or sticks into the boiling water, cover the pot with a lid and let cook for three minutes ONLY. Immediatley empty/drain carrots into a colander or strainer that you've placed in the sink. Next, run cold, cold water over the carrots. This immediately stops the carrots from cooking any more. When carrots are cool to the touch, you can stop rinsing with cold water, pack them in a freezer-proof container and store them in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Treat them just as you would any store-bought frozen veggie.

You can also blanche carrots by steam, but be aware that you cannot place more than one pound at a time in the pot or the carrots won't cook properly. To blance by steam, clean, scrape (optional) and cut carrots as described above. In the meantime, fill a soup pot or other large pot with about three inches of water and place on the stove. Heat until water is boiling. Add carrot slices/sticks and put lid on pot. Let cook for three and a half to four minutes ONLY. Immediately empty/drain the carrots into a colander or strainer that you've placed in the sink. Next, run cold, cold water over the carrots to stop the cooking process. When carrots are cool to the touch, stop rinsing them and pack them in a freezer-proof container then place in the freezer. Just like the par-boiled method, steam blanched carrots can be treated just like any store-bought frozen veggies.

Hope this helps you!