CRYO-BLANCHING AND SAUTÉING Cryo-blanching is a technique that was developed by my friends Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa over at the blog ideasinfood.com (they have a book of the same name) I’ve been following their work ever since I was a lowly line cook at Clio, the very restaurant where the couple honed their culinary chops The technique sounds simple: rapidly freeze vegetables, then thaw and cook But the concept is pretty brilliant As I mentioned earlier in the discussion on peas (see here), freezing vegetables actually causes many of the same reactions as blanching does, namely, helping cells to break down and internal gases to escape As the vegetables freeze, ice crystals forming within their cells will puncture cell walls, weakening their structure After thawing, what you end up with is a vegetable that is partially softened but still has bright, fresh flavor with a bit of crunch remaining Eat them as is, and you won’t be all that happy—their texture tends to be a little flaccid But if you sauté them after thawing to soften them just the slightest bit more, you’ll end up with vegetables with perfect color, perfect texture, and the brightest, freshest flavor you’ve ever had from a sautéed vegetable The other beauty of the technique, of course, is that you can store your vegetables pretty much indefinitely in the freezer, requiring just a half hour or so to let them thaw at room temperature Preparing Vegetables for Cryo-Blanching Essential to good cryo-blanching is rapid freezing This means two things: first, you must use vegetables with a small cross section, like green beans, asparagus, or peas, and second, you must freeze them rapidly in a single layer If you’ve got a vacuum-sealer (such as a FoodSaver), you can arrange your vegetables in a single layer in the bag before sealing them, then toss the bag directly into the freezer Alternatively, lay your vegetables out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place them in the freezer, uncovered Once they are completely frozen (give it a few hours to be safe), transfer them to a zipper-lock freezer bag, squeeze out any excess air, seal, and return to the freezer They should be good for at least a few months and can be cooked directly from frozen ... and second, you must freeze them rapidly in a single layer If you’ve got a vacuum-sealer (such as a FoodSaver), you can arrange your vegetables in a single layer in the bag before sealing them, then toss the bag... and the brightest, freshest flavor you’ve ever had from a sautéed vegetable The other beauty of the technique, of course, is that you can store your vegetables pretty much indefinitely in the. .. of crunch remaining Eat them as is, and you won’t be all that happy—their texture tends to be a little flaccid But if you sauté them after thawing to soften them just the slightest bit more,