Potatoes are one of the finest ingredients to prepare delicacies which the entire world savours. But not every dish is going to be a success with just potato usage. There are other procedures involved to make the dish tastier, and blanching is one such process. It is an important step of fries-making procedure. Blanching normally involves heating the potatoes in the boiling water or steaming it for a short span before beginning the process.

Let’s know about blanching in detail:

What is the time required?

The process might look easy, to begin with, but it has some special requirements that must be taken care of, including the time required for blanching. When potatoes are exposed to blanching, it stimulates the activities of the enzymes present in it. This will enhance the existing flavors, textures as well as colors. It must be ensured the potatoes are not under-blanched or over-blanched as it will degrade the quality of the potatoes.

What are the benefits?

Blanching is used for a lot of different purposes. Hence, its benefits can vary. With blanching, you can easily peel off the potatoes’ skin while keeping them fresh altogether. In this way, the color is protected and so is the flavor. 

For Belgian fries, here are the benefits:

• Blanching will be able to keep the bacteria away from the potatoes and also the other organisms. The surface will be cleaned as desired.
• The enzymes in the potatoes can act fast. In the case of potatoes, when they reach their maturity, the enzymes work till the time when the vegetable is developed for reproduction. Blanching will preserve them in their current state. Also, the storage life of potatoes will get prolonged. Their quality will be maintained and they won’t turn black even if they are exposed to oxygen.
• During the potatoes’ frying process, if they are blanched already, the potatoes will form a layer of gelatinized starch on the surface. This will limit the level of oil absorption and the texture will be restored.
• Blanching will also help you extract all the reducing sugars from the potato. Besides this, it will also be able to reduce the amino acid asparagine and reduce its acrylamide content. As a result of this, the potatoes will have a uniform texture after they are fried.

To relish the best Belgian fries in town, head on to Frite Alors.