For Better Canned Vegetables There's One Extra Step You Need To Take

While fresh, whole vegetables are the optimal choice to include in your diet, it can be difficult to find the time to prepare them. Fresh produce can unfortunately be on the pricier side, too. You can instead turn to canned vegetables as a solution to both of these problems. They're one of the many canned goods that are just as good as fresh, as they're minimally processed and still hold similar amounts of nutrients and vitamins. The largest downside mainly lies in the bland or sometimes even metallic taste these foods take on as a result of the container in which they're stored. Luckily, blanching your vegetables can quickly remedy this.

Blanching is a speedy process that takes only a few minutes. The quick change of temperature that occurs during this short period of time causes a number of beneficial effects to take place, from brightening the food's color to removing any unwanted debris. This is all in addition to essentially reviving your vegetables. Blanching helps preserve flavor and texture by deactivating the enzymes that lead to deterioration. In turn, your veggies are brought back to life from the extensive processing they underwent before being canned, as well as any funky flavor the jar may have left behind.

To blanch your food, begin by draining the canned veggies of any liquid. Then submerge the contents into a pot of boiling water for one to five minutes depending on the vegetables and their size. Afterward, drain the pot again, and immediately transfer the vegetables into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process from continuing. And there you have it! Now that the metallic taste has vanished, you can go on to bring some flavor back into the food.

For starters, a way to make your veggies taste more appealing would be to generously season them. The herbs and spices you choose depend upon your own preferences as well as the dish you're planning to throw the canned goods into, whether it be a classic comforting matzo ball soup recipe or a green bean and tomato panzanella salad. But you can never go wrong with the usual salt and pepper. Onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika are safe ways to go, too. And for an extra pop of flavor, try some lemon juice.