BLANCHING BY MICROWAVE

You’ll need to experiment as success relies on quantity, timing, and the wattage of your machine.

■ CUT vegetables into small, evenly sized pieces.

■ ADD 2 cups of vegetables to 75-125ml of water, but no more, to a microwave-safe casserole dish.

■ MICROWAVE on high for half the time suggested for that vegetable (see the blanching time chart below).

■ CHECK the veggies – they should be an even, bright colour all the way through. If not, continue heating for the maximum time suggested.

■ CHILL in icy water for the same amount of time as the heating process, then freeze.

US food scientists wanted to know if using a microwave for blanching caused food to be less nutritious. They placed 2-3 servings of freshly picked asparagus in a covered casserole dish with about 2 tbsp of water, cooked it for 4 minutes on high in a 700-watt machine, then chilled it for 4 minutes. Testing showed the asparagus kept its nutritional value, taste, and texture.

Can you freeze eggs? Yes, but not whole. You can either:

■ Separate an egg. Whisk the white, then tip into one slot of an ice cube tray. Repeat with the yolk, OR;

■ whisk a whole egg, and tip into a muffin tray.

This method makes it easy to remember portions if a recipe calls for just the whites, just the yolks or a whole egg.