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What is Parboiling?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 160,995
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Parboiling or blanching is a cooking technique in which something is partially cooked in boiling water, but removed before it is cooked all the way through. Many recipes call for parboiled ingredients to ensure that foods which take longer to cook will be completely cooked in the final dish. A common example is stir fry, which often includes ingredients such as carrots which may not be completely cooked if they are fried with the other vegetables. If the carrots are subjected to parboiling first, they will be tender and soft, along with the rest of the stir fry.

In addition to partially cooking ingredients, blanching also has other uses. For example, it can be used to loosen and remove the skins or husks of fruits and vegetables like tomatoes. Cooks can also parboil a large batch of something so that they can cook smaller meals quickly and easily. Breakfast potatoes, for example, can be parboiled so that they will fry quickly and evenly. Many vegetables are parboiled before being frozen, so that they can be used easily when they are thawed out. Parboiling also yields tender yet still crispy asparagus if it is timed well.

Some rice producers use parboiling as a processing technique. After the rice is harvested, it is soaked in fresh clean water. The rice is subjected to heat, which helps to crack the hulls. In addition, blanching changes the chemical and physical structure of the rice. Parboiled rice cooks more quickly and is less likely to spoil than raw rice. It may also have nutritional benefits, and parboiled rice is widely eaten in India and some other parts of Asia.

To parboil at home, fill a pot on the stove with boiling water and prepare the food you intend to parboil. When the water boils, toss the food in, and cook it until it starts to soften. Drain the food and run cold water over it so that the color will set and the food will not turn to mush. Set the food aside until you are ready to throw it into the primary dish you are cooking, or put it into a storage container if you do not intend to use it right away.

You may find that parboiling is a big kitchen time saver. As you experiment with it, you can learn about which ingredients work best with the technique. In addition to being used on vegetables, blanching can be used with some meats to accelerate their cooking times. You can also parboil in a mixture of herbs and spices to add flavor to the food.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon177485 — On May 18, 2011

An old coworker of mine used to parboil his baby-back ribs with pineapple juice--I haven't tried it, but it sounds interesting! Thanks for the article--very informative! Also, spasiba: thanks for the tip--I think I'm going to try that.

By anon87988 — On Jun 02, 2010

Steam for 20 minutes? anon57160, that is a long time! Too long! Steam only until tender crisp. Every vegetable varies.

By anon57160 — On Dec 20, 2009

Do not boil vegetables. Steam them for about 20 minutes, then you won't lose vitamins and minerals.

-No cook.

By spasiba — On May 07, 2008

When I have extra vegetable that I won't be able to use within a few days, I parboil them. When they cool down, I put them in the freezer, and they are ready for use in the future. This way nothing is being wasted.

It appears that frozen vegetable does not need to be thawed before its use. It can go straight to the method of cooking being employed. More vitamin C is retained that way.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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