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.