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reese_hayes711mo ago
Stick with the 3 minutes but shock it in ice water right after. That extra minute makes a big difference in breaking down the fibers so it's not so crunchy but if you don't stop the cooking it'll turn to mush. I learned this the hard way after serving sad limp broccoli to my family one too many times. Also make sure your water is really boiling hard before you drop it in not just simmering. The salt helps keep the color bright green too so don't skip that part.
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max2231mo ago
Oh man, that ice water trick is a lifesaver... I once tried to "meal prep" for a whole week and blanched a massive batch of green beans. Thought I'd save time by just draining them and letting them cool on the counter. By the time I got to them two hours later they were this sad, olive green color and had that weird rubbery texture... ended up tossing the whole thing. Now I keep a big bowl of ice water ready before I even turn on the stove. It's a hassle but beats wasting a whole bag of produce.
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roberts.leo1mo ago
Yep, the ice bath is non-negotiable now for me too. I ruined a whole batch of asparagus once doing the exact same thing, letting it sit in the colander while I cleaned up the stove. Turned into this sad, limpy mess that looked like it had been boiled for an hour. Now I prep my ice water first and even add a handful of salt to it (which sounds weird but helps stop the cooking faster). Also learned to do small batches at a time so the water temp doesn't drop too much when you drop the veggies in.
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