How To Blanch Peaches - Kickass Baker (2024)

FAQs

How To Blanch Peaches - Kickass Baker? ›

Boil the peaches for 60 seconds. This is a quick cooking process that enables the skin to be easily pulled away from the fruit without actually cooking the peach flesh. Drain and immediately transfer the peaches to the prepared ice bath (large bowl of ice water).

If you keep the peaches in water too short, they won't peel, if you keep them too long than needed, they'll be mushy. So testing one of the peaches is a good way to start. Even if you make it wrong with one peach, you'll get an idea of how to make it right with others.

To blanch the peaches, score an "X" in the bottom (opposite the stem end) with a paring knife, then plunge the peaches into a pot of boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool enough to handle, peel the peaches, if desired.

Boil just until the skins start to soften and separate where the peach was scored, about 30 seconds to a minute. Use the slotted spoon to remove the peaches from the boiling water, lowering them directly into the prepared ice bath. Let them cool for about a minute.

Do you need to wash your peaches before blanching them? Yes. Always wash your fruit before consuming, using in a recipe or freezing.

Most fruits do not need to be peeled before freezing, however, peaches and nectarines are an exception because their skins get tough when frozen. You can peel them raw, but it is easier to blanch the peaches first so the skin falls right off.

Lower the peaches into the boiling water and leave them there for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches to the ice water bath. Gently rub the skin from the peaches and peel it off with your hands. You can freeze the peaches whole, halved or sliced.

The likely cause of this is peach fruit gummosis. Gummosis appears on fruit surface following feeding from several insects, such as the tarnished plant bug or stink bugs. You might also see that the flesh beneath the ooze is slightly sunken in and has a dark discoloration.

Transfer the peaches to a zip-top plastic freezer bag

This will keep those slices fresh deep into winter when you're craving a fresh peach pie or a warm and hearty peach cobbler.

Most tutorials recommend that you add some lemon juice to the peaches before freezing to prevent browning. Honestly, I never do that and my frozen peaches don't brown. It's just a step too much for me and I like the taste of peaches only.

Is it better to freeze peaches with or without sugar? ›

By coating the peaches with a bit of lemon juice before freezing, the fruit maintains its color and quality without added sugar. You can also use ground vitamin C (as Alton Brown suggests), or use a fruit-preserving product such as Ball's Fruit Fresh in place of the lemon juice.

While the vegetable peeler that grandma passed down may be perfect for peeling a mountain of mashed potatoes, you'll end up with a heap of baby food if you use it on a peach. We recommend reserving your new, sharp vegetable peeler for soft, delectate fruit only. For softer, riper peaches, use a paring knife.

Here is an easy way to peel peaches. A quick dunk in boiling water followed immediately by an ice bath – this is called blanching – separates the peach's skin from its flesh. Afterward, the skin slides right off, and none of the luscious meat of the peach is lost by clumsy peeling.

Fruit typically ripens faster in a paper bag due to the ethylene gas it emits, which gets trapped. Pop a few peaches in a paper bag solo, or with an apple or banana, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly they'll be ready to eat.