Blanching is a process in which a vegetable or fruit is scalded in boiling hot salt water, after which it is immersed in an ice cold bath to stop the cooking process. Blanching is done to mainly stop the enzymes from causing loss of flavor, texture or color of the said fruit or vegetable. Corn can be frozen in two distinct ways, without blanching and after blanching.

How to freeze corn without blanching?

There are two ways in which you can preserve corn without compromising the corn cob.

Whole corn cob freeze: This process is by far the easiest way to freeze corn which does not require any blanching. Three steps to follow include shucking the corn, stuffing it in a nice freezer bag and just directly plop it in the freezer. While this might be the most time-saving method, simple to follow, there are a few drawbacks of flash freezing corn.

It will be difficult to use the kernels which won’t separate from the corn cob unless the entire cob is left to thaw at room temperature. Frozen kernels are difficult to extract from the cob which is why this time-saving method might end up costing you more time. Alternatives can be suggested to answer the question how to freeze corn using a technique which does not necessarily include a flash freeze.

Unblanched frozen corn kernels: Kernels can be used in a variety of recipes which is why it is a good idea cut off the kernels from the cob, to be then frozen. An easy alternative as opposed to trying to remove frozen kernels from the frozen cob, which is why the process is effective when reversed. This not only retains the flavor but also keeps the texture and color of individual corn kernels intact to be used, whenever needed.

How to freeze corn after blanching?

The alternative way to freeze and preserve corn would be after it has been blanched. Corn which has not been blanched will taste raw, after being frozen and stored for a while. Cooked corn kernels however will taste fresh even after they have been frozen, which can be then used in salad and salsa recipes. This method will ensure delicious golden yellow kernels with just the right amount of crunch and taste. Both methods are debatable, each depending on the type of recipe. Blanching, cooking, cooling, and freezing might be a more time-consuming process, but the end product will be certainly worth the effort.

Customize Your Puff
You always want you puff pastry to look its best, and taste even better. To avoid the middle of the pastry from rising as much as the edges, prick the surface using a fork. The pastry won’t lose its lightness, and will still be flaky. It just won’t have too many layers. You can always use two baking sheets, to make the puff pastry into flat pieces. This is good to make a napoleon.

Finesse Your Fillings
Soggy pastries aren’t the best pick. All you must do is keep in mind not to over weigh the pastry. Since these are fragile, don’t fill them in with too many ingredients or toppings that would release a lot of liquid. Try and avoid sticky fillings. As a thumb rule, always line your baking tray with butter paper that is greased or a silicone baking mat.

Make It Shine
Puff pastry that looks appetizing is always the best pick. To make your puff pastry shine, take a large egg, beat it slightly with a teaspoon of water. Add that glaze on your pastry. This glaze also prevents turnovers and acts as a glue. Press the layers together softly after simmering the glaze, it sticks better. That extra layer of shine is something that will make your puff pastry stand out.

Bake Now or Later
Hot, or rather warm and light puff pastries are the best. So always bake them in small quantities and serve. A lot of recipes today show how to store these things, and can be taken out just before you need to use them. Some recipes can even be prepped but not baked, wrapped well, and frozen for a week or two. (Check your recipe for specific baking and defrosting instructions.) Soggy puff pastry can be put into the oven and be used too. So, don’t always take the stress of having to do it all right before your party, or having some that aren’t the best. You can always make the puff pastry taste wonderful and look amazing with a few small changes to the bake.

Save Your Scraps
Wasting puff isn’t a need at all. Leftovers aren’t meant for the bin. You can combine them all, roll them out to make palmier or cheese straws. Leftover pastry won’t puff up quite as much and it may be a little uneven, but that’s less important with smaller shapes.

Baking is a super fun and indulging activity for both kids and adults. Be it as a hobby or as a profession, baking brings forth immense gratification. Here are a few quick and easy tips to make baking a wholesome experience and create irresistible baked goods.

Readymade 
The trick is to store some mixes and batter powders. If you want baking made easy, keeping some baking mixes, frozen or fresh mixed fruit, crumbs and chocolate chips is always the best idea.

Keep the basics ready
Baking becomes a lot easier when you all the essential ingredients ready at hand. Making a trip to the grocery store just to pick up a few ingredients can often put you off baking. Make sure you stock your kitchen with the most used items while baking, like flour, cocoa, baking powder/soda, butter, eggs and chocolate. This will help you whip up some basic desserts whenever you want.

Preheat
The first step of most baking recipes require you to preheat the oven. This is the most essential because it allows your cake batter or cookie dough to settle faster. The oven usually takes a lot of time to heat up, and waiting for it just to heat up isn’t something we’d want. Hence start preheating your oven as you as you begin assembling all the ingredients. This way, your oven would have reached the right temperature just when you have to put in the cake batter or the cookie dough. Pre-planning always makes your baking experience a lot more seamless.

Bottom Rack
It’s basic knowledge that the rack that is at the bottom of the oven receives most amount of direct heat. Hence placing the tray on the bottom rack would make the baking process a whole lot faster. It’s best to put in as many trays as possible in that bottom rack.
Batches: When you bake, you may at times realize that you have a lot of batter left. Most often you cannot store batter as the ingredients may be perishable. It’s always best to bake it in batches. Cupcakes, muffins or cakes even, just bake them in as many batches as possible and store them well. Some of the things you bake like cookies may also lose their freshness, so be sure to check on them often.

Fruits are a must have
Fruits generally are very healthy for your diet, and while baking, they can be an incredible addition. Most recipes these days use a lot of fruits. Hence, keeping them handy at home, would save a lot of time. Frozen fruits last longer, so buying them in bulk would be best advised.

Our first step into the kitchen, and we all want to make something yummy, something out of the box, and most often something sweet. Baking is one thing that kids and adults both enjoy. Here are two baking techniques that could be used in any recipe. Once these methods are mastered, there isn’t anything you cannot bake.

Whisking

This is one of the most basic and most important technique of baking. Ball, flat, balloon, coil or cage – there are different whisks for different types of baking. A whisk is generally used to add air and body into the wet mixture consisting of eggs, sugar and butter, used for preparing a cake batter. Flour, cocoa, baking powder/soda are sieved and then gently folded into this wet mixture in batches. The standard process requires you to alternate between the dry ingredients and any other special ingredients that you need to add to the wet mixture. The batter needs to be folded well, in a way that there aren’t any visible lumps. It needs to be smooth. Note that not every cake has a rising agent like baking soda, and hence you need to whisk it well for the cake to rise properly. Sponge cakes that have no butter and are rather light and other cakes that aren’t too fatty also need be whisked well to be baked to perfection. The best practice for preventing lumps is to move, twirl, spin and shake the bowl as you whisk all the ingredients together. You can also use the end of your whisk to break any lumps. Be a little light handed to attain a light and airy texture for your cake.

Creaming

This technique forms the base for a lot of baked goodies, mainly cakes and cookies. Creaming is essentially the process of softening solid fats and turning them into a smooth consistency for blending with other baking ingredients. It isn’t the easiest technique to master and requires some practice. The process begins by beating sugar and fat (butter, shortening or others) until they are light and creamy. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment at medium speed or go old school by doing it with your hand. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature and isn’t straight out of the freezer. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Beat them together on a medium speed for a few minutes. Stop in between to scrape down the sides of the bowl as required. Stop the mixer when you notice the mixture is light, airy and creamy. You can then incorporate all the other baking ingredients to make decadent cakes or cookies.

What you eat is what you become, they say. This very popular adage seems to have caught up in recent times, much like wild fire. Thanks to this philosophy, we can see entire diet plans, stores, and even restaurants that have been set up to cater to the various culinary needs of people. Gaining weight and losing weight have become the keywords in today’s day and age even as many people strive to get just the right balance so as to remain fit. Low-fat cooking is one such niche that has gained a lot of momentum due to this fitness movement of sorts, which has entered the world of food, after a great display that continues at the gym!

So how can you lose weight with the help of low-fat cooking? Low-fat cooking helps you eat well even as you use ingredients that will keep your metabolism in check. Further, with low-fat cooking, you can also remain fit without having to worry about putting on too much of weight. Here are the various ways in which you make low-fat cooking a part of your everyday routine in the kitchen and on the dining table.

Hold the dressing: The salad dressing that we eat can become pretty calorific when we add ingredients like cream and oil. You can bring the dressing down by half and take it on the side so that you can dip your fork in before you take a bite of the salad. This will ensure that you ingest less of the salad dressing and more greens in the bargain. Further, you can also use extra virgin olive oil in your dressing or low-fat cream.

Salt intake: One of the best ways to lose weight with low-fat cooking is to bring down your salt intake. You can lessen the quantity of salt to greatly reduce bloating and other such problems. Yet, you must get in touch with your doctor before you take any call like this as you may have a condition that may get adversely affected if you do not have the right amount of salt. You should not eliminate salt from your diet entirely as it may lead to problems like low blood pressure.

Raw food: The best part about low-fat cooking is that you can eat on the go. You can easily bring together plenty of raw vegetables for a salad and other raw fruit for a smoothie or a fruit basket. This can be topped with spices, dressing, and even some toasted cereal so that you have a delicious meal even as you cut back on the calories.

Lean meat: Lean meat or white meat are the elements that should replace your red meat so that you have a low-fat meal with all the right and succulent ingredients. This will also keep the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol at bay.

Cooking with kids involves both learning and playing. And as a parent this is a great opportunity for you to bond with your child. Preparing food with your kids is fun, but it can get quite challenging due to their high energy and never ending silly-sweet questions.

So, before you introduce your child to the art of making food, there are few pointers that you should keep in mind.

Safety
Safety under any circumstance should be your priority. Before you start cooking with the kids, articulately guide them about the dos and don’ts so that there are no unfortunate accidents. If you kid is small, then keep her/him away from sharp knives, stoves and electrical appliances. Also keep a first aid box in handy to treat minor cuts and burns.

Tasks
Assign your child kitchen tasks based on their age and skills. Give them something extremely easy to start off with. So that they can positively enhance confidence in their culinary abilities. For instance, you can initially ask them to assist you with washing vegetables or adding simple ingredients in the mixture.

Plan recipes with your kids
It is important to be aware about your child’s interest and dislikes. So, ask your kid about what kind of foods does she/he fancy. Discover where would they like to start from, for example you can take up desserts or baking if your kid wishes to whip up a sweet course.
Don’t forget to take them for shopping. This will allow them to explore and learn about various kinds of ingredients. It will also give them a chance to compare quality and costs of various food products.

Experimenting
On occasions your kids will insist on trying things that might come across as eccentric. But understand their motivation behind such endeavor and encourage them. This will give them a sense of empowerment as they get to make their own choices for something as important as food.

Cleanliness
Kids and mess are best buddies. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Calmly explain them the importance of washing hands before cooking, and wearing an apron. As a parent, you must learn to be patient even when there is a lot of clutter and mistakes. Don’t turn cooking with your kids into a formal training process, go with the flow and have fun. You can gradually enforce your kitchen rules as you assign them with bigger responsibilities.

Appreciation
Kids thrive on positive response. So, no matter how small the achievement is, don’t forget to express your happiness about the done work. This is will encourage them to do things better, and will deepen their interest in cooking.