I want to start sharing some kitchen techniques you can keep in mind whenever you're cooking one of our recipes. Today's technique is called blanching and shocking. And while many people think this technique is only for vegetables, it's actually used for many foods in the kitchen, including eggs, which we just use in our egg series. What is blanching? Blanching is a cooking process where food is placed into boiling water for a short period of time. This quick step can be used to soften vegetables, partially cooked food before finishing it later. It removes strong flavors from vegetables like cabbage, brussels sprouts, or onions. Blanching is not meant to cook the food fully. It prepares the food while maintaining its natural flavor and texture. Sensory cues for blanching. Sound cue. When food enters the boiling water, the bubbling will quiet briefly and then return to a steady boil. Tactile cue. When checking with tongs or a spoon, the food should feel slightly tender but still firm, not soft or mushy. What is shocking? After blanching the food, it is immediately placed into ice water or under very cold running water. This step is called shocking or refreshing. Shocking stops the cooking process instantly. If food is removed from boiling water and left sitting, it will continue to cook from the heat it absorbed. This is called carryover cooking. Cooling the food quickly helps lock in the texture and flavor. Sensory cues for shocking. Tactile cue. When food is placed into the ice bath, it should cool quickly and feel firm and crisp when touched with tongs or a spoon. Preparing an ice bath. Before blanching, prepare your ice bath so the food can be cooled immediately. Using a mixing bowl, fill the bowl about halfway with ice. Add cold water until the ice is covered. But every quart of water added, mix in about a half a teaspoon of salt. Tactile cue. When you touch the water with the utensil, it should feel very cold from the ice surrounding it. How the process works. Once the food finishes blanching, remove it from the boiling pot of water using tongs or a slotted spoon. Place it directly into the ice bath. Allow it to sit for about one minute before removing. Let's give you an example. Green beans are a common example depending on their size. They're typically blanched for about three to four minutes before going into the ice bath. Tactile cue. After blanching, the beans should feel tender but still slightly firm. After shocking it, it should feel cool and crisp. Blanching and shocking is not only for vegetables, it can be used for vegetables, eggs, some fruits, and other foods that can benefit from stopping the cooking process quickly. For example, when we place boiled eggs in ice bath, we're using the same shocking technique to stop the cooking and make them easier to peel. Why chefs use this technique? Blanching and shocking also allows you to prepare foods ahead of time. Once the food has been blanched and cooled, it can be reheated later and still maintain good flavor and texture. Now, this is the unseen cuisine sensory cue. Sound cue. Boiling water briefly quiets when the food is added, then returns to a steady boil. Tactile Q. Blanched food feels slightly tender but still firm. Cooling Q. After the ice bath, the food should feel cool and crisp. If you'd like to explore more blind-friendly cooking techniques and sensory-based recipes, visit unseencuisine.com where you'll find our Friday recipe dishes and more kitchen foundations from Unseen Cuisine Method. And if this tip helped you cook with more confidence, share this episode with someone who loves food but may not realize how powerful sound, touch, and aroma can be in the kitchen. Because here in the Unseen Cuisine Kitchen, cooking without limits means learning to trust your senses.