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Would you expand on freezing your own broccoli: How long do you blanch the broccoli before freezing?

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Recorded

This event was on May 30, 2023

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Nolan is ready to answer them all.

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Question

Cynthia Dudak

Would you expand on freezing your own broccoli: How long do you blanch the broccoli before freezing?

Answer

So go back to the broccoli assignment. You turn the broccoli on its head, you cut off the floret, and then you're going to have your pan of boiling water. You have a bowl of ice, a little water in it, and then you're going to cook it for about a minute. I, I'm gonna stick with the, uh, with the, uh, blanche on this. And then you stick it in the ice for about a minute. Take it out. I like to dry it so it doesn't get soggy. And then one, once it has cooled down, I'll put it on a cookie sheet, line them up, put it in the freezer. Once they're frozen, I take them out and then I put them in little bags or containers so that I have broccoli that all I have to do is zap it in the microwave or cook it for, you know, maybe three or four minutes, much less than having to prep the broccoli and then, you know, get it to that texture that you like. So that's that, that, that's what b uh, both batch cooking is all about.

Char Nolan

Chef Instructor

Char Nolan is a serious crusader for plant-based education, armed with a degree in public health from Philadelphia’s Temple University. She teaches nutrition and plant-based cooking throughout Philadelphia, and in many underserved communities. Char holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell and completed Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Certification course in 2015. In 2019, Char completed post-graduate course work in social media marketing at the University of the Arts. When she is not cooking or teaching, she manages social media accounts for several plant-based influencers. Char prides herself on learning everything she knows about cooking from growing up in her grandparents’ Italian restaurant. Her favorite vegetables are Brussels sprouts and kale, of course. Char originally hails from Queens, NY, but has lived in Philadelphia most of her adult life. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer.