Ice water versus running water blanching

Blanching involves heating vegetables and then rapidly cooling them down. Traditionally, this is achieved using boiling water followed by an ice bath. The ice bath's purpose is to quickly remove heat energy from the blanched vegetables. An alternative method involves using running cold water instead of an ice bath to cool the vegetables. Running water continuously replaces warmed water with fresh cold water, maintaining a consistent temperature. This facilitates a steady and rapid cooling process for the vegetables. The key is quickly removing heat energy, regardless of whether it's ice-cold or just cold water. Running water accomplishes this by constantly replenishing the cooling source. The effectiveness hinges on the speed of energy removal, not necessarily the extreme cold of an ice bath. Therefore, running water presents a viable alternative to the conventional ice bath method for blanching.