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186 Blanching in the Miele steam oven Blanching is a method used to prepare vege- tables and fruit for preservation. The brief heat treatment disables the enzymes contained in plant-based foods and therefore prevents changes to the colour and flavour, as well as the loss of vitamins. To ensure that the food does not continue cooking, you need to cool it in ice water immediately after blanching. How it’s done: Trim and wash the vegetables or fruit and chop up large items (cauliflower and broccoli into florets; leeks, carrots and kohlrabi sliced). Place them in a perforated cooking container in the steam oven. At a temperature of 100 °C, the blan- ching time is around 1 minute for all foods. Once blanched, plunge the items into ice water to cool them down quickly. The following should be blanched: Apples, apricots, pears, peaches, cauliflower, beans (green or yellow), broccoli, peas, kale, kohl- rabi, carrots, asparagus, spinach, leeks The following should not be blanched: Berries, herbs