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A cold water bath is a cooking technique that stops the cooking process by immersing food in cold water. It’s used to maintain texture and firmness, and is common for blanching vegetables. Salt can be added, but it’s not recommended for pasta or potatoes.
A cold water bath is a cooking technique that immediately halts the process of what a person is cooking by directly immersing it in cold or even ice cold water. The simplest method is to pour cold water over foods like pasta while it’s still in the colander. This can help keep pasta al dente for recipes like pasta salad. Placing food in cold water is also common when a cook blanches or lightly cooks vegetables for use as garnishes and in salads.
The reason chefs use a cold water bath is because reheated food will continue to cook slightly, even after it’s removed from the heat. When a cook is minimally cooking food and needs it to maintain a certain texture or firmness, he can still end up overcooking it if it doesn’t cool quickly. This can also be called shocking the food, as its result is to immediately end the cooking process.
Sometimes people add salt to water, about 0.5 teaspoon (3 g) for every quart (litre) of water used. This can help the food retain its natural sodium, though many skip this step with great results. The simple bath consists of a bag of ice covered in water. Some recipes recommend that cooks fill a bowl about two-thirds full of ice, then add enough water to cover it.
Foods such as blanched vegetables are then immersed in the cold water bath and allowed to sit for a minute or two. They can then be removed and will no longer cook. Cooks can store most vegetables that have been shocked for a few days in the refrigerator. They may want to consider placing them in airtight bags or lidded containers to keep them fresh. The vegetables should also be dried slightly if they are going to be stored, so that excess moisture doesn’t spoil them.
This method should not be used for pasta when the cook plans to keep the food warm and serve it immediately. In fact, many pasta recipes shouldn’t include a shock process, since even pouring fresh water over pasta can remove the starchy coating the pasta gets while cooking. This starch may be needed when pasta is added directly to thin sauces, as it helps thicken. Likewise, if a cook is adding hot potatoes to thin sauces or soups to make them thicker, they shouldn’t be rinsed or shocked.
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