Veg - To Blanch or Not to Blanch?
- Thread starter jere1558
- Start date
I always do, but I don't do it so much that it cooks exactly. I did this yesterday. I had a fairly small piece of zuc, I peeled it and I threw it in the microwave in some water in a coffee cup for about 45 seconds. I let it cool and gave it to them.
I really don't see a difference, maybe the zucchini we get here is a little spongier, but between raw and blanched, the texture seems the same, and it still floats afterwards.
I have noticed that my fish don't really touch the veggies I put in the tank until they are soft. Blanching them makes them softer faster so they eat them sooner. Otherwise the veggeis just sit there until the water softens them anyway. However, you don't want to leave the veggies in the water too long because they will begin to rot and mess up the water chemistry, just like any other excess of food.
Thanks folks. Good information!
As an aside....I have found this site to be extremely helpful and often entertaining!
As an aside....I have found this site to be extremely helpful and often entertaining!
blanching also kills any fungus that might be on the zucchini. if it gets into the tank it can cause problems or make the fish sick. depending on what kind of fish you have, you might not want to peel it. my common and bnose plecs just eat the flesh, but my royal pleco eats it from the outside in, the skin is always gone right away. if your clown pleco is a panaque maccus (as opposed to a peckoltia sp. - both are sold as 'clown plecos') it would probably enjoy having the peel on the zucchini.
I couldn't find my clip, so I just threw a chunk in there last night. I just saw my pleco pick it up and take it in a cave. I guess he doesn't want to share.