# Blanching foods....



## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

How long would I blanch sweet potato slices? Till its warmed through then cool it?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

thought they went in raw?


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Tops 30 seconds otherwise the processing of cooking it will start to suck out its nutritional content (plus it gets super mushy). Its an extremely messy (but highly nutritional) food so I'd add it right before a scheduled water change. I find it too hard for most fish to eat raw even the pleco's and the whiptails.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I did it about 30 seconds. Shrimp love it, my thai flying fox loves it. no one else seems interested. My snails have ignored it. I will try some romain lettuce on them later..


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

You can also try feeing them softer stuff, like banana, mango, etc., or very thin slices of squash made with a vegetable peeler (snails love this, too).

With the exception of potato and eggplant, most vegetables are non-toxic when raw and safe to give to fish without cooking. The only reason to blanch vegetables is to make them softer for fish that can't bite through them otherwise.

* Tip: if you are feeding zucchini slices to the fish, slice them so that the fish can't get choked in the ring of rind. I read a number of articles several years ago about plecos getting stuck in zucchini circles and dying because it held their gills shut.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

The reason for blanching is so the vegetable will sink. I do it for zuchini and brocoli stems. Neither one needs to be softened.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

BillD said:


> The reason for blanching is so the vegetable will sink. I do it for zuchini and brocoli stems. Neither one needs to be softened.


My reasoning is to soften it up for younger fish, unfortunately nothing I blanch will sink after 30 seconds.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

If you don't want to blanch veggies but your fish don't like to eat floating foods, get a suction cup and attach an s-hook to it (these things are blunt and won't hurt your fish), then stab the veggie onto the hook and attach it to the aquarium glass.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Katalyst said:


> My reasoning is to soften it up for younger fish, unfortunately nothing I blanch will sink after 30 seconds.


It takes about 2 minutes of blanching to sink brocoli stems and zuchini; if it hasn't sunk in the pan, it won't sink in the tank.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

BillD said:


> It takes about 2 minutes of blanching to sink brocoli stems and zuchini; if it hasn't sunk in the pan, it won't sink in the tank.


Thanks Bill, I don't like to blanch for more then 30 seconds because the heat cooks the nutrients right out of the food so I weight it down. I buy fish foods that also use low heat processing or pressurized weight processing as well.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Katalyst said:


> Tops 30 seconds otherwise the processing of cooking it will start to suck out its nutritional content (plus it gets super mushy). Its an extremely messy (but highly nutritional) food so I'd add it right before a scheduled water change. I find it too hard for most fish to eat raw even the pleco's and the whiptails.[/QUOTE
> 
> I find my L081 and L134 absolutely destroy yams. Raw, in thick slices. Gone by the morning.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Katalyst said:
> 
> 
> > Tops 30 seconds otherwise the processing of cooking it will start to suck out its nutritional content (plus it gets super mushy). Its an extremely messy (but highly nutritional) food so I'd add it right before a scheduled water change. I find it too hard for most fish to eat raw even the pleco's and the whiptails.[/QUOTE
> ...


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I give it to them raw and attach a weight to hold it down. Most things are gone overnight.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

I find potato and yam sink anyways without a weight - another added benefit.


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