Parboiling is a cooking method that involves dropping small quantities of fresh food into boiling water for a short period of time. The idea is to quick-cook the food, preparing it for other recipes, canning or freezing. Bell peppers are parboiled for these same reasons. When preparing a bell pepper for recipes requiring peeled bell peppers, parboiling helps remove the skin with less effort than peeling.
Fill a saucepan halfway with water. Set it on high heat on the range, bringing the water to a rolling boil.
Slice the bell peppers into strips. Remove the seeds and fibers on the inside, if desired.
Fill a bowl with equal parts ice and water. Put the bowl next to the range.
Drop the bell pepper slices into the boiling water. Leave for two minutes.
Remove the bell peppers with a slotted spoon. Peppers should be crisp and retain their bright colors.
Submerge peppers in an ice water bath immediately to stop the cooking process, if you're not going to use the peppers immediately.