How to Freeze Vegetables Properly to Make Them Last Longer and Stay Tasty
Freezing is the best way to preserve nutrients in foods.
But in order for vegetables to retain their taste and nutritional properties for as long as possible, you need to know some subtleties.
8 Things You Need to Know
1. Some vegetables are simply placed in the freezer. Others require preliminary blanching. Blanching is a process in which the product is placed in boiling and then ice water. After blanching, the vegetables must be placed on a clean towel to drain off excess water, or blotted with a napkin. Then place in a bag or container and put in the freezer.
2. Remember: the longer the product is in boiling water, the more nutrients it loses. First of all, vitamin C, folic acid, and vitamin B1 are lost during heat treatment.
3. Blanching is necessary so that vegetables can be stored longer, since heat treatment destroys some enzymes, which reduce storage time.
4. Blanch asparagus and carrots for 2 minutes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower for 3 minutes, zucchini and eggplant for 3 minutes. Peppers, tomatoes, green peas, kale and berries do not need blanching.
5. You can blanch only half of the vegetables, that is, those that should lie as long as possible. And those that will be eaten in the first months, leave raw. It should also be remembered that if you are preparing products for consumption raw (for example, for vitamin cocktails), it is better to blanch them.
6. The temperature in the freezer should be within 17 degrees.
7. Tomatoes can be frozen as puree (chopped with a blender or meat grinder), small cubes/slices (for adding to various dishes) and circles (for pizza). The circles should be laid out on a tray or cutting board in one layer, covered with film, and placed in the freezer. Then put the already frozen circles in a container or bag. Peppers can be frozen using the same principle.
8. A paste-like mixture of tomatoes and bell peppers keeps well. They need to be chopped in a blender, poured into silicone molds, frozen, and then put in a bag. Those who like spicy food add hot peppers to the paste. You can also experiment with adding herbs.
When freezing vegetables, it is important to remember that they should not be defrosted or frozen several times. And to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients, it is better to immediately throw frozen vegetables into soup, a side dish or another hot dish so that they quickly defrost and give all the juices to the dish.
