Is it important to freeze fruit and vegetables, of course this is very important. When the season of vegetables and fruit harvest we can buy it in abundance. When the harvest season the price of vegetables and fruit is very cheap so we can buy more and save it. Then it is necessary to know how to store it properly. Is it by freezing it? If you have to freeze them, then you have to know how to freeze fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh and enjoy them for a longer period of time. Freezing is the only way we can keep fruit and vegetables fresh for up to several weeks.
So, to find out how to freeze fruits and vegetables, follow this article until the end, we will explain to you how to freeze fruits and vegetables.
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Quick Tips: How to Freeze Fruits and Vegetables
To freeze fruit and vegetables, you must know the tips, here are tips for freezing vegetables to keep them fresh and not damage their nutrients.
- Choose fruit or vegetables that are ripe but not deformed
- Before freezing in the freezer, try blanching and chocking first. This is done by boiling the vegetables first and draining them and immediately putting them in cold water. Dry thoroughly. Why do vegetables need to be blanched and shocked? Blanching will prevent enzyme damage in vegetables, this prevents damage to vegetable color, taste, and prevents loss of nutrients. In addition to this, the benefit of blanching is to kill microorganisms that may be present in vegetables.
- Then freeze the vegetables or fruit by placing them on a baking sheet in a row. If the product is frozen, take it out and put it in an airtight container or you can also use a freezer bag.
- Remove all the air that is in the freezer bag and don’t forget to make the date.
- For freezing vegetables and fruit, it is best to set the temperature at 0F or colder.
That’s how to freeze vegetables and fruit to keep them fresh for a longer period of time. Now let’s take a closer look at how to properly freeze fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh for a long time.
See too: Can You Freeze Spam?
How to Freeze Fruit
Take the fresh and good fruit, get rid of the damaged fruit. Usually fruit is best frozen with added sugar or syrup. But some don’t need sugar like blueberries, currants, and cranberries.
If you want to freeze soft fruit like strawberries and raspberries, arrange the fruit on a baking sheet, one layer. When it’s frozen (usually 24 hours) transfer it to a plastic freezer, you can also prepare the berries with sugar and syrup.
If the fruit tends to brown like peaches, apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, etc., add a little ascorbic acid (vitamin C), look for powdered ones at the grocery store. To make an ascorbic acid solution: Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid, and 3 tablespoons of water. Then this mixture is sprinkled over the chopped fruit, then dried and frozen.
See too: Can You Freeze Watermelon?
How to Freeze Vegetables
Vegetables consist of two types, some are resistant to cooking and some are not. Usually, vegetables that are resistant to cooking, such as corn and peas, freeze well.
To freeze vegetables (as we mentioned above), first boil the vegetables in boiling water, then take the vegetables and immediately put them in cold water (ice water), dry them completely on a baking sheet, line the pan with paper towels. So, vegetables must be blanched first and shocked in ice water.
Take a rimmed baking sheet, immediately spread the vegetables on it in a single layer.
When the vegetables are frozen, it is time to store them in an airtight container, you can use a freezer bag. And drain out the air in the freezer bag. Don’t forget to write down the freeze date so you know when to pick it up.
See also: Can You Freeze Bananas?
How to Pack Product for the Freezer
An important key in packaging fruit and vegetables for freezing is to maintain the humidity inside the package and the air outside. If fruits and vegetables hit the outside air, this will make them either taste or color. You can pack fruit and vegetables using a sealed bag or airtight bag, and squeeze as much air as possible from the bag that has the fruit or vegetable in it.
Then, wrap the freezer bag in heavy-duty foil and seal it well with masking tape. Before adding vegetables and fruit to the freezer, set them to the coldest setting first, and do not place the package on top as this will slow down the freezing of the vegetables and fruit.
How long do frozen products last in the freezer?
You can store frozen fruit in the freezer for 1 year, and vegetables can last up to 18 months. Storing longer is not a problem but the quality will decrease.
Thawing Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
Well, now we will take frozen fruits and vegetables. How to thaw it for use. Usually vegetables can be put in boiling water immediately after removing from the freezer, but for corn you should let it thaw on its own.
The fruit that is removed from the freezer, it is very good to leave it at room temperature first and wait for it to thaw on its own. Soft berries will usually become mushy when thawed, so you can use them before they are completely thawed so they are still firm in texture. Before completely liquid, the berries can be used directly for smoothies, baking, or for topping ice cream.
Also read: Can You Freeze Avocados?
When we freeze the fruit, the ice water will expand in the fruit and this causes the tissue or cells in the fruit to be damaged. This causes the texture of some of the fruit to become mushy when thawed. So, we recommend freezing fruit quickly at very cold temperatures, temperatures that are too cold will minimize damage to fruit cells, so that when thawed the fruit will not experience significant damage.
We also recommend using the fruit before it is completely melted, this is to ensure that the texture of the fruit still feels tight and crunchy, not too mushy.
