OS Vegetables, whats best fresh or frozen?

lushlifesaver

I would love to use more fresh but at the minute it's more frozen, also use canned/jarred sweetcorn , kidney beans, beatroot and tomatoes etc.

In summer we eat a lot of salads so of course it swings seasonally.

Always fresh:
Mushrooms
Onions
Leeks

Frozen:
Mixed veg/peas
Cauliflower (used to make soups)
Peppers (bf doesn't eat them so cheaper and more economical to buy frozen sliced just for me)
Roast potatoes (just because I don't have an actual oven so these save my bacon haha)

Often fresh:
Potatoes
Carrots
Celery

Think for us it is a time/convenience thing in that when I get home I want to get tasty food on the table asap so use frozen to cut prep times, also bf is very limited in what veg he will eat if he knows its there (yes he is as bad as a picky toddler!) Plan is to increase the fresh stuff when I'm on mat leave and gradually build in prep time/work on some methods I've seen where I could prep for all meals on a Sunday :-)

ETA: I had no idea you could freeze bean sprouts but so thankful you have told us as I wanted some to go in/with chow mein next week but didn't want to waste most of a pack (only me as bf will be in Prague)
Also...do people think I could freeze peppers halved and deseeded for stuff? Or would I be better freezing stuffed, cooked, chilled ones?

WantToBeSE

I buy most of mine frozen. It reduces waste and is just easier for us.
The only things that i NEVER buy frozen are:

Courgettes, Aubergines and Mushrooms.

lilyp

Freezing bean sprouts is a genius tip!

I chop spring onions and pop them in the freezer in a plastic bottle to dish out into stir frays etc.

I always used to buy small tins of sweet corn and never use it all. Only dawned on me the other day to buy frozen instead :rotfl:

maman

lushlifesaver wrote: »

Always fresh:
Mushrooms
Onions
Leeks

Think for us it is a time/convenience thing in that when I get home I want to get tasty food on the table asap so use frozen to cut prep times.....

Plan is to increase the fresh stuff when I'm on mat leave

:hello:hi lush.

:T:T many congratulations on your news.:D

You really should try frozen leeks (I get mine in Farmfoods). They're not only cheaper than fresh but it saves all that prepping (esp. washing out grit) and there's no waste. Obviously no good for having them whole but perfect for soups and casseroles.

Edwardia

The decision whether to buy fresh or frozen is largely taken out of my hands as there isn't much frozen organic veg about.

Waitrose does frozen organic petits pois (500g 1.99) and garden peas (500g 1.47). Sainsbury's has frozen organic peas too (750g 2.20) but they seem tougher than the Waitrose ones to me.

Waitrose also has organic frozen oven chips (750g 1.99) which husband likes.

ASDA does Green Giant organic tinned sweetcorn 150g 80p but other than that it's all fresh veg for us.

There is a company called Ardo which does frozen organic for the catering trade but no-one near me sells it.

ASDA sells trimmed organic leeks and their prices for organic veg are pretty good if they have any, ditto Lidl.

Sainsbury's has a really good selection of packet and tinned organic stuff but whether they have fruit and veg in store is hit and miss. Hardly ever see any organic veg in Tesco or Morrisons - even in big stores.

Nutritionally, frozen is as good if not better than most fresh stuff in supermarkets. If I wasn't doing organic I'd get Birds Eye frozen peas and mostly frozen veg from Iceland.

Sequeena

I buy fresh for soups and cauliflower/broccoli cheese. Frozen for recipes - cottage pie, pasta sauce etc and as side dishes with meals.

[Deleted User]

I buy fresh and usually if I can from my local small independant greengrocers or farm shop.I'm not keen on frozen although in the winter when the price rocket it does sometimes pay.My local farm shop have some big freezers where you can buy what ever weight you want or need and bag it up and just pay for the weight.Which is good if you only need a small amount I also freeze my own fresh stuff if I find I won't be using it straight away

Tillytrotter1

So what is the best way of cooking frozen veg? I have tried a few different frozen vegetables but they all seem pretty watery with a strange texture, which is a shame because they are cost effective and a great time saver.

115K

I much prefer fresh veg although I usually have a bag of mixed frozen veg in the freezer and sometimes sweetcorn and peas.

WTFH

Frozen peas.
Apart from that, mostly fresh and seasonal.

At certain times of the year there will be more in the freezer than others e.g. if we pick a glut of beans