Freeze fresh fruit/veg?

skiTTish

you need to cook or blanche it first

valk_scot

skiTTish wrote: »

you need to cook or blanche it first

No you don't! I've had an allotment for 12 years now and if I had to cook or blanche everything I freeze I'd have given up long ago, trust me.

Blanching gives a better result as in the veg retains a better colour and texture when finally cooked but depending on what you want to do with it then you don't actually have to cook or blanche the veg first. I never bother with veg intended for soup for example, but potatoes don't freeze well if raw so I make mash and freeze scoops of that. Tomatoes are better turned into sauce though you can freeze them whole then just drop into your dish and fish out the skin after it's defrosted.

It does help if you cut the veg up though...carrots into dice, caulifower into florettes, that sort of thing. Whole veg doesn't freeze well unless it's small, like peas or carrots. Very watery veg like cucumber won't freeze. Freeze in portion size bags and don't defrost if raw...just use from frozen.

keza

so i just need to batch it up raw, im talking like carrots, cauliflower, cabbage things like that. not potatoes. i mash them then freeze them. but these others are ok to just freeze yeah? or is it best i do cook them first?

esmf73

Cut then freeze - then you can use the veg from frozen. Great moneysaver too if you see piles of veg going to waste - if you've the time, buy and freeze. I like to do this with onions.

valk_scot

keza wrote: »

so i just need to batch it up raw, im talking like carrots, cauliflower, cabbage things like that. not potatoes. i mash them then freeze them. but these others are ok to just freeze yeah? or is it best i do cook them first?

Cabbage doesn't freeze that well tbh, either cooked or raw, unless it's in something like bubble and squeek. Diced carrots and small florets of cauliflower will freeze...remember though that if you don't blanche it won't keep so long so aim to use it up within a couple of months.

skiTTish

Blueergh ,personally i think freezing without blanching spoils the veg ,suppose it depends how picky you are tbh .
Hi Val ,long time no speaky
Skatty x

rising_from_the_ashes

Does the "change of state rule" apply to freezing fruit?

I was given some cooking apples by a neighbour and took some frozen blackberries out of the freezer to make a crumble (yum!).

However, now it's cooked down there's enough for more than one crumble - I know you can take say a frozen uncooked chicken breast, thaw, cook & re-freeze but haven't needed to do this with fruit before.

Thanks:)

ceridwen

Dont know about that - but perhaps you could use the surplus for:
- putting on porridge at breakfast
or
- fruit-filled pancakes

for instance.

CH27

I would make two crumbles & freeze one.

rising_from_the_ashes

:wall:I hadn't even thought of that!:doh:

I've got several small dishes so could easily make individual portion sized ones and freeze at the same time as doing the "big" crumble.:)

Thanks!:D


And .... I am having porridge for breakfast tomorrow so will certainly keep a wee bit to pop on that!;)