freezing vegetables?

iammumtoone

Can I freeze raw vegetables or do they have to be blanched first?

Thanks

hilstep2000

I've never blanched mine, they are fine.

carriebradshaw

I blanch sprouts but don't bother with anything else

Fredula

Do they end up with a funny texture? Like those horrible frozen carrots in frozen veg bags?

Lilyplonk

I find that my own 'frozen carrots' always taste much nicer than 'shop bought' ones.

When cooking them, I tend to put a couple of 'serving spoons of them into the top of my steamer for the final 5-7mins of cooking potatoes. Timing depends on how you big your chunks/slices/sticks are and how well you like your carrots cooked.

Seakay

I never bother with blanching before freezing.

It's worth freezing on a baking sheet and then transferring to storage container or bag so that you don't get a solid block.

Raw potatoes will not freeze (they go black and are inedible) but cooked will

iammumtoone

Thanks everyone. I often do a stew in the slow cooker, there is only me and a little one so we don't need much. I am going to prepare loads of veg at once and freeze in portions so I just have to pop one bag in the slow cooker each time so it doesn't matter if they clump together. Will save time and waste I can also split the meat up into portions into the bags to be frozen.

I do add potatoes so thanks for letting me know they won't work. I can always prepare them each time, they keep longer than other veg anyway.

Is it best to defrost the veg or will they be ok to be put in frozen (bearing in mind they will be in a slow cooker)

Thanks again

Lilyplonk

I'd never put anything frozen into the Slow Cooker - would really cause problems with timings etc.

iammumtoone

Lilyplonk wrote: »

I'd never put anything frozen into the Slow Cooker - would really cause problems with timings etc.

Can you defrost vegetable before cooking, I am going by the fact it always states on the shop brought ones to cook from frozen.

I will try it, it certainly won't do me any harm, thanks.

joedenise

I always make up "stew packs" and freeze them but without potatoes - DH and I don't like potatoes cooked in the SC so I always do those separate.

I don't add meat to the stew packs as sometimes I just use them to make vegetable soup, which is handy to have as a lunch or starter to evening meal if you need to up your veg intake a bit.

Denise

maman

Lilyplonk wrote: »

I'd never put anything frozen into the Slow Cooker - would really cause problems with timings etc.

I often add a handful of frozen leeks, peppers or mushrooms to a Bolognese or soup in the SC. It might take a bit longer to get to temperature but the overall change to cooking time is minimal.