Freezing beansprouts??

studentsaver166

I have far too many beansprouts for one person to eat and they're starting to look a bit sad! Do you think they'd be ok in the freezer or will they go all soggy and gross when thawed out?! I just don't know what to do with them! Any advice from you lovely OSers very gratefully received!

Sola

Honestly, I think they'd be disgusting - they have a very high water content, so the freezing would make the water expand and destroy the cell walls. It'd be like trying to freeze cucumber.

(Of course someone will come along now and tell me they can freeze cucumber no problem!)

studentsaver166

That's what I was afraid of. Don't you just hate how difficult it is to shop for one person?! I hate wasting food but I just have no clue how to use that many beansprouts in the next day or so. I'm having stirfry tonight but that will really only use half the bag maximum.

Sola

How about a Thai prawn soup with beansprouts? I'd bung in green curry paste, a tin of coconut milk, some chillies and the beansprouts, and see what you end up with. Or eat them raw with a soy sauce salad dressing.

studentsaver166

That's a fab idea, I will give that a try, thanks Sola!

thriftlady_2

Sola wrote: »

Honestly, I think they'd be disgusting - they have a very high water content, so the freezing would make the water expand and destroy the cell walls. It'd be like trying to freeze cucumber.

(Of course someone will come along now and tell me they can freeze cucumber no problem!)

I think you're right Sola -sog sog soggy

thriftlady_2

studentsaver166 wrote: »

That's what I was afraid of. Don't you just hate how difficult it is to shop for one person?! I hate wasting food but I just have no clue how to use that many beansprouts in the next day or so. I'm having stirfry tonight but that will really only use half the bag maximum.

Buy a bag of mung beans and sprout them yourself then you can sprout just enough for one. Mind you I do a lot at a time and they keep well in the fridge for a week -I think they are more robust than ready sprouted.

Check out this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=134746&highlight=mung+bean+sprouts

Sola

Do they grow as long and white as the shopbought ones?

thriftlady_2

Sola wrote: »

Do they grow as long and white as the shopbought ones?

No, they are much curlier and the stems aren't as long, but they are delicious.

studentsaver166

Well I made the thai prawn soup and it was absolutely delicious, thanks for the suggestion Sola! I will definitely be adding it to my regular meals.

spike7451

Intending to make a stir fry tommorow,I bought a bag of Chinese Beansprouts from Tesco.
In the past,I've ended up throwing nearly a full bag of them away as they tend to go off very quickly once the bag is opened.
So my question is,can I blanch what I dont use & freeze them?
Reason for this is they are'nt stocked anywhere in the shops where I live & I'll be !!!!!!-d if I'm going to drive 12 mile round trip just for a bag of them
Oh the shops stock the tinned 'Amoy' ones but they're rank imho.

help.....please...