How to freeze broccoli for the winter? Freezing vegetables for the winter: cooking tips

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Broccoli is known as a he althy and nutritious product, which can be used to prepare a lot of he althy and delicious dishes. If you are interested in information on how to freeze broccoli for the winter, you are on the right track, as this process preserves valuable vitamins and minerals with virtually no loss.

All family members can eat it, even small children who have reached the age of 8 months.

Useful properties of broccoli

Everyone who has ever tried to follow a diet has heard of this vegetable. The calorie content of 100 g of the product is only 32 kcal, and in order to process it, the body has to spend more calories. It turns out that broccoli is great for weight loss, when you want to get rid of extra pounds. In addition, cabbage has a lot of fiber, which helps to remove toxins, relieves constipation and perfectly cleanses the intestines. The rich composition of microelements and vitamins helps withvarious diseases.

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  Reduces the risk of cataracts and improves the condition of blood vessels due to carotenoids.

• Chromium regulates the production of insulin, which is indispensable for diabetics.
• Phytoncides increase the protective properties of body cells in the fight against cancer.
• Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc and Phosphorus are a great mineral "kit" for those who want to strengthen bones or are prone to osteoporosis.
• Complex of folic acid and iron - prevention of anemia. This property of cabbage is very valuable for pregnant women. If you're thinking about having a baby, learn how to freeze broccoli for the winter. This information will also be useful to those who care about the proper nutrition of their family.
• Vitamins K, A and E, fatty acids (Omega-3), as well as antioxidants improve metabolism, slow down the process of skin aging, and have a beneficial effect on hair.

Freezing Secrets

To spend a minimum of effort and at the same time get a tasty and he althy preparation is the dream of any housewife. High-quality freezing of vegetables for the winter involves the implementation of simple rules. As a result, you can eat tasty and varied almost until the next harvest.

• Choose only firm, insect-free vegetables. If you want to know how to freeze broccoli properly, choose a product with neat florets.
• The vegetable should be stored on the day of purchase (or harvest). Evenof the plucked fruit, the process of nutrition takes place, but at the expense of those vitamins and minerals that are in it. If you delay freezing for a few days, the broccoli will wither.
• Dense packing and sealing are important conditions for preserving the natural moisture in fruits and vegetables. Excess air from bags should be removed.
• Spread food into small portions. It is very convenient for cooking. Also, the faster the broccoli freezes, the better it will keep.

Preparing broccoli

Vegetables need to be washed. At the same time, immediately discard damaged or underdeveloped inflorescences - they will not be needed. Broccoli is a delicate vegetable, so before washing it again, it is advised to soak it in a saline solution (a couple of tablespoons of s alt per 1 liter of water) for half an hour.

Clean heads of cabbage are dried on a towel. The bottom line is that freezing vegetables for the winter occurs at a temperature of -18 ° C. Excess moisture will also turn into ice. If there is a lot of water, then the vegetables will freeze in a solid lump. Cut the cabbage into inflorescences, separate the stalk, which can also be finely chopped and frozen.

Heat treatment

Blanching is a must. This destroys oxidation enzymes, which can subsequently cause an unpleasant taste and smell. It is believed that before freezing broccoli, you can do without pre-treatment with hot water. But in this case, the inflorescences turn into dust (very often) and thawedthe product can be recycled. Citric acid is added to keep the white color and delicate texture. 1 teaspoon is enough for 2 liters of water.

Prepared pieces of vegetables are lowered into a pot with boiling water. Exactly 4 minutes later, the cabbage is thrown into a colander, washed under the tap.

Cooling in ice water

Prepare ice cubes in advance, because the water in which the hot vegetables are placed heats up quickly. This stage is necessary in order to stop the heat treatment process immediately after blanching. Cooling takes 4-5 minutes. Always check the water temperature and report ice as needed. Often, housewives who are interested in how to freeze broccoli for the winter ignore this procedure. And completely in vain. The longer cabbage stays warm, the more likely it is to turn into mush.

Freezing

Having learned how to freeze broccoli properly, pre-prepare dishes or storage bags. Use plastic containers with lids as containers. Small plastic bags are also suitable, which put one into the other (that is, in 2 layers).

Broccoli can be frozen on a plank, laid out in one row. But immediately after the temperature drops to the desired level, the inflorescences are transferred to containers or prepared bags, hermetically sealed and returned to the freezer. At each stage, the work must be done as quickly as possible.

Storage

The process of deep freezing is carried out at a temperature of -18 °C. These are the optimal conditions for storing vegetables in the freezer. Over the next 12 months after laying, you can diversify the menu with delicious and he althy dishes. However, vegetables can be stored at a higher temperature, from 0 ° C to -8 ° C. True, while stocks must be used within 3 months.

During storage, the refrigerator will need to be defrosted several times. If you know how to freeze broccoli for the winter, take into account all the subtleties, then you understand that it is impossible to re-freeze vegetables. Before you clean out the refrigerator and remove the accumulated ice, take out the vegetables and put them in a warm blanket. This will keep the temperature low for as long as possible and preserve the broccoli. After cleaning the refrigerator, the vegetables are returned to the freezer.