Home freezer - what can be stored in it and how to use it

I tried using blueberries from the freezer today. Well, in general, I liked it. I didn't defrost them, I just mixed them with sugar and a pinch of starch .. And why didn't I freeze them before?
🔗

I just love freezer blueberries. Most often, it goes directly to homemade yoghurts -. Sometimes baked goods.

Girls, tell me, pliz - after 4 days the expiration date of sour cream ends. After a week, you need to bake a cake from this very sour cream (sour cream cakes). The question is - can you freeze sour cream and then use it in baking or is it better to throw it out right away?

[aunt Besya]

And if now bake the cakes and freeze them without steaming? I'm out aunt Besya She advised to swaddle the pastries in cling film one by one and freeze them. I tried it, I really liked it. Now I always have the whole assortment of my favorite pastries.

I tried using blueberries from the freezer today. Well, in general, I liked it. I didn't defrost them, I just mixed them with sugar and a pinch of starch .. And why didn't I freeze them before?
🔗

I bake all winter from frozen berries. I love.

Girls, my question is, did anyone freeze cauliflower? I read in a book that you need to blanch, but can someone freeze it without blanching? I would be grateful for any advice.

I stupidly put in bags raw by inflorescences, and then immediately cook frozen, and no gray!

[HOME FREEZING]

HOME FREEZING

No doubt, there is nothing better than fresh vegetables and fruits. And vitamins in them, and trace elements, and micronutrients. But now the season ends, and we either cook jam, prepare salads and other preparations for the winter, or go to the vegetable department of the supermarket for vitamins ... Jams and pickles, of course, are good, but, unfortunately, little of the usefulness remains there. And those fruits and vegetables that are on the shelves all year round also raise doubts - who knows where and how they are grown ... But there is one way out - home freezing.

Freezing is perhaps the most profitable and convenient way to preserve. Judge for yourself - with this method you do not use vinegar, salt, or high temperatures, which destroy almost all vitamins. True, during freezing, a certain amount of vitamins is also lost, but these losses are incomparable with cooking and pickling. There is one more disadvantage - the color and shape of the products, alas, are lost. But if you don't care what the berries from your garden will look like, then this article is for you.

Of course, someone with a huge freezer is in luck. But even a regular refrigerator will fit a lot of useful greens, mushrooms and other sweets from the country.

There are several rules for freezing:

• Suitable for freezing fresh and ripe, firm, not deformed food;
• Before freezing vegetables and fruits, be sure to thoroughly wash and dry - if this is not done, all your frost will stick together into an unappetizing lump;
• Most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing. Blanching is a short-term cooking in boiling water or steam, followed by rapid cooling. Blanching destroys oxidative enzymes that lead to off-flavor and discoloration.
• Frozen food should be tightly packed in containers with lids or plastic bags. The denser the products are packed, the less moisture will evaporate from them during storage.
• Containers and bags must be sealed.
• It is advisable to freeze food in small batches - so that they can be used at once. So, instead of a huge package of vegetables or berries, it is better to make several small ones at a time. Re-freezing your freezer is not worth it, it will just be a translation of the product.
• The temperature in the freezer must not exceed –18 ° C, in which case the food can be stored for up to a year. Frozen can be stored at temperatures from 0 to –8 ° C for no more than three months.

You can freeze almost everything - from herbs to mushrooms. Only turnips, radishes, radishes are not frozen. When using frozen greens, you do not need to defrost them, and the rest of the products require half the cooking time. The ideal way to cook frozen vegetables is with a double boiler.

Greens. Dill, parsley, sorrel, onion feathers, cilantro, celery, etc., are thoroughly washed before freezing, dried (this is important!) And cut. Prepared greens are put in bags, squeezed so that air comes out, the bags are tightly tied. Another way to freeze greens is to freeze in small portions in water. To do this, moist greens are tightly tamped into ice molds, filled with water and frozen. The resulting ice cubes are poured into a bag and stored in the freezer. Use without defrosting, throwing 1-3 dice into the finished meal.

Cucumbers. Cut into circles or slices, tightly packed into small molds, hermetically packed and frozen. Frozen cucumbers are stored for no more than six months, using for salads.

Tomatoes. Small cherry tomatoes can be frozen whole, while large tomatoes are cut into slices and treated in the same way as with cucumbers. You can freeze tomato puree.

Bell pepper. Pepper for stuffing is frozen whole by cutting off the "caps" and removing the seeds. Prepared peppers are put into one another and frozen. However, with this method, they take up a lot of space. Peppers can be frozen in another way by cutting them into cubes or strips and tucking them tightly into plastic bags. In this case, the pepper must be blanched for 10-15 minutes and dried.

Eggplant. Before freezing, eggplant is blanched for 5-10 minutes, allowed to drain, cut and frozen.

Green beans wash, clean, dry, cut into 2-3 cm pieces and freeze.

Green pea frozen in bulk, after washing and drying. Peas are poured onto a tray, frozen and poured into a bag, tying tightly.

Corn milk ripeness is husked from the cobs and frozen in the same way as peas.

White cabbage it is frozen in the form of straw, it is laid out in bags, air is removed and tied tightly.

Cauliflower. In fresh cauliflower, the upper leaves are removed, the head is divided into inflorescences. Blanch with the addition of a small amount of citric acid for 3 minutes, cool and dry on a towel. Place in bags and freeze.

Broccoli - very delicate, so there is no need to blanch it. Broccoli is divided into inflorescences, washed, dried and laid out in bags.

Brussels sprouts freezes after a short blanching (2-3 minutes), in bulk on a tray.

Zucchini and squash before freezing, cut into cubes, remove seeds, boil for 10-15 minutes, discard in a colander, cool. They are laid out in packages, air is removed from them, and tightly tied.

Carrots and beets washed, peeled, cut into small cubes or coarsely grated and frozen in small batches in bags.

Pumpkin frozen in the same way as zucchini. It is cut into cubes, removing the seeds, blanched for 10-15 minutes, cooled and put into bags. Pumpkin can be coarsely grated and frozen in small batches.

Apples. Sweet and sour apple varieties are suitable for freezing. Apples are thoroughly washed, peeled, cored. Cut into slices or slices and dipped in acidified or salted water so as not to darken, but for no more than 20 minutes.Arrange the prepared apples on a tray and put in the freezer. When the apples are a little cold, remove the tray, quickly separate the wedges from each other and put them back in the freezer for final freezing. Place the frozen apples in plastic bags and tie tightly.

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries. These berries are thoroughly washed, dried and frozen in bulk on trays. The berries are poured onto a tray in one layer. Frozen berries are best stored in containers so they will not wrinkle and will retain their shape when thawed.

Currant, gooseberry etc. Berries are washed, dried and frozen, sprinkled on a tray. The finished berries are poured into plastic bags and tied tightly. Any berries can be frozen as puree.

Apricots, peaches, cherries, plums. Necessarily peeled, frozen in flat containers along with the released juice. The resulting briquettes are put into bags.

Mushrooms. Strong, non-wormy porcini mushrooms, boletus, aspen mushrooms, mushrooms, honey agarics, chanterelles are suitable for freezing. Mushrooms should be stored the same day they are harvested. Before freezing, the mushrooms are carefully sorted out, cutting off the spoiled parts, and washed in several waters. The prepared mushrooms are dried on a towel. Mushrooms can be frozen raw, fried, boiled, or as a ready-made soup. For the "raw" method, large mushrooms are cut into several parts, small ones are left whole, spread on a baking sheet and frozen. The frozen mushrooms are transferred to a container or bag. If you are afraid of freezing raw mushrooms, then you can first boil them, fry or stew them. Boiled mushrooms are discarded in a colander, cooled and placed in containers. The same is done with fried mushrooms. Braised mushrooms can be frozen along with the aromatic liquid in which they were cooked. Or you can prepare a semi-finished mushroom soup: boil light mushrooms, pour the cooled broth together with the mushrooms into containers in which food bags are inserted, and freeze. After that, remove the bags from the containers and store the soup in neat briquettes.

Vegetables can be frozen individually or any platter can be prepared. Paprikash, Hawaiian or Mexican mix, ratatouille, paella - you can make it all yourself. Prepare the necessary vegetables, peel, wash, cut into cubes. Blanch all vegetables. Rice or beans, if used, must be pre-cooked until half cooked. Here, for example, are several options for such mixtures. The most important thing is only for you to decide what and how much you put there.

Frying vegetables with mushrooms: rice, green peas, corn, peppers, onions, carrots, champignons.

Paprikash: bell peppers, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes.

Mexican mix: carrots, green beans, peppers, corn, eggplant, red beans, green peas, onions, celery.

Rustic vegetables: potatoes, corn, broccoli, peppers, carrots, onions, green beans.

Spring vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peas, carrots, potatoes, onions.

Paella: eggplant, pepper, rice, peas, corn, carrots, zucchini, onions.

Gyuvech: eggplant, peppers, onions, tomatoes.

Hawaiian Blend: green peas, corn, peppers, rice.

Lecho: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, carrots, onions.

Greens for salads: cucumbers, dill, green onions, parsley.

Greens for soup and main courses: dill, parsley, basil, green onions.

Vegetable stew: cauliflower, carrots, green onions (with a head), dill, green peas.

Dressing for borscht: bell peppers, green onions (with a head), hot peppers, dill, parsley, garlic.

Mushroom soup: champignons or porcini mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, onions.
Sorrel soup: sorrel, potatoes, carrots, onions.

Borscht: beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions.

Vegetable mixtures are prepared without defrosting, steamed or stewed in a pan with a minimum amount of oil. Frozen soups are placed in boiling broth or water and boiled for a short time.

You can eat frozen berries and fruits just like that, or you can prepare interesting dishes and drinks.

New year shake

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen berries
1 bottle of champagne
1 bottle of white wine
sugar to taste

Preparation:
Pour berries into a wide glass decanter, add sugar to taste, pour champagne, let stand for 1-2 hours. Then pour in the wine, cool. Pour into wide glasses with berries.

Ice dessert

Preparation: grind any berries or a mixture of berries in a blender with sugar, pour into jars of yogurt and freeze.

Sorbet

Preparation: slightly defrost frozen berries, beat with a mixer or blender until fluffy.

If you need to defrost fruits or berries, then it is best to do this gradually by placing the container or bag from the freezer in the refrigerator. This method avoids deoxidation.

Keep summer in the fridge and get vitamins all year round! This is what home freezing is for.

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wonderful! (y) in general, the point is that it is better not to defrost anything before cooking .. but in frozen form immediately cook .. fry .. stew

I have a question about delicate berries ... met somewhere old that they need to be put in trays .. pour chilled syrup (but a little sweet) but forgot the percentage combination .. either for 10 parts of water 1 part sugar .. or more ..then when defrosting .. they definitely turn out like fresh ... no one accidentally did that?

I put the blueberries in a plastic milk bottle with a wide mouth and freeze them. The berries do not crumple, but roll around the bottle with black frozen balls. As needed, I just sprinkle the berries and use, I like to eat with cream.

Girls, tell me, pliz - after 4 days the expiration date of sour cream ends. After a week, you need to bake a cake from this very sour cream (sour cream cakes). The question is - can you freeze sour cream and then use it in baking or is it better to throw it out right away?

I would not freeze. I always use spoiled sour cream for baking. Nothing bad will happen, for baking a little sour cream is even better for baking, the cakes will be fluffier. All harm is killed by the heat of the oven. So don't worry. Let it stand in the fridge.

[aunt Besya]

And if now bake the cakes and freeze them without steaming? I'm out aunt Besya She advised to swaddle the pastries in cling film one by one and freeze them. I tried it, I really liked it. Now I always have the whole assortment of my favorite pastries.

Exactly !!! Even it did not even occur to me. Thanks for the advice! And how much maximum did you store the cakes?

I would not freeze. I always use spoiled sour cream for baking. Nothing bad will happen, for baking a little sour cream is even better for baking, the cakes will be fluffier. All harm is killed by the heat of the oven. So don't worry. Let it stand in the fridge.

If I did it to myself, then maybe I tried to use the expired one, but I don't want to experiment on people

Exactly !!! Even it did not even occur to me. Thanks for the advice! And how much maximum did you store the cakes?

For a week now I have been dragging cottage cheese and ginger cakes from Inusina's freezer, well, very tasty, as if I baked it today. Try it, you will definitely like it. The freezer not only preserves food, it saves us time and expands our daily range of dishes and baked goods.

If I did it to myself, then maybe I tried to use the expired one, but I don't want to experiment on people

Yes, the date of use is on the bank only for pro forma, because the rules stipulate ... but in fact there is SO MUCH in sour cream !!!!!!!! antibiotics !!!!!! that it will boldly stand closed for another five months !!!!

I now have such a jar, it will not deteriorate in any way, no mold, no smell - WORTH !!!! I keep looking at her and wait for the desire to throw it away Or even continue experiments on storing store sour cream

In the topic "Benefit or Harm" I have already shown such sour cream from well-known manufacturers, which I have kept for a long time - I'm tired of looking at sour cream, but at least she needs henna - like a fresh cucumber!

Are you worried that the day is overdue ...

If I did it to myself, then maybe I tried to use the expired one, but I don't want to experiment on people

Well, your business, of course. Only all my life I have been baking all kinds of pastries on expired sour cream, everyone seems to be alive. In the dough it does not matter how fresh sour cream is if you bake it later. Here in the cream - yes, you need fresh. But it's up to you.

Not in the subject. We haven’t bought sausage for a long time, but somehow my husband needed to sign up for work and bought it. When cutting, the husband doubted the quality of one stick and we put it aside and ... forgot it. Well, I was not a fairy then, to look into all corners. In short, they discovered it a week later ... Summer ... The sausage that was and remained ... I decided to continue the experiment, could not stand it for more than a month, I got tired. There was another reason to show the family that it was not in vain that I refused to buy sausage to the house. But it was quite expensive and the company positions itself as a manufacturer of quality products without additives.
And I calmly add sour cream and all that stuff to baked goods. Naturally not moldy

Most of my friends don't have any supplies at all at home ... From work, I went to the store, bought a meal once, tomorrow again ... and so on ...
And I get a kick from the fact that I have RESERVES !!!! And I wasn't starving ... Maybe a shiz? Oh, it's so nice ... you can stay at home for a month, or even more ...

I think I'm such a lover of SUPPLY in the house thanks to the genetic memory of grandmothers who survived the war with a bunch of children

I think I'm such a lover of the SUPPLY in the house thanks to the genetic memory of grandmothers who survived the war with a bunch of children

The avatar is so suitable! : wow: Just mind not to be offended - although I have a different one, but my mother thinks that I was not born in vain in the year of the Rat - we are thrifty

The avatar is so suitable! : wow: Just mind not to be offended - although I have a different one, but my mother thinks that I was not born in vain in the year of the Rat - we are thrifty

Tatyana, just mind not laughing too much Homik is my school nickname

Tatiana, just mind not laughing too much Homik is my school nickname

Class!

Girls, probably already advised here, but once again I will ask you how to freeze pizza correctly?
if the base is raw or baked?
if ready-made pizza, then with cheese or not?

Now I'm preparing (freezing) zucchini in this form:



In the photo there is a special knife. I remove the middle with them.

The main thing is to choose the right zucchini thickness. If the zucchini is very thin, then there will be one skin, and if they are thick, then there will be a lot of zucchini and, accordingly, little filling, and this is also bad.

The knife is very convenient, specially photographed, maybe someone does not (just do not mix it up, there are similar ones, they are good, but only for sweet peppers).

In winter it will be something like this:

Now I am preparing (freezing) zucchini in this form:



In the photo there is a special knife. I remove the middle with them.

The main thing is to choose the right zucchini thickness. If the zucchini is very thin, then there will be one skin, and if they are thick, then there will be a lot of zucchini and, accordingly, little filling, and this is also bad.

The knife is very convenient, specially photographed, maybe someone does not (just do not mix it up, there are similar ones, they are good, but only for sweet peppers).

And then after defrosting, they do not turn into a hoe? Somewhere I just heard about it, so I never froze the zucchini, but it is necessary, because in August we even eat them

No need to defrost before stuffing.

I also cut and freeze on the Burner. The stew is delicious.

And then, after defrosting, they do not turn into a hoe?

In summer, live zucchini is definitely tastier!

But in winter, it’s better to have my frozen ones than “chemical” ones from the greenhouse and for unrealistic money.

No need to defrost before stuffing.

Probably not correctly expressed, when cooking they do not fall apart to the state of porridge?

In summer, live zucchini is definitely tastier!

But in winter, it’s better to have my frozen ones than “chemical” ones from the greenhouse and for unrealistic money.

I agree, we have everything Chinese here, it's just terrible, tomatoes in winter are generally unrealistic, money is down the drain. I'll buy a freezer, I will also freeze everything.

Probably not correctly expressed, when cooking they do not fall apart to the state of porridge?

Why should they fall apart to a state of porridge?

They took it out of the freezer, put the minced meat directly into the frozen zucchini, put it in a saucepan, pour the sauce and cook.
It turns out very tasty. You just need to follow them, ready - and turn off the pan.

Why should they fall apart to a state of porridge?

They took it out of the freezer, put the minced meat directly into the frozen zucchini, put it in a saucepan, pour the sauce and cook.
It turns out very tasty. You just need to follow them, ready - and turn off the pan.

Somewhere I've heard this more than once

Somewhere I've heard this more than once

Well, the stuffed pepper didn't fall apart, but stuffed and put it in a saucepan frozen



Pepper stuffed with meat and buckwheat in a multicooker Redmond RMC-01 https://Mcooker-enn.tomathouse.com/index.php@option=com_smf&topic=251349.0, in winter as a godsend on the table!

[Admin]

Admin
That's just the pepper does not raise questions at all. In frozen store mixes, it is present everywhere, but you will not find zucchini there. In general, you will need to stock up and experiment in August :)

Now I'm preparing (freezing) zucchini in this form:



In the photo there is a special knife. I remove the middle with them.

The main thing is to choose the right zucchini thickness. If the zucchini is very thin, then there will be one skin, and if thick, then there will be a lot of zucchini and, accordingly, little filling, and this is also bad.

The knife is very convenient, specially photographed, maybe someone does not (just do not mix it up, there are similar ones, they are good, but only for sweet peppers).

In winter it will be something like this:

Why don't you cut off the skin ??? Then with the skin and cook there?

Why don't you cut off the skin ??? Then with the skin and cook there?

Young zucchini have a very tender skin, I even cut zucchini with skin into a salad, and it is not felt there at all.
And then, when stuffing and cooking in sauce, the peel will help the pulp to hold and not turn into mashed potatoes.

Why don't you cut off the skin ??? Then with the skin and cook there?

Young zucchini from my garden. The skin is very thin, especially in hybrid varieties.

[Lyusenka]

I have a rimmed tray in my freezer for quick freezing.

Lyusenka, ewhich one is positioned as an ice tray? He is alsoa with sides ...

Or is it a completely different tray? I'm confused - ta ...

[Krosh,]

Krosh, the quick freezer tray is visible in the photo (there are zucchini on it).

It's just a plastic tray with ears. From above it is placed on the freezer drawer. I quickly freeze everything on it, and then I pack it in bags and put it in storage. It is also convenient to put ice molds on it.

This tray came with the Liebherr refrigerator (with freezer), but there was simply no such tray in the Liebherr freezer.

If necessary, I will take a picture, no question ...

Girls, I read and my godfather was already freezing with minced meat. True, she took homemade meat and turns the minced meat itself. These peppers can be stored for up to 6 months, I read.

If I had my own homemade meat, then I would also freeze with it ...

And so ... a dozen can be for my husband in case of my sudden departure.

If I had my own homemade meat, then I would also freeze with it ...

And so ... a dozen can be for my husband in case of my sudden departure.

So she just always bought it from the same woman in the market. Therefore, I was confident in the meat. I also always buy meat from a friend in the market, she really sells beef, but if I need other meat, she goes and takes it from sellers who can be trusted.

I don't care when to buy meat at the bazaar in summer or winter, so I'm a pepper naked freeze empty.

I freeze the peeled pepper (that is, as I cook for stuffing - with a cut off top and without seeds).

Mine, I do not blanch, I dry it, then I simply put one inside the other in columns the width of the chamber to save space. In the foil and in the freezer!
Then, when the time comes, I take it out, let it thaw a little (not quite) and cook as usual.

And I don't even let it thaw!
If the cups fall apart badly - for a second
under cold water and stuffed.
Then pour boiling water into the iron pot and cook as usual.

Girls, I read and my godfather was already freezing with minced meat. True, she took homemade meat and turns the minced meat itself. These peppers can be stored for up to 6 months, I read.

For the last 3 years I have necessarily stuffed peppers with ice for the winter, I really like it when time is running out to get ready-made ones to quickly throw them into a saucepan and it's ready ... last week the last ones finished eating
But I somehow decided to freeze the eggplants for the winter, so I got such a sludge, they turned out to be tough when defrosting ... I threw everything out, though I didn't blanch them, I just tried to freeze them with sliced ​​rings ... someone has experience in freezing eggplant ? share, eh?

[Leka_s]

Leka_s, I pre-bake the eggplants in the oven, cool them under pressure and only then - in the freezer.

[Leka_s]

Leka_s, I pre-bake the eggplants in the oven, cool them under pressure and only then - in the freezer.

Let's try to freeze these sweets this year too

[Leka_s]

Leka_s, I pre-bake the eggplants in the oven, cool them under pressure and only then - in the freezer.

Olya, do you use it later for caviar?

I bought store-bought eggplants frozen just in small cubes. Then I cooked something like a saute of them (stewed with vegetables and tomato). That was tasty.
This year I want to freeze such cubes myself (I have a separate freezer). So will they need to be blanched?

And I cut off the stalks and make a deep longitudinal cut in each and boil until soft in boiling salty water (for 1 liter of water, 1 tablespoon of salt). As it is pierced with a fork, it’s done. Then under the press, cool and freeze.
In winter, I make saute, carcass with meat or potatoes from them.

[Luysia]

Luysia, no, I'm not blanching.
Somewhere at the beginning of this topic I read that it is necessary to freeze either boiled (blanched) or baked eggplants. So I bake it before freezing. Pre-prick with a toothpick. I baked whole small eggplants and cut into slices. And after baking, I remove the skin from the cooled eggplants. Press to remove excess bitterness. In winter, both in caviar and so, thawed with onions and rast. oil.
Ah, I understood your question ... Freeze the cubes ... Yes, cut, sprinkle with salt, blanch, drain excess liquid - and into the freezer.

Recently, I have adapted to freezing ready-made baked goods: different buns (with cinnamon, berries, nuts), muffins with plums and apricots, with different berries, small muffins. I cut a large cake into portions. I put everything in resealable sliders. I defrost and reheat in an air fryer. Baking like from the oven. I get hit baking on weekends, and during the week I have something to treat people.

And I freeze the prepared eggplant caviar. I bake the pepper and eggplant in the oven, remove the skin from the tomatoes, cut everything into cubes with a knife, mix, put them in bags and freeze. In winter, I defrost it, drain off the excess liquid, add onions, garlic, and rust. oil and salt to taste. Caviar as freshly prepared. The husband is delighted!

And I stopped cooking the jam altogether, I twist the whole berry (I don't twist the current cherry), I add a little sugar, pour it into containers and freeze it, it takes less space than the whole frozen one, and such as Victoria does not turn into porridge after defrosting, in winter a fresh berry, delicious

Freshly baked and cooled bread. Now the children have gone to the camps, there is even a lot of a small loaf, but sometimes a piece or two is needed. Therefore, I put in a bag either sliced ​​bread, or half - and in the freezer. There is no surplus. If in the morning I make myself hot sandwiches, I put the sausage and cheese directly on the frozen piece of bread (and in the airfryer).

Even in the process of preparing berry blanks, there is cake from red currants, raspberries - I never throw them away. I put them in containers (as for sour cream, square ones, with lids) and send them to the freezer. In winter, make a compote from fresh berries - oh, how delicious!

I also freeze forest mushrooms. But not whole, but already boiled. Also in portions on trays, and trays on top of each other.

In order not to clog the entire refrigerator with trays, I periodically pull out the shelf with the already frozen trays, take the tray, butt upwards under a stream of cold water - the berry or mushroom ice itself slips out. Then I put it in a plastic bag and put it back in the freezer drawer.

By the way, I do the same thing with homemade stew - I freeze it in portions in trays.