Many good housewives sooner or later think about what can be frozen for the winter. Modern technology allows you to save not only the tastes and aromas of summer, but also all the useful components of fruits and vegetables.
Learning all the tricks is easy, just learn some simple rules. Yes, and this business does not require special costs. The main condition that guarantees a good result is the presence of a good freezer, which is equipped with the vast majority of modern refrigerators.
Unfortunately, not all owners of good technology are aware of all its capabilities, therefore, they are not fully using their potential. But even in an ordinary freezer, you can prepare many useful products that will please the whole family in winter.
Why do you need freezing
The process of preparing food for the winter with the help of freezing has a huge number of undeniable advantages compared to canning, drying and other methods. First of all, they include:
- ease of preparation;
- lack of high costs;
- ease of use;
- wide variety of options;
- the ability to quickly harvest large quantities of vegetables and fruits in season;
- preservation of vitamins, minerals, aromas of summer.
If we compare freezing with preservation, it should be noted that this method requires several times less time and effort. Well, if you are considering what you can freeze for the winter for children, then your possibilities are simply endless: healthy little fruits and colorful vegetable mixes will surely please every little fussy. Such blanks can significantly diversify the winter children's menu.
General rules
Before you begin the process, review some recommendations. They will help to avoid mistakes.
What can be frozen for the winter in the freezer? Experts advise choosing traditional products: fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms. Remember that experiments are far from always successful; proceed with them when you get good results with traditional products.
Always prefer ripe but not overripe ingredients. If you have any doubts about the quality, do not use the product. All damage, as well as stalks and leaves must be removed before freezing.
Wash foods thoroughly before immersing them in the freezer and then let them dry completely. Before freezing, cut the food into pieces that you plan to use when preparing dishes - it will be difficult to cut frozen vegetables .
Try to pack the ingredients in portions, rather than in one large piece, so it will be easier for you to use them in the winter.
Dishes for freezing
Perhaps the question of a convenient, practical and inexpensive container excites everyone who decides to find out what can be frozen for the winter in the freezer. Photos of fruits and vegetables look very attractive, but few people know that their beautiful appearance largely depends on the packaging.
The easiest way to find a solution is to go to the hardware store and purchase special airtight containers for freezing. They reliably preserve all the useful substances of the products, and you can place them in the freezer very conveniently and compactly. Such containers can be used repeatedly. But their significant disadvantage is the relatively high price. And not in every store you can find this dishes.
A good alternative are zipper bags. They come in different sizes, which will allow everyone to choose the best option. Just put the pieces in a bag, squeeze out all the excess air from it and fasten the lock. In winter, you can easily remove the product from the bag if you immerse it in warm water for a few seconds.
Plastic disposable tableware is also suitable for freezing: cups, vessels, containers, lunch boxes. But you should not freeze in a glass - it can burst.
Freezing fresh vegetables
Thinking about what you can freeze for the winter from vegetables? Do not ignore bell pepper, zucchini, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin. They tolerate frost and tomatoes well, in winter it is perfect for making pizza, lasagna, meat sauce, borsch and other red soups, sauces. Broccoli and cauliflower are indispensable products for the diet and children's menu. Disassemble them into umbrellas and freeze, and in winter you can add mashed potatoes, casseroles to stews.
Many make preparations from carrots and beets. It may seem that there isn’t much point in this, because these vegetables do not disappear from the shelves all year round. But, firstly, seasonal products are always much more aromatic, and secondly, sometimes it becomes necessary to quickly prepare a large number of vegetables. This is especially true for citizens who do not have cellars, cellars and other places to store food. In addition, grated carrots and beets are an excellent basis for borsch frying. In winter, such a blank will help to significantly save time.
Vegetables are well stored in the freezer and other: corn, asparagus beans, green peas. But onions and garlic do not tolerate freezing: they become lethargic, lose their sharpness and aroma.
Classic and unusual mix recipes
Many people prefer to make preparations by packing vegetables of the same type in containers. But there is another way, very interesting - create interesting mixes.
If you decide what can be frozen for the winter, think in advance how you will use the blanks in the winter. It makes sense to pre-form sets that in winter will become the basis for wonderful and varied dishes. You can make vegetable mixtures for a wide variety of dishes in advance:
- lecho: peppers, tomatoes, herbs, carrots;
- stew: carrots, onions, zucchini, peppers, eggplant;
- red borsch: beets, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, rotunda, greens;
- green borsch: greens, sorrel, spinach, green onions;
- paprikash: multi-colored bell pepper, green beans, zucchini, zucchini;
- risotto: green peas, corn, carrots, green onions, rotunda;
- paella: bell peppers of different colors, carrots, onions, squash, eggplant, greens;
- mushroom soup: greens, mushrooms, carrots.
Many, along with vegetables, freeze the rice or potatoes provided for in the recipe. This method is as convenient as possible - in winter you just need to put the workpiece in a bowl of a double boiler or a slow cooker, set the time and get a guaranteed result. However, this requires much more space in the chamber, and freezing will not be good for potatoes. In addition, frozen vegetables cook faster than fresh vegetables, and rice may not have enough time.
You can make mixes of berries and fruits. In winter, they are used for making milkshakes, homemade yogurts, compotes and jelly, sweet pastries and even sauces for meat and fish.
Berries in the freezer
Many mothers think about what can be frozen for the winter for a child. The first thing you should pay attention to is berries. Especially valuable are those collected in the country or brought from a trusted farmer. Almost all berries are suitable for freezing: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, aronia, currants, grapes and many others.
Before freezing, remove the stalks and leaves, wash the berries, fold in a container as compact as possible. The less air gets in, the more juice will remain in the berries.
Mashed potatoes, sorbet, ice cream
Thinking about what you can freeze for the winter? Photos of fruit ice, sorbet ice cream sometimes look like a menu page of an expensive restaurant. But you can easily make this yummy yourself. There are many recipes for such goodies.
Here are some simple ways to preserve the colors and scents of summer until the New Year holidays:
- Sorbet: pass through a meat grinder with a large mesh strawberries, currants or raspberries, add sugar to taste, pour into a container and freeze.
- Fruit ice: pour the mixture of berries with natural juice, pour into glasses, insert sticks.
- Ice cream: beat a banana in a blender, add any berries to taste, pack in a serving bowl.
In winter, such blanks can not only be served in the form of ice cream, but also used to prepare a wide variety of desserts.
Fruits that are suitable for freezing
In containers, bags, you can freeze fruit. Peaches, apricots, plums, pears perfectly tolerate low temperatures. Sour, medium-sized apples are also suitable for freezing - separately or as part of mixes.
There are many answers to the question of what can be frozen for the winter from fruits and vegetables. If you doubt that this or that product will well tolerate freezing, try to prepare a small portion. With good results next year it will be possible to freeze more.
Experienced housewives, who have mastered the freezing process, are advised to sign blanks so that in winter they do not have to guess: watermelon in a container or tomatoes? The chopped pieces covered with hoarfrost are easy to confuse.
Exotic products
Few people know that you can freeze even tropical fruits at home for the winter. This may be relevant, for example, if after the holiday there are a large number of ripe fruits that are unlikely to be able to be used quickly.
You can freeze them. With mango, avocado, papaya, you need to peel, cut into slices, lay out in bags. It is better to freeze avocados separately, because this fruit is often used for salty and spicy dishes. Pineapple is frozen without a peel, cut into rings or slices.
Citrus freezing is good - it kills bitterness. Lemons and oranges can be frozen directly in the peel. Tangerines, suites and grapefruits are best sorted into slices.
Shop and forest mushrooms: features of freezing
Do you know that even mushrooms can be frozen for the winter? This method will especially appeal to mushroom pickers. After all, each of them knows that it is necessary to harvest mushrooms on the same day when they were collected. Sometimes it is very difficult physically. But unlike pickling, pickling and even drying mushrooms, freezing will take a little time and effort.
Remember that oyster mushrooms and store mushrooms can simply be cut into slices. And it is better to boil forest mushrooms before freezing. So they will take up much less space in the freezer, and in winter they will not have to be digested for a long time before use.
Greens
Perhaps this is the simplest and most beneficial of all that can be frozen for the winter in the freezer. A huge number of types of greens are suitable for freezing: parsley and dill, sorrel and spinach, leaf salads, green parts of onions and garlic, rosemary, cilantro, watercress and much more. Few people know, but beetroot leaves are very tolerant to freezing - a tasty and healthy product.
There are several basic ways from which you can choose the most convenient:
- freezing chopped greens in a bag;
- freezing in ice;
- freezing in olive oil.
With the first, everything is clear and so: chop the greens, fold them tightly in a bag or lunch box. The second two methods involve the use of ice containers. Tightly lay the greens, cover with olive oil or water. Such cubes are convenient to use. They are added to salads, sauces, soups.
Semi-finished products
And here are some more ideas in the piggy bank looking for the answer to the question of what can be frozen for the winter in the freezer. You can freeze cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, dolma preparations. Remember that you should not store such semi-finished products for more than three months.
The use of frozen foods
If you have already figured out what you can freeze for the winter, consider how you will use the blanks. Remember, do not defrost foods. Just remove them from the packaging and use as you would use raw ones.