Broccoli cabbage is known as a healthy and nutritious product, using which you can cook a lot of healthy and tasty dishes. If you are interested in information on how to freeze broccoli for the winter, you are on the right track, since such processing preserves valuable vitamins and minerals with virtually no loss.
All family members, even young children who have reached 8 months of age, can eat it.
Useful properties of broccoli
Everyone who at least once tried to follow a diet had to hear about this vegetable. The calorie content of 100 g of the product is only 32 kcal, and the body has to spend more calories to process it. It turns out that broccoli helps with weight loss, when you want to get rid of extra pounds. In addition, there is a lot of fiber in cabbage, which helps to eliminate toxins, relieves constipation and perfectly cleanses the intestines. The rich composition of trace elements and vitamins helps with various diseases.
- The risk of cataract disease is reduced and the state of blood vessels improves 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 an excellent mineral “set” for those who want to strengthen bones or have a tendency to osteoporosis.
- A complex of folic acid and iron is the prevention of anemia. This property of cabbage is very valuable for pregnant women. If you are thinking about having a baby, learn how to freeze broccoli for the winter. This information is useful to those who care about the nutrition of their family.
- Vitamins K, A and E, fatty acids (Omega-3), as well as antioxidants help to improve metabolism, inhibit the skin aging process, have a beneficial effect on the hair.
Secrets of Freezing
To spend a minimum of effort and at the same time get a tasty and healthy preparation is the dream of any housewife. Quality freezing vegetables for the winter implies the implementation of simple rules. As a result, you can eat tasty and varied almost until the next harvest.
- Only dense vegetables that are not damaged by insects are selected. If you want to know how to freeze broccoli, choose a product with neat inflorescences.
- The vegetable should be stored for storage on the day of purchase (or harvest). Even the plucked fetus undergoes a nutrition process, but at the expense of those vitamins and minerals that are in it. If you postpone the freeze for several days, the broccoli will wither.
- Tight bagging and sealing are important conditions for preserving the natural moisture in vegetables and fruits. Excess air should be removed from the bags.
- Lay out food in small portions. It is very convenient for cooking. In addition, the faster the broccoli freezes, the better it will be stored.
Broccoli Preparation
Vegetables need to be washed. At the same time, immediately discard damaged or underdeveloped inflorescences - they will not be needed. Broccoli cabbage is a tender vegetable, so before washing it again, it is advised to soak it in saline (a couple of tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water) for half an hour.
Clean heads are dried on a towel. The bottom line is that the freezing of 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 be frozen in a solid lump. Cut the cabbage into inflorescences, separate the stalks, which can also be finely chopped and frozen.
Heat treatment
Blanching is a must. In this case, oxidation enzymes are destroyed, which subsequently can cause the appearance of an unpleasant aftertaste 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 the thawed product can be disposed of. Citric acid is added to maintain a white color and delicate texture. Enough 1 teaspoon in 2 liters of water.
Prepared slices of vegetables are dipped in a pot with boiling water. Exactly 4 minutes later, the cabbage is thrown into a colander, washed under a tap.
Ice water cooling
Prepare ice cubes in advance, as the water into which the hot vegetables are laid out quickly heats up. This step is necessary in order to stop the heat treatment process immediately after blanching. Cooling takes 4-5 minutes. Check the water temperature all the time and report ice as necessary. Often, housewives who are interested in how to freeze broccoli for the winter, ignore this procedure. And completely in vain. The longer the cabbage remains warm, the more chances it has to turn into porridge.
Freezing
Having learned how to freeze broccoli, pre-prepare dishes or packages for storage. For containers, use plastic containers with lockable lids. Small plastic bags that fit one into the other (i.e. in 2 layers) are also suitable.
Broccoli cabbage can be frozen on a board, laid out in a row. But immediately after lowering the temperature 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 needs to be done as quickly as possible.
Storage
The deep freezing process 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 the bookmark, you can diversify the menu with delicious and healthy dishes. However, vegetables can be stored at a higher temperature, from 0 ° C to -8 ° C. However, 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, taking into account all the subtleties, you understand that you can not re- freeze vegetables . Before washing the refrigerator and removing accumulated ice, remove the vegetables and put them in a warm blanket. This will keep the temperature as low as possible and keep broccoli. After cleaning the refrigerator, the vegetables are returned to the freezer.