What if anything have you successfully frozen despite what packets & books advise.
I have diced and frozen celeriac and then cooked and mashed it with potatoes.
It did not discolour too much and is a veg which according to the books does not freeze well.
What top tips do others have...
Debs
Runner Beans freeze perfectly. Don't worry about blanching. Last year I experimented with some blanched and some not, and the unblanched were best. Pick and lay on flat trays on greaseproof paper. Place in freezer till frozen then bag up in small bags in usable quantities. To cook, simply drop into rapidly boiling, slightly salted water for 5 mins and serve....delicious. Also Broad Beans are brilliant for freezing. Treat the same as runners.
Good luck and good growing.
Why is it better to freeze beans on a tray first and then bag them as opposed to bagging them first and then freezing them? Could it be because they freeze faster that way?
I always bag mine first and in the -20C freezer (if I remember to put the freezer on super freeze beforehand, it will be around -30C) they freeze pretty fast, would that time make any difference or is there another reason? With the large amounts I have to freeze, I would have to do it in several stages and the beans will have to wait anyway.
I think the main reason to freeze them on a tray first is to do with them sticking together. Any moisture on the beans or in the air causes them to stick together in a bag. That's alright if you are freezing portions but if you want to dip in and out of a bag then it is best to do them on a tray beforehand.
Thanks. I'll just keep doing it the way I was then, in portions.
I do that with sweet peppers too and I can still break of what I need, sometimes just a little tap on the edge of the sink to get them loose.
Has anyone used a microwave to blanch veggies before freezing. I seem to recall reading about this however haven't come across it since :D
A couple of thoughts. What, again??
Celeriac - people hesitate to recommend anything that can be eaten 'crisp'. But yes!
Blanching - yes, we've all dismissed it &, in the short term, it can work. But it's not clever. Blanching does prevent early deterioration. And the end result is so much to do with:
1. the quality of the fruit/veg;
2. the preciseness of the preparation -Â & steamed or boiled;
3. the amount frozen how quickly at what temperature at one time. Like -35Â deg is the commercial minimum;
4. the thawing/not thawing & cooking process.
There is no right or wrong. Just shades of unacceptability.
Portions, Ina? Fine - but they cook from the outside-in, as opposed to individual bits, & therefore are longer & more uneven in cooking??
As I said - just thoughts!!
That's a good point Tim, about the clump of frozen blanched french beans cooking form the outside in and thus, uneven. However, the ones I had not blanched where much drier when freezing and did not clump together so that's not a problem there.
I have not noticed a difference in the blanched and raw frozen beans.
What I do notice is that both, when they have been frozen a long time, shed a thin, transparant outer membrane when boiled. Not a big problem as you hardly notice it. Still, I wonder how I can avoid that? I thought that may be freezer burn. I do double bag them with as little air left in as possible.
Chillies and all types of beans have all worked well for me all i need now is is a bigger freezer ???