How to freeze broccoli for the winter at home without blanching

Freezing allows you to save the maximum amount of nutrients in various vegetables, fruits and berries, as well as eat foods throughout the year. Broccoli was no exception.

She is gaining more and more fans with her composition and taste. The right choice of product, its preparation and freezing ensures the availability of the vegetable for a long time.

The benefits and harms of the product

Broccoli is rich in vegetable proteins, fats, fiber and many minerals. It contains vitamins A, C, K, B1, which strengthen blood vessels, improve bone tissue, normalize the nervous system and blood sugar. The vegetable also helps fight cancer and is recommended for pregnant women due to the presence of folic acid in it.

Do not use broccoli for people with gastrointestinal diseases and allergies to the product.

How to choose the right product

For freezing, choose broccoli with the following characteristics:

• elastic cabbage, solid, with a rich dark green color;
• uniform color, without spots of white and yellow;
• the diameter of the plug does not exceed 17 cm;
• no dents, damage, browning or traces of rot.

If the buds on the surface of the vegetable begin to open and the head of cabbage becomes yellowish - such a cabbage is already overripe and has lost its useful properties.

Preparation for product freezing

First, put the vegetable in cold salt water for 30 minutes, the solution (1 tablespoon / 1 liter of water) should completely cover the cabbage. This will get rid of all insects that live on the surface of broccoli. Then we wash it under cold running water. We disassemble the cabbage for inflorescences, remove leaves and hard stems.

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How to freeze without blanching

We spread the inflorescences on paper towels and dry. Then we pack them in small portions in plastic bags or containers and put them in the freezer.

Pros and cons of the method

Freezing broccoli without blanching allows you to maintain its bright green color. However, the vegetable may lose its hardness, elasticity and become soft. This does not affect the taste of the product.

Do I need to defrost broccoli

Broccoli frozen without blanching does not need defrosting. Immediately put it in boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes. When preparing the soup, add it last - a few minutes before turning off the fire. For frying in batter, we also use frozen broccoli and immediately dip it in batter, and then fry.

Shelf life

We store the frozen vegetable at a temperature of no higher than -18 ° C for 9 months.

Advice

These tips will make the freezing process even easier:

1. In order not to forget the date of freezing, we indicate it on the package with inflorescences.
2. Broccoli can be frozen with cauliflower. These vegetables are stored the same amount of time.
3. You can increase the shelf life in the following way: make a small hole in the bag, insert a tube into it and draw the air out with your mouth. This will create a vacuum.

The process of freezing broccoli does not take much time and effort.The main thing is to adhere to simple rules and recommendations, and you can please yourself and your family with delicious, healthy dishes from this vegetable.