Carrot freeze has a huge many invaluable benefits before buying fresh carrots, especially foreign, in the winter.
Housewives have a chance to significantly save on finances, because in winter the prices of vegetables and fruits increase significantly. Your stocks will be longer and safer to keep, and you will have constant access to the necessary ingredient for your favorite dishes.
Nevertheless, many doubt the prudence of such an approach and ask themselves whether it is possible to freeze carrots, whether certain procedures or tools are necessary for this, whether household appliances, etc. will do. The most common issue is also a problem. loss of beneficial properties of carrots after defrosting.
If you doubt the reliability of this way of storing a vegetable or your carrot harvest is too large to freeze it completely, you can use other methods to preserve it for the winter. This will help you our articles "How to make dried carrots at home" and "How to dry carrots for the winter at home? Ways and recipes."
So, how to freeze carrots for the winter in the fridge?
Assessment of opportunity
Is it possible to freeze carrots for winter at home? If you have already prepared enough carrots for storage in the cellar and even left a little harvest to spend the winter right in the garden, then use the old and proven method of freezing the root crop in the freezer.
Freezing carrots for winter at home is quite natural and vegetable-friendly process, as is the case with frozen vegetable mixture and other food. As a result of freezing at home, you will be sure that the product is environmentally friendly, does not contain any preservatives, and all the necessary processing is done under your close supervision.
To determine if the variety and type of carrot are suitable for freezing, evaluate its size, hardness and taste.
Too sluggish and flexible, exactly like hard, dry or old carrot - immediately deleted from the list.
The optimal carrot should be fresh, sweetish, medium or large in size. However, too small vegetables also fit.
Is it possible to freeze boiled carrots? Technically, after the boiling stage, the carrots are almost cooked, but not so much to completely limp and fall apart. If we are talking about vegetables that were kept in boiling water for more than 20 minutes, then from such better to give up.
Is it possible to freeze grated carrots? Of course, there will be no harm to the carrots in this form, and after thawing it can immediately be used in a variety of culinary recipes. To taste properly processed grated carrots not a bit fresh.
Is it possible to freeze whole carrots for the winter? If carrot small or very thin, then nothing terrible will happen - so the frost will quickly "grab", evenly freezing all the vegetables. To unfreeze, they, respectively, will also be quickly and approximately the same - both inside and outside.
Can I freeze carrots in a freezer or fridge? Yes, provided that reliable technology and does not give frequent failures.
In the refrigerator itself, along with other food products, carrots will not last for a long time. Shift vegetables in the refrigerator compartment only in the event that you need to defrost them gradually for eating.
How to freeze ground in a blender carrots, you will learn from the video:
On other possible ways to store carrots at home, read on our website.
About the benefits
What is the use of frozen carrots? First of all, frozen vegetables cherish your wallet and time. Frozen in the warm season, fresh carrots lose after freezing minimum amount of nutrients, including vitamins.
Even in this case, it will be much more useful the one that is imported from completely different regions and countries.
This is due to the fact that during import, carrots and other products may not be in the best environment, undergo special spraying and other treatmentswhich are aimed at imparting artificial gloss and enhance the flavor.
Further, you are able at any time to defrost the portion of carrots necessary for the number of carrots and put it into cooking borscht or another dish. So you make up lack of vitamins during the cold season without additional difficulties.
Naturally, completely replacing fresh food with frozen food in your diet is not worth it if the conditions allow you to eat freshly harvested from the garden. Read our articles on how and at what time it is better to harvest carrots from the garden and how to properly prepare it for long-term storage.
Fundamental rules
How to freeze carrots in the freezer? Choose to freeze only fresh vegetables, not too old and not corroded by pests or disease. Overripe or rotten roots in no case not suitable for food as frozen foods.
Before proceeding with immediate processing, wash thoroughly carrot in running water to clean it from dirt and dust. If required, clean her.
To do this, use a simple kitchen knife or a special razor knife for cleaning vegetables. There is also a special vegetable brush, which will greatly facilitate this occupation.
The tips and the upper, thinnest layer of the peel are advised to carefully cut, and the carrot itself cut into a convenient way for you - thick circles or strips (with a knife or coarse grater).
How to freeze carrots for the winter in the freezer?
Vegetable preparation
How to prepare carrots for freezing?
Will need peculiar sterilizationwhich is necessary to protect food from the development of diseases, mold, rot, changes in taste, color and other negative consequences.
Most of vitamins and minerals will be saved, and you can enjoy the benefits of carrots in the cold season. Also, the vegetables after this stage will not fall under the detrimental effect of some natural enzymes, and the smell, color and rich color will not disappear anywhere.
How to spend blanching? To do this, you will need a sufficient amount of freshly boiled and cold water, including a good supply of ice cubes (about a dozen). Cold water is useful for quick cooling of each portion.
Handle carrots are better in separate batches: small-sized vegetables are cooked separately from large ones. As soon as the water boils, pour the carrots into the pan, not reducing the fire. It will take 4-6 minutes to cook whole and large vegetables, while 2 minutes is enough for smaller and sliced ones.
As a rule, water evaporates quickly, and without topping up water in the pot is indispensable. After the set time has elapsed, the whole carrot is sent to a container with ice water. Sustain it there will need exactly as much as she cooked.
At the last stage of this stage, the vegetables are removed from the water and laid out in a colander, and then on towels, in order to dry completely. After that, the carrots can be grated, chopped or immediately frozen.
After blanching, carrots sometimes give up another preparation, due to which individual roots and slices are most likely not frozen to each other. For this you need a wooden board, on which the pieces are laid out in one layer, so that they do not touch each other.
The grate or baking sheet will perfectly cope with this task. Later two to three hours remove and scrape the product from the surface if necessary.
Required packaging
What can be frozen carrots?
Experts advise not to use thin plastic bags and glassware.
The first are easily torn, and dishes from sudden changes in temperature at risk of cracking.
The most profitable solution will be plastic containersin which food will be stored in full tightness. A couple of centimeters under the lid is better to leave carrots unfilled - otherwise, slightly swelling and expanding, your billet will stick together or open the container.
If there is no such packaging, you can do. tight vacuum bags. They will need to squeeze out all the air. You can take a deep container with water and drop a bag into it (which will immediately stick together under pressure), already filling products there. Packed bags are securely fastened with special clips, pins, paper clips or adhesive tape.
A place
Where to freeze? Freezer - most common and convenient method and place for freezing. How to freeze carrots in the freezer and refrigerator?
In the freshness compartments inside the refrigerator, frozen carrots should not be stored. There is not enough low temperature (approximately 0 or +6 ° C). It is best to store billet for the winter directly in the freezer. If you do not want to install a deep freeze, then be prepared for the fact that at -8 ° C frozen carrots can be stored no more than three months.
Temperature
At what temperature can you freeze carrots for the winter? Vegetables, greens, fruits and berries with mushrooms freeze at a temperature from -18 ° С to -23 ° С.
Moreover, the lower the temperature, the higher the likelihood that products, including carrots, will be properly and qualitatively frozen.
A desirable mark is considered minus 30 ° С ... 35 ° С.
It is then that food will not be threatened by bacteria, pests and natural aging.
Ways
How best to freeze slices, whole or another way? There is no fundamental difference in form. You have the right to make blanks of different options, depending on whether why do you need carrots - for soup, vegetable salads, pilaf, borscht, stews or other dishes.
For about a year, you can defrost what you need at this particular moment.
The key is the size of the carrot. Too large or medium have to cut - slices, straws or cubes, as you like. Quite small it is more efficient to leave the copies as they are and not to cut them.
Tips from an experienced housewife to freeze carrots in two ways in this video:
Storage
What is the shelf life of frozen carrots in the freezer? In the freezer without any packages carrots able to store an average of 8-10 months. After blanching and compactly packed in a bag or other vacuum packaging, the carrots will serve you a little over a year.
Of course, use the product better before the end shelf life.
Recipes
How to freeze carrots and onions, carrots with pepper or beetroot? A very comfortable method of harvesting vegetables for the winter is the creation of so-called vegetable mixes. Products like beets, carrots, onions, peas and maize are cut into various combinations in various combinations. diced or straws, and then frozen in common containers. Read our articles about freezing of sweet bell pepper and freezing of green onions, bulb and leek.
Such mixtures are easy and convenient to defrost for cooking. zazharki or full dishes, and a combination of different vitamins and minerals effortlessly cope with their lack of in the body. More information about how to freeze beets in the freezer, you can also find on our website.
In the absence of other alternatives, freezing carrots at home is perfect solution problems with lack of fresh produce.
All that is required is to pick only fresh and preferably from your garden vegetables, to conduct a full and proper processing in accordance with all standards, then freeze in the freezer at the lowest possible temperatures. This is required in case of a very long storage of carrots - up to a year standard.
