Frozen Fruit and Vegetables..Which are nice and which to avoid?

lisafrancis888

Hello,
I would really appreciate your opinions which I realise may differ on which frozen fruit and veg work well and which end up a total mush.
I have always avoided frozen but since trying to eat healthier it would certainly be useful to have some in the freezer. At the moment I only keep garden peas
I have also become more aware recently that many frozen things can have more vitamins in them because they are frozen straight from picking rather than being in the supermarket a week. Sadly I don't have a farmers market handy.
Thank you.

Train4Foodz

It really depends on how you plan on consuming them.
I get frozen apples, berries and rhubarb simply because I enjoy frozen smoothies and it takes away the need for me to add ice (similar consistency to ice-cream when put in my blender).

For eating casually, I generally just get fresh but only out of habit to be honest.. I can't see them tasting any worse when defrosted really!

It's a bonus that frozen seems to be cheaper on the whole than fresh and for what I personally use it for, it's a win win!

All the best to you,
Adam

lisafrancis888

That's a very good point thanks. I don't normally have smoothies but it would be a great way to use any frozen that I decide I don't like. I'm thinking of putting some in with my oats in a morning. Rhubarb sounds delicious....

cw106

mixed forest druits.
broccoli/ cauliflower.
sprouts.
spinach.

abatonfan

I'm guilty of having a ton of frozen vegetables on me. They're typically cheaper than the fresh counterpart and last weeks longer (a great thing when you're the only one who will eat that food). Right now, my typical frozen fruits/veggie pile includes:
-Asparagus (no sauce)
-Broccoli (no sauce)
-Mixed nonstarchy vegetables (with or without sauce)
-Blueberries (unsweetened)
-Strawberries (unsweetened)

I'm super lazy, so I tend to throw in a small box of frozen veggies in with my dinner, and my desserts include the frozen fruit with a bit of splenda mixed in with whipped cream (it helps with my cold food cravings, and I can get a cup and a half of blueberries with whipped cream for the calories of half a cup of ice cream).

PeachyCarol

Like Adam, I use frozen fruits to thicken smoothies all the time. Frozen raspberries also hold up surprisingly well lightly defrosted and stirred into plain yogurt. As for frozen vegetables, the only ones I've found that I HAVE to have fresh are Brussels sprouts. Frozen just can't compare.

DawnieB1977

We get frozen mango and forest fruits for smoothies, and I sometimes put them on porridge too.

We also have frozen peas, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and roasted Mediterranean veg.

MamaJ1974

I agree with the poster that said it depends on the usage. I keep frozen corn, broccoli, carrots, green beans, and peas on hand almost all the time, for use in soups, stews, casseroles. I haven't had a lot of success with frozen asparagus or Brussels sprouts, but I've only tried to prepare them straight-up -- not in a casserole. For me, the rule of thumb is, if the veggie is the "star" of the dish, it's best to be fresh. Otherwise frozen works fine.

PeachyCarol

Frozen asparagus is something I've always been to afraid to even try. Asparagus is usually something I only buy when it's in season.

meremaid2014

Totally depends how you're using them. I like roasted vegetables, and nothing from the freezer will work as well as a raw veg for that. We like frozen fruit in smoothies and in yogurt - all berries are great, and I love frozen mango too. Frozen veggies, I only use in soups. We use fresh veggies only for our sides, because we like them roasted. However, my fiancé is more liberal than me about it. He uses frozen onions and mushrooms to good results. Frozen chopped garlic and ginger are so convenient!! And frozen edamame/broad beans are delicious. I just don't like how watery frozen veggies are, when I'm doing a stir-fry or a recipe like that, I want the veggies to be dry so that they brown.

WillowThorn

I really like frozen mixes, like bags of stir-fry vegetables. That way you get a nice variety with little effort and they're really good. Frozen fruit and veggies are really good, it just depends on how you like to prepare them. For example, I don't really like frozen broccoli because I prefer my broccoli crispy (frozen broccoli tends to be softer when you cook it). But if it's in a recipe for quiche or something then it's perfect. It all depends on what you're using it for and how you prefer to eat it. Experiment!

Need2Exerc1se

IMO, the best frozen are corn, peas and lima beans.

If you are going to cook them anyway there is usually no better bargain in the store than frozen greens (spinach, collards, kale, turnip). The prices is a small fraction of fresh.

Things like frozen chopped onions, celery, okra and peppers can be real time savers when you are in a hurry.

ana3067

Buy frozen stuff, try it out, if you dislike the taste/texture for the way you want to use it then don't buy it anymore. I buy plenty of frozen fruit just to eat frozen as-is with a spoon (my faves are frozen raspberries, blueberries, mangoes, and melon). I eat frozen veggies like peas and corn but I do not like frozen carrots.

And yeah.... none of my frozen stuff has anything added to them. Even if they do, who cares? It's likely just a preservative. Like omg not gonna die from that.

snowflake930

I think blueberries taste better frozen than fresh. JMHO.
My dd use frozen fruit and veggies in smoothies. I prefer to chew my food, not drink it, so I use fresh fruit and veggies. Just my preference.

The only way to know if you will like them, is to try them.

Sabine_Stroehm

lisafrancis888 wrote: »

Hello,
I would really appreciate your opinions which I realise may differ on which frozen fruit and veg work well and which end up a total mush.
I have always avoided frozen but since trying to eat healthier it would certainly be useful to have some in the freezer. At the moment I only keep garden peas
I have also become more aware recently that many frozen things can have more vitamins in them because they are frozen straight from picking rather than being in the supermarket a week. Sadly I don't have a farmers market handy.
Thank you.

I personally don't enjoy frozen broccoli, except single serve packs, as it's often more stems.
We keep: peas, corn, mix veg, cauliflower, kale and spinach on hand.

We do a lot of green smoothies with kale, spinach, fruits.

(And then we also keep things like black eyed peas, quinoa etc)
And a staple is edamame.

freqzinbigd

Flash frozen veggies are fine so long as they're not coated in some kind of goo-- they're cheap and they retain nutrients extremely well. I'd prefer fresh all the time but I'd like a Maserati too yet I drive a Ford.

Same with frozen fruit-- it's sweet enough without added sugar so I look for that. Most mornings I drop 3/4 cup of frozen berries in my greek yogurt + protein powder combo-- keeps it cold until I get to the office and finish my coffee.

The flash freezing process is absolutely not a concern and isn't enough to put it in the 'processed food' category. Velveta, for example, is 'processed' food. Does any one really think frozen fruit or veggies (without a bunch of junk added) are on par with that stuff?

jennifershoo

I love my frozen veggies! I always spoil fresh ones, so to me, it's really a no brainer.

lisafrancis888

Thank you so much. I must try frozen fruits, blueberries and mangos seem a favourite. Veg I will just have to try and see. I can always use the remaining in stews.

jgnatca

I like my frozen blueberries. I put them in my refrigerator oatmeal to gently defrost overnight.

Hubby freezes bananas when they get over-ripe and include them in his smoothies along with frozen strawberries and frozen mangoes.

I freeze 1/2 cup portion sizes of my own pumpkin and squash puree for protein pumpkin pancakes. The two of us would never finish off a large can of pumpkin in a sitting.

I've also blanched and frozen kale to use through the winter.

Other vegetables always on hand are peas, corn, and edamame. I take frozen edamame in my lunch and let them defrost gently in my lunch bag.

lisafrancis888

What a good idea. Would never have thought of freezing bananas for smoothies. Can't tell you how many I throw out.

Francl27

Love frozen veggies, but the steam in the bag stuff is typically better tasting than the ones you have to steam yourself (plus you have to add water and they just end up mushy and bleh).

Fruit... nope nope nope. It's good enough for smoothies and sometimes oatmeal (or yogurt), but that's about it.

mpat81

Frozen peas- rinse to thaw and throw into salads, soups or pasta
Frozen spinach and Kale- thaw and squeeze out all the water. use for soups, dips, egg dishes and sauces
Frozen Corn- toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes in the oven
Frozen blueberries, raspberries, bananas, mango for smoothies and desserts

Everything else I use fresh!

JoRocka

Frozen veggies are often better than fresh because they are flash frozen when picked. Some do not freeze AS WELL- but don't assume frozen = unhealthy- I'd rather have frozen than fresh when that veggie is out of season.

And I almost exclusively eat frozen berries- fresh are too expensive.

brynnsmom

mamapeach910 wrote: »

Frozen asparagus is something I've always been to afraid to even try. Asparagus is usually something I only buy when it's in season.

Yeah, don't bother. It always seems mushy to me an no better than canned.

debsdoingthis

lisafrancis888 wrote: »

What a good idea. Would never have thought of freezing bananas for smoothies. Can't tell you how many I throw out.

I freeze all my leftover fresh fruit before it goes bad and I have to toss it. Bananas, all berries, mango cantaloupe...whatever. There's always some kind of fruit ready to add to yogurt, smoothies or baking.

KingofWisdom

I like eating frozen blackberries by the handful.