freezable produce?

blessedwith3boys

What produce is okay to freeze? I'm thinking if I could buy produce on sale and freeze it, it might be a money saver....of course you can't freeze everything.

bizco

You can freeze anything that is sold frozen. Browse the freezer section in your grocery store.

RMinVA

You can freeze anything that is sold frozen. Browse the freezer section in your grocery store.

I don't know about that. A lot of produce is flash frozen, and frozen veggies are often less expensive than fresh anyway, so there may not be much cost savings. And you would have to do all of the prep work to boot. I have seen frozen peppers and onions, but I wouldn't necessarily try to freeze them: changes the texture. I've done it. I cooked them first, but when they thawed they were "mushy."

Fruit is another story entirely. Most berries, grapes, melons and bananas freeze really well.

rherrin5

I freeze most everything. peel and chop all my bananas for my banana shakes. They are disgusting once thawed out but great frozen in a shake. Thats the thing. Unless they are veggies to where you cook them, they taste sorta gross. All fruit frozen should stay frozen hahah Just blend 1 1/2 cups 1% milk with all the frozen fruit you want. Thats what I do with it. Then its almost like fruit and icecream Veggies I would think you could freeze them all since you cook them and they taste good. Tomatoes you could make your own sauce and then freeze in baggies for pastas later. I do that every now and then, especially during the summer. Is there anything in specific your looking for to freeze? I hope this helps!

susioryan

The most important thing to know about freezing veggies is that you should blanch them. Not for a long time (for example for green beans it should be 1 minute not 3 minutes) to kill off any bacteria. Tomatoes you can just freeze whole- no blanching necessary and add to casseroles, stews etc. I have frozen green peppers, onions and ginger just chopped- no blanching and I add them to dishes. I freeze berries, grapes and bananas too. I have breaded eggplant and cooked it and then frozen it. The resources on the internet are very helpful as is browsing at your local bookstore in the cookbook aisle.

rherrin5

oh wow you freeze grapes! I never blanch my veggies first but maybe I should start. Thanks for the tips!

llkilgore

I routinely freeze bell peppers when they're cheap, especially the non-green ones that are usually so expensive. I just cut them in quarters, get rid of the seeds, spread the pieces out on a cookie sheet to freeze overnight, then store them in a zip locked freezer bag. They're not so great in salads but fine for cooking.