Frozen spinach?

kaylacollinscna
kaylacollinscna Posts: 102 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I bought boxes of Birds Eye spinach to use in my smoothies but um... how do you separate the frozen spinach? Do I have to thaw and use within a certain amount of time?
Thanks. :o

Replies

  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Leverage.
    Karate chop or common carpenter's tools work. Be careful if you try to use a knife.
    I hang a bit over the counter and strike it with the heel of my hand. You can break bones doing this incorrectly.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Just leave it in the fridge overnight, or put the spinach in a baggy and soak it in tepid water until it thaws. I would only thaw enough to use in a single smoothie at a time. I doubt it would keep very long once thawed.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    If I'm not using the whole package I will slightly thaw it until I can break it apart. Take what I need than pop it back in the freezer.
  • lukedwr
    lukedwr Posts: 16
    Bread knife to saw it into blocks :)
  • libertygirlfla
    libertygirlfla Posts: 184 Member
    I made that mistake once (bought the "block" of frozen spinach") I tried chopping off chunks which resulted in flying spinach all over the kitchen. Then I tried running a corner under water to just thaw part of it, but that was a huge mess, too. If you make smoothies every day, you can thaw the entire block and use a good portion each day. It should keep for several days in the refrigerator. Now I buy frozen spinach in bags which seem to have more individually frozen pieces. I haven't had a problem since then.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Just leave it in the fridge overnight, or put the spinach in a baggy and soak it in tepid water until it thaws. I would only thaw enough to use in a single smoothie at a time. I doubt it would keep very long once thawed.
    Well that's her point isn't it. She doesn't want to thaw the whole thing...
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Just leave it in the fridge overnight, or put the spinach in a baggy and soak it in tepid water until it thaws. I would only thaw enough to use in a single smoothie at a time. I doubt it would keep very long once thawed.
    Well that's her point isn't it. She doesn't want to thaw the whole thing...

    Well FRED, the boxes of frozen spinach are small enough that ONE would only last a couple of days anyway!
  • Given2Dream
    Given2Dream Posts: 2 Member
    Ziploc bag and a hammer. It's a great stress reliever too :)
  • dbm037
    dbm037 Posts: 125 Member
    fresh is better
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    fresh is better

    False. Just sayin.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I prefer the bags over the boxes because they're cheaper per ounce and use less packaging than the boxed kind and you can smash 'em against the counter (or floor!) to loosen up what you need. Just keep a good-sized bag clip or clothes pin to keep the unused portion in the bag while whacking it!
  • misspastry
    misspastry Posts: 109 Member
    I bought boxes of Birds Eye spinach to use in my smoothies but um... how do you separate the frozen spinach? Do I have to thaw and use within a certain amount of time?
    Thanks. :o

    Is this a real question??? Wow.........
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Ziploc bag and a hammer. It's a great stress reliever too :)
    Yep. Carpentry tools work in the kitchen.
  • mdelcott
    mdelcott Posts: 529 Member
    Buy fresh and freeze loosly in Ziploc bags. Way easier
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Just leave it in the fridge overnight, or put the spinach in a baggy and soak it in tepid water until it thaws. I would only thaw enough to use in a single smoothie at a time. I doubt it would keep very long once thawed.
    Well that's her point isn't it. She doesn't want to thaw the whole thing...

    Well FRED, the boxes of frozen spinach are small enough that ONE would only last a couple of days anyway!
    Nope. Only want to use half this week. Stick to the question.
  • lbrann25
    lbrann25 Posts: 6 Member
    Was trying to respond to someone else......sorry!!!
  • kaylacollinscna
    kaylacollinscna Posts: 102 Member
    I ended up using the ziploc and the hammer xD Thanks for the advice everyone.
    And MissPastry, yes it was an actual question... I didn't want to use the whole block but I was running out of ways I could think of getting the spinach apart other than thawing it and separating it that way. I didn't have much luck with using the knife by the way >.> But me and sharp objects are never a good combination.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    fresh is better

    False. Just sayin.
    Nutrient wise, your right. Never use the product, and never will, so in that context fresh is better.:smile:
  • bakemma
    bakemma Posts: 161 Member
    The answer to your question is a serrated knife and a cutting board. Just cut it into the cubes that you want to you and put the rest of the frozen cubes in a baggie and put them back in the freezer.
  • kristafb
    kristafb Posts: 770 Member
    I buy a brand called Europes Best which is in little blocks inside a bag which is super convenient for smoothies. I add it to soups all the time as well.
  • marathon64
    marathon64 Posts: 378 Member
    I buy the bags and put the frozen spinach in my smoothies instead of ice which is great (or use less ice). Maybe save the blocks for a recipe? Good luck!
  • cacleghorn
    cacleghorn Posts: 61 Member
    Take the bag and thump it against the countertop a good few times.
    Or run it under warm water until you can pull chunks apart.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Fresh is not always better. Frozen can be better because it's picked and flash frozen quickly whereas if you are buying it from your supermarket it could have been picked a week ago and lost nutrients. If you grow your own of buy from a farm then for sure fresh is best.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Fresh is not always better. Frozen can be better because it's picked and flash frozen quickly whereas if you are buying it from your supermarket it could have been picked a week ago and lost nutrients. If you grow your own of buy from a farm then for sure fresh is best.
    Agreed. Especially when you live a little more remotely and your own vegetables are months away.
    Hence why one might want to keep parts of the package frozen.
  • squiggyflop
    squiggyflop Posts: 148 Member
    Puree the whole thing. Pour into ice cube trays. Freeze them. Remove cubes from tray and bag. When you want a smoothie, simply grab as many cubes as you want. This works for fresh as well. This also works for fruits that do not normally freeze well.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Just leave it in the fridge overnight, or put the spinach in a baggy and soak it in tepid water until it thaws. I would only thaw enough to use in a single smoothie at a time. I doubt it would keep very long once thawed.
    Well that's her point isn't it. She doesn't want to thaw the whole thing...

    Well FRED, the boxes of frozen spinach are small enough that ONE would only last a couple of days anyway!
    Nope. Only want to use half this week. Stick to the question.
    Thats not what she said.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    fresh is better

    False. Just sayin.
    Nutrient wise, your right. Never use the product, and never will, so in that context fresh is better.:smile:
    Once fresh produce sits around for days it loses much of the nutrients. Frozen does not.

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