Thawing blueberries...trick??

Catie_v2
Catie_v2 Posts: 67
in Food and Nutrition
Hoping someone can help me out here...I went blueberry picking a couple of weekends ago and froze a whole bunch of them (did not wash first as directed). Now want to start using some and cant figure out the best way to thaw and have them keep their firm consistency.

What do people do?? Thx....

Replies

  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
    Sorry, the trick to having thawed blueberries keep their firmness is in how you freeze them to begin with. That stage has already passed for you, so you're out of luck on this batch. For future berry picking trips: :happy: :happy: :happy: You must spread them out on a cookie sheet, single layer, and freeze them rapidly before pouring them all in a freezer bag together. Otherwise, they freeze too slowly, forming ice crystals, which causes the fragile cellular walls of the fruit to be compromised. When they thaw, they are a messy, mushy bunch. Still delicious though.
  • Catie_v2
    Catie_v2 Posts: 67
    That is how I froze them actually...single layer on cookie sheet, froze, poured into freezer bags, sucked out as much air as possible....do you thaw in the fridge?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I buy frozen blueberries and just put whatever quantity I need in the fridge overnight to thaw slowly - they're never quite the same as fresh but not mushy.
  • Catie_v2
    Catie_v2 Posts: 67
    I buy frozen blueberries and just put whatever quantity I need in the fridge overnight to thaw slowly - they're never quite the same as fresh but not mushy.


    Thanks! That is what I will try next =)
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
    No matter what you do, they just break down and thaw differently, they become very juicy.
  • HisPathDaily
    HisPathDaily Posts: 672 Member
    Flat out on a sheet with dry ice in a cooler will flash freeze them as quickly as you can probably get at home ... thus minimizing the crystal structures ... then keep them in your deep freezer, but over time the crystals will grown and puncture the walls so you can't keep them too long. Though they will never be like they are fresh, even commercial flash freezing isn't that perfect ...

    Now if we had access to a transporter, we could beam them into space ... and then just each have our own section of space that is like our personal super freezer ... hmm ... but it would have to be pretty far ... actually, dark side of the moon would be a good trick ... still far for a transporter though (may need some relays) ... obviously outside the kuiper belt would be much colder ... but Janeway couldn't even transport that far ... there has got to be a better way ... *pondering* ...

    Eh ... just pick 'em and eat 'em! :)
  • Monny287
    Monny287 Posts: 109
    You might try thawing them the same way you can thaw meat. Put them in a plastic bag, and place the bag in a bowl of cold water. Check on them every half-hour and change the water. I'm not sure how good the texture will be (I've never thawed berries), but it might work!
  • Mikeman1962
    Mikeman1962 Posts: 4
    You did the same thing I did – sucked all the air out of the package. I guess this is what causes them to go mushy (I was watching the cooking channel one day). Next time I’m going to try and leave some air…

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