How to properly freeze cauliflower at home in the freezer: recipes for the winter. How to freeze cauliflower for the winter: simple tricks How to freeze cauliflower in the freezer

How to freeze cauliflower not everyone knows, although it seems that there is nothing complicated here. However, often the result of freezing cauliflower is a large lump of vegetables, which is incredibly difficult to divide into small inflorescences. By following a few simple freezing requirements, you can get a perfectly preserved product.

Frozen cabbage is used to make soups, casseroles, vegetable stews.

Ingredients

  • good quality cauliflower.

Preparation

For freezing, you need to take a strong, young cauliflower without traces of insect damage, spoilage and rot. Dark spots on the surface of cabbage are a sure sign that this vegetable is best not used for freezing. Give preference to cabbage that was recently cut from the garden, rather than one that has been stored for a while.

Transfer the cauliflower to a bowl and fill it with cool, clean water, repeat the process several times. This will wash away any insects that may be hiding between leaves or inside inflorescences. After rinsing the cabbage, shake off excess water, then cut off the green leaves. After that, with your hands or with a sharp knife, divide the cabbage forks into small inflorescences, the size
about 3 cm.

Of course, the slicing can be different. Plan in advance what you will cook from frozen cabbage, what dishes are popular in your family. For soup, you can cut the vegetable into smaller pieces, for a casserole or stew - larger.

Before blanching, cabbage can be kept in salted water for 20-30 minutes. The brine is made in this way: add 4 tablespoons to 1 liter of water. salt, stir and place the cabbage inflorescences there. After half an hour, rinse the cauliflower with running water.

To blanch the cauliflower, pour into a saucepan the right amount water and bring it to a boil. Transfer the inflorescences to a colander and lower it into a saucepan, hold for 3 minutes. After that, remove the colander from the boiling water and immediately cool the cabbage, you can lower it in a container of ice water. Blanching kills the enzymes responsible for breaking down the flavor and color of cabbage during storage.

It is optimal to freeze cauliflower in small portions - at a time. To do this, give preference to small bags or containers. Transfer the cabbage and, if possible, release the air from them. Before use, the cabbage only needs to be steamed or immersed in boiling water for 1.5 minutes. After that, you can add cabbage to any dish you decide to cook.

Hardly anyone needs to be convinced of the benefits of cauliflower. It is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. Today, it can be used to make hundreds of delicious and healthy dishes... is given as a first feeding for infants and is recommended for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Only now the season in central Russia of this vegetable is very short, and it is impossible to keep it fresh at home. Therefore, many are interested in the question of whether cauliflower can be frozen or not?

Yes it is possible. At the same time, she will perfectly save not only all her beneficial features, but will remain in its original form. But in order for everything to work out, you need to know a few simple rules about how for the winter. And you need to start by choosing the right heads of cabbage. They should be white, no flaws. Before you start freezing cauliflower, you need to wash it and soak it in salted water for 15-20 minutes. This is necessary in order to get rid of unwanted bugs and caterpillars. And be sure to remove the top leaves from the head.

There are 2 ways to freeze the colored whole or by dividing it into inflorescences. In the first case, fold the head of cabbage into a suitable plastic bag, remove all air and close tightly. Put in the freezer. At the same time, it is very important to dry the cauliflower well so that excess liquid does not remain inside. This can be done by placing it on a sieve or paper towel. This completes all the preparations.

But in the second method, after the cabbage is washed and disassembled into inflorescences, you can freeze it or pre-blanch it. To do this, you need to lower the sieve with it into boiling water (add a little citric acid) for 5-6 minutes, and then cold. This will help keep the color and shape of the inflorescences intact. Otherwise, this option of how to freeze cauliflower for the winter is similar to the previous one. Arrange the inflorescences in a tray at a distance from each other and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can transfer them to a suitable container.

To store cauliflower in the freezer, you can use ordinary cellophane bags or special bags with a zipper for freezing. Disposable plastic containers are also great. You can buy them at any supermarket. It is also important to observe the storage conditions. The temperature in the freezer should be between -23 and -18 degrees. Since you can freeze cauliflower for the winter only once and cannot be re-frozen, it must be immediately divided into the necessary portions. They should be such that you can use everything at once. With all these tricks, cauliflower can be stored for up to 12 months.

Freezing not only helps to preserve all vitamins, but also makes it possible to pamper yourself with dishes from fresh vegetables even in winter. And best of all for these purposes is frozen with it easily and simply to bring to life. You can simply steam it or make an omelet with it. It will perfectly complement soup, casserole or vegetable stew... Most dishes don't even need to be thawed. And, of course, you can cook from it delicious puree for babies.

Without losing beneficial features and excellent taste qualities? Can cauliflower be frozen?

Cauliflower is one of the vegetables that can be frozen without fear. disrupt the structure of the plant... It perfectly withstands long-term storage at low temperatures and can be stored until the next harvest.

It is not very suitable for this vegetable, and the cauliflower is stored in fresh not long, so freezing is a good solution. This method is much more popular than.

The only thing you need to know is the technology of preparing the plant for freezing and storage rules. Usually each mistress has her own, "Branded" recipes harvesting vegetables for the winter, but most people follow similar rules for cauliflower.

Benefit

Can cauliflower be frozen in the freezer for the winter? Is there any benefit in frozen cabbage?

The plant, when properly frozen, retains most of their vitamins, of which it contains a considerable amount.

Cauliflower contains almost three times more vitamin C than white cabbage.

Iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium present in the vegetable will not collapse when properly stored.

Plus, frozen cabbage is an excellent source of vegetable protein and pectins in your winter diet. And in early spring, when many suffer from avitominosis, cabbage harvested since summer will help support immunity and protect against colds.

Fundamental rules

How to freeze cauliflower for the winter at home? In order for a popular vegetable to delight you throughout whole winter, you must follow a few simple recommendations.

In general, the freezing process will take much less time than preserving vegetables. And the benefit will be immeasurably greater - the product will remain in its pure form, without adding a lot of salt (not the most beneficial substance for health).

For freezing cabbage, carefully prepare:

  • choose among fresh vegetables young, intact heads of cabbage;
  • delete tainted elements;
  • divide into inflorescences if you don't want to freeze whole;
  • soak in salt water to remove insects;
  • lay out on a plain or paper towel to remove excess fluid.

Choice of containers

How to freeze cauliflower correctly? What is it? Before the process of freezing cauliflower for the winter, you should decide on the choice of packaging. The most compact way is to arrange vegetables into dense plastic bags.

They come with or without fasteners, as well as different sizes, which is very convenient for further defrosting portions. You can purchase plastic containers- they are also great for this purpose.

Frozen cauliflower - photo:

Find out from our articles also on how to freeze, as well as at home.

Storage

Where and at what temperature to store?

Store prepared vegetables only in the freezer at a temperature from -15 ° C to -25 ° C.

Make sure that there is no temperature difference at which the bags condensation will collect and the product itself will lose moisture. The more low temperature will be provided, the more vitamins vegetables can store.

How long does frozen cabbage last? You can store cabbage about 9 months, that is, if all freezing conditions are met, vegetables can be consumed just before the next harvest.

For baby food

Can cauliflower be frozen for baby puree? Cauliflower is perfect for feeding babies.

In winter, you can safely use frozen cabbage. How to freeze cauliflower for the winter for a child? In order for the vegetable to be well preserved, blanching time should be increased threefold.

In addition, all containers and pallets involved in the process must be carefully treated with boiling water or by ferry.

If all the requirements are met, cabbage can be used without fear for cooking puree.

Cauliflower - Rich useful substances vegetable.

It does not require much effort to freeze and retains all its useful properties.

Therefore, you should not deny yourself the use of cabbage in the winter.

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Do you know how to freeze cauliflower so that it retains its flavor and is attractive appearance, not darkened or rancid? It is not enough just to disassemble it into inflorescences and send it to the freezer. It must be blanched, and with the addition of citric acid - then the frozen cauliflower will turn out snow-white, crispy, retain its taste and nutritional value for the entire storage period! In winter, it can be used to cook dozens of delicious dishes from soup to casserole, since recipes with frozen cauliflower are very varied.

Similarly, this recipe can be used to freeze broccoli for the winter.

How to freeze cauliflower for the winter

Suitable for freezing fresh cabbage, young, with dense and white inflorescences. It will be crispy and dense. If the head was stored for a long time room temperature and wilted, it is better to refuse such cabbage.

Important! Cauliflower cannot be re-frozen! Therefore, you should carefully calculate your winter stock. It is better to break the workpiece into several separate portions, and then use them as needed.

So, we disassemble the forks into bunches, remove all the green leaves. Then we cut the inflorescences into smaller pieces 2-3 centimeters in size for easy freezing. If there are brown spots on the surface, carefully cut them off with a knife.


freezing cauliflower for the winter photo recipe

Ingredients:

  • cauliflower - 1 pc .;
  • water - 2 l;
  • citric acid - 1/3 tsp;
  • ice cubes - 20 pcs.

Cooking process:

Spiders and other small insects often hide in cabbage inflorescences. In order to remove them, soak the inflorescences in brine - 0.5 tablespoons of salt are needed for 2 liters of cold water. Fill the cabbage with brine and leave for 30 minutes so that the insects float to the surface. After that, we drain the liquid and rinse the cabbage in clean cool water. If you are sure that there are no insects, you can skip this step.

Blanch the cabbage to destroy the enzymes that cause it to darken, lose color and aroma. To do this, pour water into a saucepan or stewpan and bring it to a boil. Add a little citric acid to the boiling water (for 2 liters of water - 1/3 tsp) and immerse the cauliflower in it.


We boil the inflorescences in boiling water for exactly 2 minutes. In the meantime, we prepare the "ice bath" - pour it into a deep bowl or saucepan cold water and add ice cubes to it. We remove the blanched cabbage from the boiling water using a slotted spoon or colander and immediately place it in ice water - this will instantly stop the cooking process, which means that the cabbage will remain crispy and dense.


After 5 minutes, drain the water and ice. We spread the inflorescences on a cotton cloth so that they dry out a little. The less liquid remains on the surface of the cabbage, the less ice will be in the final product after freezing. We put the dried inflorescences in bags or in plastic trays that can withstand low temperatures.

We send containers to the freezer. If bags are used for freezing, it is advisable to remove all the air from them - you can squeeze it out or suck it through a straw for better sealing. You can store cauliflower frozen for the winter for up to 1 year.

How to properly freeze cauliflower for the winter: Nicky's recipe and photo

Cauliflower is an incredibly healthy and protein-rich vegetable. It contains many vitamins and minerals that our body needs. You can easily make a variety of delicious and original dishes... It is she who is given to infants as the very first complementary food and is recommended to people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The only thing that overshadows all these pluses is that the season of this vegetable is very short. Therefore, many housewives are always worried about one question: they are interested in the question of how to freeze and preserve cauliflower. When frozen, it will perfectly retain all its useful properties and appearance. But in order for everything to work out correctly, you need to know a few simple recommendations, which we will now tell you.

How to freeze cabbage for the winter?

So, we start by choosing suitable strong heads of cabbage first. They should be small, white and free of any defects. Next, wash the cauliflower thoroughly, remove the top leaves, soak in salted water and leave for about 20 minutes to get rid of all unwanted caterpillars and bugs.

Then we take a clean plastic bag of a suitable size, put the dried head of cabbage, remove all the air, tie the bag tightly and put it in the freezer. There is another way to harvest cabbage. To do this, wash the head of cabbage, dry it, disassemble it into inflorescences, put it in a tray at a short distance from each other and send it to the freezer. As soon as they freeze, you can transfer them to any other suitable container, or simply pour them into a bag.

How to freeze cauliflower for the winter?

Take a small head of cauliflower, put it on the cutting table and remove the top dark green bad leaves. Then we carefully divide the head of cabbage into separate small inflorescences, removing the extra rough stalks. Next, pour some water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. After that, lay the cauliflower in small portions and blanch it for no more than 3 minutes.

Now, using a slotted spoon, carefully catch each portion of the cabbage and transfer it to a colander so that all the water is glass. Then we lay it out on a clean kitchen towel and leave it to dry. Cabbage inflorescences dried up from water, sort in portions and arrange in small bags or containers. Now we send the container to the freezer and safely store the cabbage, thus, all winter.