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Freezing white cabbage in the freezer for the winter is not popular among modern housewives. This is due to public opinion that vegetables cannot be prepared in this way. It is also important that in most regions heads of cabbage can be purchased throughout the year, which means there is no need to stock up.
Is it possible to freeze white cabbage for the winter?
It should be borne in mind that the vegetable does not like low temperatures. Freezing causes the leaves to soften and lose their crispness and marketable appearance.
But it is possible to subject the heads of cabbage to low-temperature treatment, if you take into account the further use of cabbage. So, fresh leaves are needed for salads, and preparations for the winter are suitable for cabbage soup or stews. Freezing should be carried out according to certain rules.
Advantages of the procedure:
- the ability to always get and prepare semi-finished products;
- the beneficial properties of the vegetable are preserved;
- the product can be quickly defrosted;
- saving time on cooking.
Flaws:
- frozen leaves cannot be added to salads;
- the head of cabbage becomes soft after thawing;
- You cannot prepare a large amount of product: it takes up a lot of space in the chamber.
If you take white cabbage out of the freezer and let it thaw, you cannot re-process it at low temperatures.
Selecting and preparing cabbage
The initial stage of work is the selection of suitable specimens. For freezing, formed dense heads of cabbage should be used. They should not show signs of rotting or mold. The leaves of delicious white cabbage are elastic, without pronounced bitterness. Overripe forks are not suitable for freezing. After thawing, they will have an unpresentable appearance and taste.
The head of cabbage must be frozen, regardless of the method, within two days after cutting.
Preparation:
- Select ripe young tasty and juicy heads of cabbage.
- Rinse them under running water.
- Remove the top leaves.
- Rinse the white cabbage again in water before freezing.
- Dry it with a towel or paper.
Selection of containers
Leaves are frozen for the winter in a variety of containers. Depending on the processing method, fresh cabbage can be stored in glass or plastic containers. Some housewives prefer zippered bags, but plastic bags are also suitable.
How to properly freeze white cabbage for the winter
The choice of method depends on the personal preferences of the housewife. You can freeze white cabbage whole, shredded, stewed or fried. And housewives know how to extend the life of fermented leaves by subjecting them to heat treatment.
A whole head of cabbage
This method is the least expensive. Most often, they try to freeze whole white cabbage to prepare cabbage rolls in the future.This is primarily due to the fact that fresh leaves burst and break, and without pre-treatment the filling cannot be wrapped in them.
To freeze the selected fork, you need to wash it and dry it well with a towel. Using a thin and sharp knife, carefully cut out the stalk, and put the vegetable itself in a disposable bag or bag, and then heat it.
It is most convenient to wrap large heads of cabbage in several layers of plastic wrap before freezing.
It should be borne in mind that vegetable stalks can also be frozen. After removing them from the fork, they need to be rinsed with water and finely chopped in a convenient way. Distribute the finished mass into containers and freeze. The semi-finished product can be added to soups and vegetable stews, and baked with meat.
It is not recommended to use stalks from large overripe heads of cabbage: they are not only too hard to eat, but also tasteless.
Leaves
This freezing method is suitable for housewives who love cabbage rolls but do not use other storage methods. In this case, in order to reduce the volume, white cabbage should be processed as follows:
- Take a fresh fork, wash it, check for integrity.
- Cut off the top layers of leaves from the head of cabbage.
- Remove the stalk.
- Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Place the head of cabbage in the container for five minutes and then remove it. Cut off any softened leaves. If the fork is large, then you will have to blanch it several times before freezing.
- Place the prepared leaves in bags and remove the air from there.
- Send the semi-finished product for freezing, placing it on a flat surface.
When blanching, the leaves should not be cooked, but softened, otherwise they will lose their shape after thawing.
Shredded
This method allows you to save space in the chamber. Thus, you can freeze white cabbage for stews, cabbage soup, borscht, and casseroles.
Algorithm of actions:
- Inspect the forks, remove the limp, top leaves. Cut out suspicious spots with a sharp knife and remove debris. Rinse the vegetable under running water before slicing for freezing.
- Grind the leaves in a convenient way. The best option is a special shredder, but housewives use a grater, a regular knife, and a food processor. It is recommended to cut into strips for freezing.
- Place the mixture in a bowl and pour boiling water over it for 1-2 minutes. This procedure allows you to destroy enzymes that contribute to product spoilage in the cooling chamber.
- Before freezing, you need to remove excess moisture. To do this, place the straw in a colander or scatter it on a towel.
- Pack the workpiece into bags. You can use a vacuum system to evacuate air to save space. Do not pack the bag tightly so that when thawing, the leaves after freezing do not turn into mush.
- Place the chopped straws in the cooling chamber on a shelf for a day.
For cabbage rolls
Most often, housewives try in every way to soften the leaves so that it is convenient to wrap the filling in them. So, if you freeze white cabbage correctly, it is perfect for making cabbage rolls.
Algorithm of actions:
- You need to choose a cabbage fork that is large, without damage or rot.Remove the top leaves from it.
- Fill a large saucepan 1/3 full with water and put it on the fire, bring the liquid to a boil.
- Before freezing, separate the leaves from the head in such a way as to preserve their integrity. Then put 6-7 pieces in a pan for 1-2 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the cabbage leaves and place them in cold water, then remove and place in a colander.
- Prepare sealed containers or bags. As soon as excess moisture has drained from the cabbage, spread it on a flat surface to dry. Place the finished product in containers and place in the freezer for 1.5-2 hours.
To easily separate the leaves from the head of cabbage, you need to make a cut at the base of the stalk, and then carefully remove the layers
To give the cabbage rolls the most aesthetic appearance, the leaf plates should be additionally processed. To do this, use a sharp knife to cut off the thick part from the middle part. With this treatment, it will be convenient to work with the sheets after defrosting.
For borscht
The preparation for the soup can be made in advance if you know certain nuances. To save time, you can freeze white cabbage for borscht.
To do this, you need to wash it, remove the top leaves from it, and divide the head of cabbage into two parts. Using a knife or grater, cut the forks into thin strips and set aside.
Wash the carrots, onions and beets, peel and chop with a grater, mix everything. Place white cabbage at the bottom of a plastic container to freeze. Cover the top with baking paper or foil. Place shredded vegetables in a second layer. Place the container in the freezer until needed. This preparation will save time when preparing borscht.
Fried
For most housewives, any way to save time on cooking is important. And if you need to prepare the filling for pies, you can fry the cabbage and freeze it for the future.
To do this, wash fresh white cabbage, remove limp and spoiled leaves, divide into two parts and chop. Fry the leaves cut into strips in a frying pan with butter until tender, adding carrots and onions, spices and salt.
The readiness of white cabbage can be determined by its appearance: it will become soft, juicy, and turn brown.
Cool the finished product to room temperature and then place it in containers.
Pickled
Before freezing, shredded vegetables should first be properly fermented. But the recipe is simple, you will need:
- 5 kg cabbage;
- 0.5 kg carrots;
- 130 g salt.
The leaves should be chopped into strips, and then rub them well with salt to make the juice appear. Add grated carrots to the resulting mass. Grind the vegetables well to ensure they are evenly combined while freezing. Transfer the workpiece into a pan or bucket, and place pressure on top. To do this, you can use a brick, a weight or other available material.
The container with white cabbage should be kept in a warm room for seven days before freezing. During this time, the bend must be rinsed daily under water, and the workpiece itself must be pierced with a wooden skewer.
If after a week the white cabbage has fermented, then it can be frozen for cabbage soup for the winter.
To do this, the finished product must be distributed into packages. It is not recommended to use ordinary polyethylene; it is better to give preference to dense samples with a zip fastener.
To prevent all excess moisture from freezing when freezing, it is better to lightly squeeze the cabbage from the brine before packing.
Stewed
The main stage of work is preparing the vegetable. Before freezing, a forkful of white cabbage should be chopped and stewed with carrots and onions. In this case, you need to add a minimum amount of oil to make the product low-calorie.
The juice formed during stewing must be drained and the white cabbage allowed to cool. Distribute the workpiece into plastic containers or bags before freezing.
How long can cabbage be stored in the freezer?
Both the characteristics of the variety and the capabilities of the freezer should be taken into account. If the equipment works without failures and supports the blast freezing mode, then the shelf life of white cabbage is ten months. If during this time it is not used for its intended purpose, the product will have to be disposed of.
Storage temperature is –18 °C. White cabbage cannot be re-frozen, regardless of the method of pre-treatment.
If you plan to cook borscht or soup, or make a casserole, then you don’t have to defrost the preparation, but use it immediately for its intended purpose.
How to defrost
There are two ways to prepare the product for use. The first is to leave the cabbage on the counter at room temperature after freezing. In this case, the vegetable will thaw quickly, but will be unsuitable for further consumption. The leaves will become soft and tasteless.
The second option is to move the product to the refrigerator shelf. To do this, you need to leave the workpiece after freezing at a temperature of +2-8 ° C. The thawing process can take from several hours to 1-2 days. The duration of defrosting will depend on the volume of product and temperature. But in this case, although the white cabbage will soften slightly, it will be suitable for further use.In this case, the volume of nutrients will remain the same as before freezing.
Conclusion
Freezing white cabbage in the freezer for the winter requires certain skills and abilities. The method of processing the vegetable will depend on the further purpose of its use. To prevent it from losing its beneficial properties, it must not only be properly frozen, but also stored, and then prepared for use.
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