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Every summer, skilled housewives try to make as many preparations for the winter as possible. If earlier this required everything to be boiled, sterilized and rolled up, now you can simply freeze it. But not everyone knows how to properly freeze vegetables in order to preserve their beneficial properties and taste. In this article we will see how to freeze eggplants for the winter at home.
Can eggplants be frozen?
Everyone knows that eggplants can be used to make wonderful salads and other preserves. Supermarkets sell ready-made frozen vegetable mixtures. But is it possible to freeze these vegetables at home?
The answer is clear - you can. The main thing is that eggplants are frozen in the correct way. Everyone knows that during the freezing process almost all useful substances are preserved. Eggplants are very rich in various microelements. In addition, this vegetable contains a large amount of vitamins.
Choosing eggplants to freeze
The first thing, of course, is to pay attention to the appearance of the fruit.Large eggplants can have many seeds. Therefore, it is better to choose small fruits. They are more tender and tasty. Also, the fruits must be clean and even. The presence of spots may indicate disease.
Large eggplants tend to be bitter. But young fruits usually do not taste bitter and have a pleasant, delicate taste. Such vegetables do not need to be soaked in a salty solution.
Proper freezing
There are different recipes for freezing eggplants. They all differ in the way they prepare the fruit. They can be pre-blanched, soaked and fried. You can try several ways at once. The main thing is that there is enough space in the freezer.
Freezing eggplants using the first method is very simple. You can simply freeze the fruits whole. Some people boil the vegetables a little first and then remove the skin. After this, you need to let the eggplants stand to drain off excess liquid. The inconvenience of this method is that large fruits will take a long time to defrost, and they take up a lot of space in the freezer.
For those who have a small freezer, it is better to freeze fruits in other ways. Fresh fruits can be cut into small pieces. This way, vegetables will take up less space and will freeze and defrost faster. In addition, it will be much more convenient to use them, because you will not have to additionally cut and peel the fruits.
Next, the chopped pieces are poured into a prepared container and salted. Then you need to thoroughly mix the eggplants so that the salt is evenly distributed. Leave the workpiece in this form for 15 minutes. After this, you need to drain the liquid that is released and dry the vegetables. For this, it is better to use a paper or waffle towel. If you don't dry the pieces, they will simply freeze to each other in the freezer.
Now the prepared fruits can be scattered into containers or bags. But some housewives freeze the pieces in such a way that they do not stick together. To do this, place chopped and dried vegetables on a cutting board. Before doing this, you can cover it with foil or parchment paper.
The pieces are laid out at a short distance from each other and sent to the freezer. The eggplants should remain there for several hours. During this time, the fruits will freeze a little, and they can be moved to containers. Eggplants prepared in this way do not stick to each other. Therefore, it will be much more convenient to take them out and use them. You can take as many pieces as you need, rather than having to defrost the whole lump.
What to freeze in
You can use a variety of containers and bags for freezing. For example, it is very economical to freeze vegetables in regular plastic bags. The main thing is to know a few important rules:
- Use several bags at once to pack eggplants. So, the packaging will be more airtight;
- after pieces of vegetables have been placed in the bag, it is necessary to release as much air as possible from it;
- Tie the bag well so that the smells of other vegetables or herbs do not transfer to the eggplant.
You can buy special bags for freezing in stores.There is a special clasp that is very convenient to use. But if space allows, it would be better to put the eggplants in a plastic container. Thanks to the tight lid, they will retain their taste and smell for a long time. So far, this is the most convenient way to store frozen vegetables.
In addition to these options, there are packages with special clips. They are designed to freeze vegetables. You can buy such bags at any supermarket. To save space in the freezer and preserve the taste of vegetables as much as possible, you can use vacuum bags. But you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to look for them. They are quite expensive, so they are in less demand.
Freezing and blanching
There are also recipes that call for blanching. This is done to keep the vegetables soft. Given the toughness of the eggplant pulp, blanching would be a good idea. The whole process goes as follows:
- First of all, you need to cut the vegetables in a way convenient for you.
- Next, the eggplants should be salted and left for 15 minutes.
- Place a container of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Place the eggplants in a colander and then place them in boiling water for exactly 1 minute.
- Then the vegetables are cooled and excess liquid is allowed to drain. To do this, they are laid out on a towel.
- Prepared vegetables are placed in bags or containers.
Which freezing method is better?
Many people are also interested in how best to freeze eggplants, with or without peel. It is important to consider how bitter they are. If the fruits are young, dense and do not have bitterness, then they can be frozen with the peel and even without blanching. Everything else is done as usual. Vegetables are washed, cut and placed in bags.
In this case, it would also be good to first freeze the pieces on a cutting board, and only then put them in containers or bags for further storage. Some recipes suggest frying the pieces first and only then freezing them. This way they will take up even less space as they cook down.
How to defrost correctly
In order for the taste of vegetables to remain unchanged, it is necessary not only to freeze eggplants correctly, but also to defrost them correctly. There are several ways how this can be done:
- In the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens have a defrost function. This is a fairly quick way to defrost vegetables.
- Just leave it to defrost in the kitchen. In this case, you will have to wait at least 2 hours for the pieces to completely defrost. So you need to remove the vegetables from the freezer in advance and leave them to defrost at room temperature or move them to the refrigerator overnight.
- Start preparing the dish immediately. During heat treatment, vegetables will quickly defrost. Many people use it, because it does not require any additional kitchen equipment or time.
Some people dip frozen vegetables in water to help them defrost faster. It is advisable not to use this method, because in this case a large amount of useful microelements is lost.
Conclusion
Now you know exactly how to freeze eggplants for the winter. The article contains various recipes that many housewives have already tried. You only need to spend a little time preparing the vegetables, and then the freezer will do everything itself. In winter, frozen eggplants can be used to prepare a variety of dishes.Many people add vegetables to stews, make adjika or other snacks with them. Definitely, frozen eggplants will come in handy in the kitchen.
