Is it possible to freeze hot peppers for the winter: recipes and methods for freezing them in the freezer at home

It is worth freezing fresh hot peppers for the winter immediately after harvesting for several reasons: freezing helps preserve all the vitamins of the hot vegetable, prices during the harvest season are several times lower than in winter, and preparing portions allows you to save time when preparing food.

Frozen pods retain all their vitamins and microelements

Is it possible to freeze hot peppers for the winter?

The spicy vegetable helps strengthen the immune system, stimulate appetite, improve mood and metabolism. Popular recipes for preparations with vinegar are not suitable for everyone due to the caustic preservative. Storing in the refrigerator in an oil solution gives the seasoning a specific flavor. To preserve the fresh bitter taste, aroma and elastic consistency, you can freeze vegetables for the winter whole, in cubes, rings, with the addition of herbs or separately.It is also important that fresh pepper can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a month and a half; if frozen, it can be stored for a year to a year and a half.

How to properly freeze hot peppers for the winter

Freezing hot peppers for the winter requires careful selection:

1. The fruits must be fully ripe, rich in bright color, and small in size.
2. Must be healthy, without stains, cracks, dents or other defects.
3. Before freezing, vegetables prepared for harvesting should be stored in the refrigerator for one to three days to prevent rotting.

Preparation secrets:

1. When harvesting from a personal plot, the stalk should be left and cut off along with the pepper.
2. To effectively remove soil and pests, the pepper is first left briefly in warm water, then washed with cold water.

Pods that are free of cracks, stains and dents must be used for freezing.

You can freeze fresh hot peppers for the winter with their inherent hot taste, but you can use the secret of reducing their “hotness”: before freezing, the pods can be dipped in boiling water for one or two minutes and then dried.

How to freeze whole hot peppers

You can freeze whole hot peppers if they are not too big. After washing and removing excess moisture, without separating the stalk and seeds, it is laid out on a napkin or foil in one layer and frozen for two hours. Then the workpiece is transferred into compact packaging (bags, containers) and left for storage in the freezer for a long time.

Removing the stem helps reduce bitterness and reduce storage space

It is also possible that the pepper with the stalk and seeds is placed in storage containers and placed in the freezer. Then they turn on the intensive freezing mode, after an hour they transfer it to the normal temperature range of about -18 degrees Celsius.

It is worth freezing the whole hot pepper, first of all, because after removing it from the freezer, it is easy to separate it from the main mass. It's so easy to get the required amount without damaging the rest of the fruit and without defrosting everything.

Removing the seeds from fresh fruit before freezing will reduce the bitter taste. An added benefit of freezing a vegetable without seeds is that you won't have to wait until it thaws to remove the seeds before cooking. Pre-peeled fresh fruit is easy to cut when frozen.

Quick freezing of hot peppers

Fresh fruits must be washed, dried, removed from seeds and placed in storage bags. If there is excess moisture on them, they will stick together during storage; after defrosting, they may become soft and less bitter.

Before freezing, the fruits need to be processed: dried and cleared of seeds.

How to freeze chopped hot peppers with herbs

You can freeze fresh hot peppers for the winter by mixing them with various herbs: celery, dill, green onions, parsley, cilantro leaves.

Greens should be washed and dried to remove excess moisture. Fresh peppers should also be peeled, dried and cut into small rings. Chopped vegetables must be thoroughly mixed, put into bags and frozen.

Frozen peppers, unlike pickled ones, do not spoil and do not change color.

How can you freeze hot peppers in portions?

Packaging in small containers allows you to save portions of fresh product in the right quantity. After washing and drying the ingredients, they are cut into strips or cubes and placed in a vacuum bag or container. It is important that there is no excess moisture there. Immediately after the air has been removed from the bag or the container has been closed, it should be placed in the freezer and not removed until needed.

Before freezing, you need to remove the air from the bag.

In order to grind the spicy vegetable, you can use a blender. This will help speed up the harvesting process and avoid contact with the burning fruit. You can add salt and herbs to the pepper. After a few seconds of processing the vegetable mass, it is placed into portioned bags. It is convenient to shape them into a flat cake to make it easier to separate the required amount without defrosting the entire volume.

Freezing hot pepper rings

Vegetables cut into rings are ideal for use with meat, baked goods, and for adding to soups and sauces. It is not necessary to remove the seeds before cutting the fruits. The rings can be one to three centimeters wide, depending on the planned recipes.

The cut rings should not be too thin

One way to freeze hot peppers cut into rings:

How to freeze twisted hot peppers for the winter

Fresh hot peppers twisted with garlic are a traditional seasoning in Korean cuisine.

To prepare you will need:

• 300 grams of chili;
• 150 grams of garlic;
• salt to taste.

Sequencing:

1. Wash the ingredients thoroughly, clean and remove excess water.
2. Grind in a meat grinder or using a blender.
3. Add salt.
4. Close the mixture in a jar and store in the refrigerator with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil, or transfer to a food container and freeze.

The seasoning of chili and garlic is very hot, you should try it and add it to dishes carefully.

In order to reduce the spiciness of the dish, you can replace half or a third of the chili in the recipe with bell pepper. In the cuisine of the peoples of the Caucasus, recipes for twisted peppers with garlic and the addition of tomatoes, eggplant, khmeli-suneli, cilantro and other ingredients are popular.

Fresh twisted pods can be preserved. To do this, you will need to chop 1 kilogram of vegetables, add half a glass of 5% vinegar, and salt. If desired, you can add onions or garlic. Place the mixture in sterilized jars, seal tightly and store in a dark, dry place.

Rules for storing hot peppers in the freezer

The main rule is that peppers cannot be re-frozen. This will lead to loss of taste properties and nutrients in the composition.

For freezing, only use bags or containers that are approved for food.

The temperature should be about -18 degrees. If the freezer supports different modes, for example, blast freezing, you can turn it on (less than 18 degrees), then return it to normal operating condition.

Conclusion

Even an inexperienced housewife can freeze hot peppers fresh for the winter, without special equipment. This is an easy way to save time and money.Many recipes for meat dishes, side dishes, and soups require the use of fresh bitter vegetables; if you freeze them in large quantities, you can cook your favorite dishes all year round. It’s worth trying several freezing methods, getting to know different flavors and choosing your favorite.

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