Content
- 1 Is it possible to freeze tomatoes for the winter?
- 2 Methods for freezing tomatoes
- 3 Preparing tomatoes for freezing
- 4 How to freeze fresh tomatoes for the winter
- 4.1 How to freeze whole tomatoes
- 4.2 How to freeze pureed tomatoes in molds
- 4.3 How to freeze tomatoes twisted through a meat grinder
- 4.4 How to freeze tomatoes for borscht
- 4.5 How to freeze tomatoes for pizza
- 4.6 Freezing tomatoes in pieces for the winter
- 4.7 How to freeze cherry tomatoes
- 4.8 How can you freeze peeled tomatoes for the winter?
- 4.9 Freezing green tomatoes
- 5 How to defrost tomatoes correctly
- 6 What can you cook from frozen tomatoes?
- 7 Shelf life of frozen tomatoes
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews
If frozen berries and fruits are no longer a rarity in home bins, then many, even experienced housewives, stop at the question of how to freeze tomatoes and whether it’s worth it. Although the highest quality final product can be obtained by using modern freezers with the “blast freezing” function, owners of conventional freezers should not give up. If certain conditions are met, fresh tomatoes can be frozen in almost any freezer.
Is it possible to freeze tomatoes for the winter?
It is believed that freezing tomatoes for the winter does not make much sense, since the vegetables contain too much liquid, which, after defrosting, will turn the original product into porridge.
But, firstly, in addition to salads from fresh vegetables, tomatoes are used in the preparation of hundreds of hot dishes. And for such dishes, the consistency of the tomato is not critical, while the aroma of summer and tomato taste will be adequately provided.
If we compare the benefits that thawed tomatoes will bring to the body compared to any tomatoes from the store in the winter, then here too the scales will undoubtedly tip towards the side of thawed fruits. Especially if they were grown on their own plot.
Finally, frozen tomatoes can bring significant savings to the family budget and save energy (no need to run to the store again in winter).
And for freezing tomatoes to bring real satisfaction, you just need to understand its basic principles and follow the simple tips described later in the article.
Methods for freezing tomatoes
In principle, any variety of tomato can be suitable for freezing. It is only important that they are already ripe, since unripe brownish fruits can bring with them some bitterness.
And strong and dense tomatoes can be frozen:
- whole (with or without peel);
- sliced;
- cut into slices or pieces;
- with the addition of a variety of vegetables - peppers, zucchini, eggplants;
- in a wide variety of containers - bags, cups, containers, silicone forms.
Preparing tomatoes for freezing
The most important thing when preparing tomatoes for freezing is to thoroughly rinse and then dry the fruit.After all, it will no longer be possible to wash frozen tomatoes, and there is no need for excess moisture on them during freezing. Excessive moisture on the tomatoes will turn into ice, which can stick the fruit together and, when defrosted, will deteriorate its taste and texture.
It is best to dry tomatoes on a paper or cloth towel, laying them out in one row. The better they dry, the easier and faster the freezing process will be.
If tomatoes are cut into pieces before freezing, then to maintain their shape, excess juice is also allowed to drain if possible.
Containers for freezing and storing tomatoes should easily withstand low temperatures. These can be either plastic or silicone forms or containers. For good preservation, they must also be sealed fairly tightly to protect the tomatoes from additional odors and prevent excess moisture from evaporating during storage.
Thawed tomatoes cannot be re-frozen - this will completely ruin their taste and smell. Therefore, all storage containers must be selected so that their contents can be used at one time. For ease of identification of products, it is better to sign all bags and containers, indicating the name of the product and the date of freezing.
How to freeze fresh tomatoes for the winter
The procedure for freezing tomatoes varies somewhat depending on the purpose for which the finished vegetables will be used.
How to freeze whole tomatoes
In general, only tomatoes with dense flesh of small and medium size are frozen. A variety of creams are ideal for these purposes.
This is the easiest recipe for freezing tomatoes for the winter, especially if you don’t peel them. It is enough just to wash the fruits and dry them well. Then they are placed in portions in small quantities into bags. Ziploc bags work well for this purpose. But regular lunch bags will work too. As much air as possible is released from them and the bags are tied or zipped, and then placed in the freezer.
In a similar way, you can freeze halved tomatoes for stuffing.
- Whole tomatoes are cut into halves, the pulp is removed from them, and they are lightly dried, waiting for the juice to drain.
- Place the halves on a tray or baking sheet and place in the freezer for several hours to harden.
- The frozen halves are put into bags, tied and stored for long-term storage.
How to freeze pureed tomatoes in molds
The harvest from your own garden is rarely in perfect condition. All tomatoes damaged for various reasons can be thoroughly washed, all damaged areas trimmed with reserve and then frozen in the form of puree or juice.
How to freeze tomatoes twisted through a meat grinder
This recipe for freezing tomatoes will help you recycle fruits that you don’t have much time to tinker with and would be a pity to throw away.
- Prepared tomatoes are twisted through a meat grinder.
- To the resulting tomato puree you can also add chopped bell pepper and a variety of herbs - dill, parsley, cilantro, basil. This workpiece does not require any additional heat treatment.
- Next, you just need to prepare (rinse and dry) suitable containers.It is best if they are small in size so that the contents of one container can be subsequently defrosted and used immediately.
- The crushed tomato puree is placed into containers, leaving about a centimeter of free space on top. During the freezing process, the tomato mass may rise slightly.
- Close the containers with tight lids and place them in the freezer immediately for storage.
In the same way, you can prepare freshly squeezed tomato juice, pour it into plastic bottles without topping up, and freeze it immediately.
How to freeze tomatoes for borscht
If you do not have enough suitable containers with a lid for freezing and storing pureed tomatoes, then you can use the following recipe, which will show how easy and beautiful it is to freeze tomatoes for the winter.
- Mashed tomatoes with or without additives are carefully distributed into silicone ice molds, which now come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes: in the form of cubes, and in the form of hearts, and in the form of flowers.
- The molds are placed in the freezer for 5-6 hours.
- After that, take out the frozen figured products from the frozen tomato and place them in bags.
- The bags are freed from air, tied and placed in the freezer for storage.
- To prepare borscht or other first courses, you just need to remove the required number of tomato cubes or figurines from the bag and use them for culinary purposes without defrosting.
How to freeze tomatoes for pizza
You can freeze tomatoes for pizza in a similar way.
- Washed and dried tomatoes are cut into circles with a thickness of at least 8 mm using a sharp knife.Attention! For these purposes, the fruits must be strong with dense, not very juicy pulp.
- Then the circles are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet or cutting board, which is previously lined with parchment paper or cling film. This is done so that after freezing the circles can be easily separated from the surface.
- If there are a lot of tomatoes and there is enough space in the freezer, then you can lay out the tomato slices in two or even three layers. Only each layer must be covered with parchment or film to avoid the tomatoes sticking to each other.
- The trays are placed in the freezer for several hours.
- After they are completely frozen, the circles are taken out of the freezer, put into small storage bags and put back in the freezer for storage for the winter.
Freezing tomatoes in pieces for the winter
Tomatoes cut into pieces of different sizes are frozen in the same way. If the tomatoes turn out to be too juicy when slicing, it is better to let them sit for a while before storing them to freeze, so that the excess juice drips out. It's even possible to freeze them in separate small containers, like muffin tins and the like.
How to freeze cherry tomatoes
It is very beneficial to freeze cherry tomatoes for the winter. They retain their shape and taste in the best way, and due to their small size they do not take up much space in the refrigerator.
This process is, in principle, no different from freezing whole tomatoes. Often, only the skin is removed from them - in this case, their use is more universal. This procedure is described in detail in the next chapter.
How can you freeze peeled tomatoes for the winter?
Removing the skin from tomatoes is not as difficult a task as it might seem.In order for the peel to begin to separate from the fruit itself and all that remains is to help it a little, you must first expose the tomatoes to high temperatures for 20-30 seconds. This can be done by either dipping the fruits in boiling water, or putting them in the microwave, or heating them over the flame of a burner on a fork.
It is advisable to immediately cool the tomatoes in ice water after this procedure.
After this, removing the skin from the tomato is no longer difficult.
The peeled fruits are placed on a flat dish covered with film, and the top is also covered with film. Place in the freezer to harden, then put into small bags. If possible, seal the bags tightly and place them in the freezer for storage.
Freezing green tomatoes
If everything turns out unexpectedly well and easily with freezing ripe tomatoes in the freezer, then any housewife is tempted to add brown unripe and even green tomatoes in the same way. Indeed, in early autumn, before frost, there are often still so many of them left in the beds. But you shouldn't do this. It is better to find another use for green tomatoes - pickle or make jam.
Thawed green tomatoes have a distinct bitter taste that is difficult to do anything about. In addition, it’s hard to expect anything else from them other than porridge after defrosting.
How to defrost tomatoes correctly
Actually, only whole tomatoes are subject to defrosting, those that are planned to be used for stuffing and frozen in the form of puree or juice, if it is planned to make tomato sauce from them.
To preserve the shape of whole fruits as much as possible, place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 12 hours.
If you plan to cut whole tomatoes in any way, then it is better to let them first thaw for 15-20 minutes at room temperature, and then cut them in any convenient way.
Tomatoes frozen in slices, slices and other ways are not defrosted at all, but are used in the preparation of dishes in their original form.
What can you cook from frozen tomatoes?
Whole tomatoes are used to prepare a variety of first and second courses, as well as hot appetizers and salads. The circles are very good for pizza, hot sandwiches, and focaccio.
Cubes, figures or pieces fit perfectly into casseroles, stews, omelettes, or gravies, vegetable caviar.
Tomato puree or juice can be used to make stir-fries for soup, sauces and ketchup.
Shelf life of frozen tomatoes
Frozen tomatoes can be stored in the freezer for about 12 months, that is, until the next harvest. But they cannot be re-frozen.
Conclusion
If you didn’t yet know how to freeze tomatoes for the winter, now you should definitely try to put one of the described methods into practice. After all, in winter you and your loved ones will definitely enjoy the aromatic spirit of fresh tomatoes.
Reviews
Despite the fact that canning tomatoes in such an unusual way is not yet particularly common among housewives, reviews of frozen tomatoes can be found mostly positive.
