Am i able to stir fry veg then freeze it ??!
Thank you xx
Answers: I have alot of veg in my fridge and i don`t want them to go off / wilt before i get the chance to use them . I hate throwing away food ! So i was wondering if i am able to stir fry them them freeze them ?
Thank you xx
To get your food to store well you need to blanch it. This is essential with most vegetables.
Blanching destroys certain enzymes and bacteria whilst helping to preserve the colour, texture and flavour of the food. It also helps retain vitamin C.
The method is really quite simple. You need to put the food into boiling water and raise its temperature as fast as possible. We used to use a large jam pan but we now use a large pan with a lid. Even just sitting on the blanching basket it reduces the time the water needs to get back up in temperature and the energy needed to maintain it. You need at least 6 pints of water per 1lb of produce.
You also need a blanching basket. This is just a sieve to hold the produce together.
The timing is pretty important so use a pinger or suchlike to keep it accurate.
So, plunge into the water which needs to be back up to a rolling boil in 1 minute or less. If you can’t do that – blanch smaller portions. See my note above about using a pan with a lid on it. Then hold at the boil for the time on the chart below. After this you need to get the temperature down as fast as possible and stop the cooking process. We plunge into a bowl of cold water for 5 seconds or so to kill the heat then transfer to a second large bowl of water with ice cubes in it, changing the water in the first bowl each time to keep it as cold as possible.
If the blanching water starts looking mucky you should change it. When this is depends on the vegetable.
When the food is cold, remove from the water and drain or dry off – warning, broad beans will turn your tea towel brown! – then pack into portion sized freezer bags. Because the freezer looses a lot of heat when you open the door, we put about 5lb in at a time. we pre-chill in the fridge down to 5 degreess to reduce the workload on the freezer and freeze the food faster.
If you have visitors, you can always take out 2 portion bags at a time. We re-use bags used for vegetables.
Probably after you let it cool
The texture may be changed by the freezing. You might do better to start a pot of vegetable soup. That can successfully be frozen...
You would be better off just blanching them first then freezing them.
To blanch by boiling, use at least a gallon of water for a pound of vegetables. Put the vegetables in a wire basket, submerge them completely in the boiling water, cover with a lid, and begin timing. To blanch by steaming, put the vegetables in a steamer basket and suspend it above an inch or two of boiling water. Cover the pot, and begin timing as soon as steam starts to escape from under the lid. With either method, shake the basket a couple of times to ensure that all vegetable surfaces are exposed to the heat. After the allotted time, remove the basket, and plunge the vegetables into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, remove them, drain thoroughly, and package for freezing.
yes just remember to re fry in frying pan cook from frozen ....
NO blanch them for 3 minuets cool then freeze them
if you use chinese spicies you know how funny chinese food tastes next day...
No, would go all mushy and not so nice. You'd be better off making a stew and freezing it, or a veg lasagne.
my experience with freezing fresh vegetables that have been fully cooked is awful, when they are re-heated, they are mushy. yuck. i agree with you, make a soup! that's exactly what i did sunday, and it was really really good!
just eat the lot the noo!!
Hiya honey - I think it may make your veggies a little soggy if you freeze them after stir frying, so I shall go with the other (excellent) suggestions above me to make a soup or stew with them: that way they won't be wasted and you can then freeze your stews or soup with no worries! :o) xxxxxxx
Not really it goes soggy when you defrost it
Ya, go for the soup. It's good, nourishing, and I just love soup. :D