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Every summer, skilled housewives try to make as many preparations for the winter as possible. If earlier for this it was necessary to cook, sterilize and roll everything up, now you can simply freeze it. But not everyone knows how to properly freeze vegetables in order to preserve the beneficial properties and taste. In this article we will see how eggplants are frozen for the winter at home.
Can eggplants be frozen
Everyone knows that eggplants can be used to make excellent salads and other preserves. Supermarkets sell ready-made frozen vegetable mixes. But can these vegetables be frozen at home?
The answer is unequivocal - you can. The main thing is that the eggplant is frozen in the right way. Everyone knows that during the freezing process, almost all useful substances are preserved. Eggplants are very rich in various trace elements. In addition, this vegetable contains a large amount of vitamins.
Choosing eggplants for freezing
The first step, of course, is to pay attention to the appearance of the fruit. Large eggplants can contain a lot of seeds. Therefore, it is better to choose small fruits. They are more tender and delicious. Also, the fruits should be clean and even. The presence of stains may indicate disease.
Large eggplants tend to have bitterness. But young fruits usually do not taste bitter and have a pleasant delicate taste. These vegetables do not need to be soaked in a salty solution.
Correct freezing
There are different recipes for freezing eggplants. They all differ in the way the fruit is prepared. 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 in the first way is very simple. You can just freeze the whole fruit. Some pre-boil vegetables a little, and then peel them off. After that, you need to let the eggplants stand to glass excess liquid. The disadvantage of this method is that large fruits will defrost for a long time, and they take up a lot of space in the freezer.
For those with a small freezer, it is better to freeze the fruit in other ways. Fresh fruits can be cut into small pieces. So, vegetables will take up less space and will freeze and thaw faster. In addition, it will be much more convenient to use them, because you do 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 mix the eggplants thoroughly so that the salt is evenly distributed. In this form, the workpiece is left for 15 minutes. After that, you need to drain the liquid that will stand out and dry the vegetables. It is best to use a paper or waffle towel for this. If you do not dry the pieces, then in the freezer they will simply freeze to each other.
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. For this, cut and dried vegetables are laid out on a cutting board. Before that, 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. Eggplants should be there for several hours. During this time, the fruits will freeze a little, and they can be moved into containers. Eggplants prepared in this way do not stick to each other. Therefore, it will be much more convenient to get and use them. You will be able to take as many pieces as you need, and not defrost the whole lump.
What to freeze
A wide variety of containers and bags can be used for freezing. For example, it is very economical to freeze vegetables in ordinary plastic bags. The main thing is to know a few important rules:
- use several bags at once for packing eggplants. So, the packaging will be more airtight;
- after the pieces of vegetables have been placed in the bag, it is necessary to release the air from it as much as possible;
- tie the bag tightly so that the smells of other vegetables or herbs do not pass on to the eggplant.
Special freezer bags can be purchased in stores. There is a special clasp, which is very convenient to use. But if space permits, 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 bags with special clips. They are designed to freeze vegetables. You can buy such packages at any supermarket. You can use vacuum bags to save space in the freezer and to preserve the taste of vegetables as much as possible. 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 with blanching
There are also recipes that involve blanching. This is to keep the vegetables soft. Given the firmness of eggplant's flesh, blanching would be a good idea. The whole process is as follows:
- The first step is to cut vegetables in a way that is convenient for you.
- Next, the eggplants should be salted and left for 15 minutes.
- A container of water is placed on the stove and brought to a boil.
- Eggplants are placed in a colander, and then sent to boiling water for exactly 1 minute.
- Then the vegetables are cooled and the excess liquid is allowed to drain. To do this, they are laid out on a towel.
- Finished vegetables are placed in bags or containers.
Which method of freezing is better
Also, many are interested in how best to freeze eggplants, with or without skin. It is important to consider how bitter they are with you. If the fruits are young, dense and have no bitterness, then they can be frozen with the peel and even without blanching. Everything else is done as usual. Vegetables are washed, cut and put into 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. Thus, they will take up even less space, as they will get fried.
How to defrost properly
In order for the taste of vegetables to remain unchanged, it is necessary not only to properly freeze the eggplants, but also to defrost them in the correct way. There are several ways to do this:
- In the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens have a Defrost function. This is a fairly quick way to defrost vegetables.
- Just leave 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 get the vegetables out of the freezer in advance and leave them to defrost at room temperature, or move the freezer 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 put frozen vegetables in water to defrost them faster. It is advisable not to use this method, because a large amount of useful trace elements is lost.
Conclusion
Now you know exactly how to freeze eggplants for the winter. The article contains different recipes that many housewives have already tried. You need to spend very little time to prepare the vegetables, and then the freezer will do everything by itself. In winter, a wide variety of dishes can be prepared from frozen eggplants. Many add vegetables to stews, make adjika or other snacks with them. Definitely, frozen eggplant will come in handy in your kitchen.
