Freezing fresh and pickled cucumbers for the winter in the freezer: reviews, videos, recipes

It is very difficult to preserve the taste, structure and aroma of such a complex product as cucumbers after freezing. Before starting the process, you need to not only figure out how to properly freeze cucumbers for the winter, but also find out what preparatory work needs to be done. Only in this case you can count on an excellent result.

Is it possible to freeze fresh and pickled cucumbers for the winter

Freezing is one of the most popular preparation methods, as it allows you to preserve a maximum of vitamins and beneficial micronutrients. However, it is with cucumbers that housewives often have difficulties.

The fact is that cucumbers are 96% water-based vegetables, and this factor strongly affects when trying to keep a product in the freezer. And yet, as practice shows, you can freeze cucumbers. The main thing is to do it right.

Freezing preserves vitamins and macronutrients

First you need to decide on the grade of future blanks. Much attention should be paid to the appearance of the product, its quality, cutting shape and storage. Fresh frozen vegetables are used for salads, first courses and sauces, that is, where consistency is not critical.

In addition to fresh cucumbers, you can also freeze pickled vegetables for the winter. They are also used in the preparation of pickle soups, salads or stews with meat. At the same time, the principles of their procurement are not much different.

What cucumbers are suitable for freezing

The choice of raw materials is critical in a process such as freezing.

The requirements for vegetables are very simple, they must be:

• fresh;
• young;
• small size;
• strong and resilient;
• healthy.

Before freezing, you need to carefully examine the vegetables for rot, darkening, yellow spots, the presence of traces of insects and pests. As for the variety, universal varieties will go, but it is better to refuse salad and hybrid species, since their flesh is friable.

You only need to defrost cucumbers before adding them to dishes.

For freezing, the following varieties will be the best choice:

1. Muromsky.
2. Far Eastern.
3. Nezhinsky.
4. Droplet.
5. Courage F
6. Phoenix.

Preparing cucumbers for freezing

To properly freeze fresh cucumbers for the winter, it is necessary to competently carry out the preparatory work. Freshly collected raw materials are thoroughly washed before use. This is necessary not only in order to remove pollution, but also to get rid of various substances left over after treatment from diseases and pests (colloidal sulfur, Bordeaux mixture, insecticides).

The purchased product is pre-soaked for 1-2 hours in cool water. Then the raw materials are dried with paper towels or a towel, but it is better if the vegetables dry naturally after 40-50 minutes.

It is better not to freeze cucumbers with a bitter taste, but to use hot preservation

Then the cucumbers are checked again for damage, rot or deterioration, after which they are trimmed at both ends. A substance called cucurbitacin is responsible for the bitter taste. It is synthesized as a result of improper care or unfavorable growing conditions. Bitter cucumbers should not be frozen, but can be preserved hot. In this case, after a properly carried out heat treatment, the bitter taste will go away.

Next, you should bring the cucumbers in the form in which you plan to freeze them, that is, cut, grate or squeeze the juice.

How best to freeze cucumbers for the winter

Vegetable preparations for the winter are frozen, as a rule, in 4 ways: whole, in circles, cubes and in the form of juice. In rare cases, the cucumbers are cut into strips or grated. The method of freezing is chosen depending on the future use of the product.

Wholly

You can freeze whole cucumbers, but is it necessary, that's the question. After defrosting, even partial, the vegetable significantly loses its appearance: the skin shrivels and slips, and the pulp becomes too thin. In this state, it is impossible to cut or grate it.

It is not recommended to freeze whole vegetables, then it is too difficult to defrost and cut them.

To avoid this as much as possible, it is necessary to select the appropriate grade and size of raw materials. Cucumbers should be strong, healthy and small.

The work algorithm will look like this:

1. Wash and dry the product thoroughly.
2. Cut off the ends and test the cucumbers for bitterness.
3. Place the product in the refrigerator for a while (30-40 minutes) to make it easier and more convenient to cut.
4. Peel the cucumbers.
5. Put the raw materials in a plastic bag or a special freezer bag.
6. If possible, remove all excess air from the package.
7. Place the cucumbers in the freezer.

In circles

Frozen cucumber slices are often added to winter salads, and are also used for beauty treatments at home. This mask moisturizes and tightens the skin, providing a lifting effect.

Can be added to salads, sandwiches and used to decorate dishes

The procedure for preparing for freezing will look like this:

1. Wash cucumbers well and dry naturally for 1 hour.
2. Check for cucurbitacin (bitterness) by cutting off the ends.
3. Chop vegetables into 3 mm thick slices.
4. Arrange them on a tray in 1 layer.
5. Leave everything to dry for 30-40 minutes to get rid of excess cucumber juice.
6. Cover the workpiece with cling film, put it in the freezer for 8-10 hours.
7. Remove vegetables, transfer them to a container or bag and put them back in the freezer.

A cutting board, baking sheet, or a piece of thick cardboard can be used as a tray.

Cubes

Most housewives prefer to freeze cucumbers exactly in the form of cubes. So it is most convenient to add them to salads and okroshka.

Cucumbers frozen in cubes can be added to Olivier, okroshka and vinaigrette

The algorithm of actions in this case is not much different from the previous instructions:

1. Wash fresh vegetables well and dry naturally for 40 minutes.
2. Check for possible bitterness by cutting off the ends.
3. Peel the product.
4. Cut into medium cubes.
5. Gently lay out the workpieces on a tray and leave to dry for 30-40 minutes.
6. Cover with a bag or cling film and put in the freezer for 6-8 hours.
7. Take out the finished product, put it in bags (removing excess air) or boxes and send it for storage in the freezer chamber.

Experts recommend removing the peel not only from purchased vegetables, but also from self-grown vegetables.

Grated

Grated cucumbers are not frozen so often. In most cases, housewives prefer to harvest cubes or juice. The grated product can be used to make sour cream and yoghurt sauces, as well as add them to cosmetic masks.

Grated cucumbers do not need to be thawed, but immediately added to dishes

Freezing grated cucumbers is very simple. It is necessary to perform the following actions:

1. Wash fresh vegetables well.
2. Dry the cucumbers naturally (40-50 minutes).
3. Trim the ends to check for bitterness.
4. Peel the cucumbers.
5. Grate on a coarse grater in a bowl with a tray.
6. Divide the pulp into an ice freezer, filling the slots ⅔ full.
7. Top up the section with the juice that came out during the rubbing.
8. Send to refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

In the same way, you can freeze cucumber juice or gruel made with a blender.

Cucumber juice can be obtained in 2 ways. The easiest is to use a juicer. However, in the absence of it, you can extract the juice manually. To do this, rub the cucumbers on a fine grater, and then squeeze the resulting pulp through cheesecloth. In this case, you can freeze both the juice and the dehydrated pulp itself.

Cucumber juice contains many vitamins that are beneficial to the skin. It is indispensable for inflammation, acne or acne. On the mature dermis, it demonstrates its tightening effect. Women use ice cubes to cleanse their face and also add them to fresh juices and smoothies. Cucumber ice cubes work especially well with healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies.

Salty

You can also freeze pickles without problems. Almost every housewife was faced with a situation when, after opening a 3-liter jar, pickles remained uneaten, for some reason. In order not to throw away a quality product, you can freeze pickles in the freezer.

Salted vegetables can be added to pickle, vinaigrette and Olivier

This is easy to do. This requires:

1. Wash the vegetables from excess brine and dry them slightly with wet wipes.
2. Cut the product into slices 2-3 mm thick, put everything on a tray and leave to dry for 40 minutes, otherwise a large amount of released juice will cause the cucumbers to stick together.
3. Cover the blanks with cling film and put them in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
4. Remove from the freezer and carefully transfer to a special box or bag.
5. Send to storage in the freezer of the refrigerator.

It is not necessary to chop the cucumbers exactly in circles. If desired, you can cut the raw materials into cubes. Cucumbers after such processing will not lose either taste or smell. They can be used for vinaigrette or pickle. The main condition is to add them to the dish in an unfrozen state.

Another way to freeze cucumbers is to put them in the freezer right in the brine. Thus, products are harvested mainly for pickles. To do this, the cucumbers are finely chopped, then placed in large silicone ice molds and filled with brine. Then they are sent to freeze. After 8 hours, the molds are taken out, folded into a separate bag and stored until use, adding them to soups without prior defrosting.

Storage period and rules

The shelf life of frozen food is 6-8 months. This applies to both fresh and salted products. Store vegetables in the freezer at temperatures from -18 ° C to -24 ° C.

Experts do not recommend re-freezing defrosted vegetables, as they not only lose their appearance and structure, but also lose some of the useful vitamins.

How to defrost properly

A feature of such blanks is their use in frozen form. This is how they are added to salads and soups, where they thaw on their own, and at the same time they do not lose much in appearance.However, this does not mean that they should not be defrosted under any circumstances.

Fresh cucumbers can be placed in cold water, then carefully drained to get rid of excess liquid, and then use the blanks at your discretion. If you follow all the rules of freezing and defrosting, cucumbers will practically not lose their taste and smell, and even retain a crunchy feeling.

Most housewives note that in winter, a frozen summer product from their own garden differs significantly from purchased vegetables with an unexpressed aroma and herbaceous taste.

How to use frozen cucumbers in winter

The scope of application of frozen vegetables in winter is quite wide. Cubes can be added to a variety of salads (olivier, vinaigrette), soups (okroshka, pickle, beetroot) and main courses (azu, roast). It should be noted that salty frozen foods are most often used in hot meals.

For hot dishes, pickles are more often used.

Sliced ​​cucumbers are perfect for sandwiches, summer salads and other dishes to decorate. Grated vegetables can be used to create delicious sauces that go well with both meat and fish. For instance:

• tartar (mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped dill, pickles);
• sour cream sauce with herbs (green onions, parsley, sour cream, mustard, wine vinegar, spices, fresh cucumbers);
• apple (sour cream, mustard, grated apple and cucumber, lemon juice, herbs);
• Greek sauce "Dzadziki" (natural yogurt or sour cream, fresh grated cucumber, chopped dill, garlic, olive oil, spices).

You can make sour cream sauce with herbs and cucumbers

The grated product, along with cucumber juice, can be added to yogurt (unsweetened) or to make a morning smoothie that meets all the principles of good nutrition.

Experienced housewives recommendations

It is more expedient to freeze cucumbers for a soup set immediately with herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro, green onions). You can also add other types of vegetables to the mixture, such as green peas or bell peppers.

For okroshka, cubes of vegetables can be frozen directly in milk whey. This way they will be better preserved and can be used immediately in the process of preparing the first course.

Frozen vegetables should also be kept separate from other foods such as fish or meat. During the preparation process, you should not add spices and, especially, salt to the blanks, since it provokes the separation of liquid. Freeze cucumbers in small portions "at a time." So it will be more convenient to use them and the vegetables will not undergo repeated freezing.

Conclusion

It is possible to freeze cucumbers for the winter. Moreover, you can also send salted canned food to the freezer, which is later very convenient to use in the process of preparing pickles and vinaigrettes. The correct approach and competent preparation will preserve all the taste, aroma and structure of the product.

Reviews of frozen cucumbers for the winter

There are many reviews on the Internet about whether it is possible to freeze cucumbers for the winter. Most users believe that it is not only possible, but also necessary.

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