Eggplant is a vegetable with an unusual taste, while not having its characteristic smell. But it absorbs many smells, being close to other products. Therefore, you need to know a few tricks before freezing to prevent this from happening. The advantages of freezing a fresh vegetable are that it preserves more nutrients than when it is consumed canned. How to freeze eggplants for the winter, whether it is available to do at home and not to spoil the product, this article will tell about it.
- Is it possible to freeze
- Selection of fruits for storage
- How to prepare vegetables
- How to freeze eggplants for the winter: step by step instructions with photos
- With blanching
- With oven drying
- Fried eggplant for freezing
- Little about the useful properties of the product
Is it possible to freeze
Caring housewives are actively practicing the freezing of vegetables, and this method of preserving food is gaining popularity with each passing year. In winter, so often we experience a lack of vitamins, and in stores fresh vegetables, not everyone can afford. So is it possible to freeze eggplants?
Of course, because there are a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, which can be preserved in bulk when frozen. 80%, and at conservation only 60%.
Selection of fruits for storage
To avoid unpleasant surprises after defrosting and cooking various dishes, it is necessary to choose the right eggplants before freezing. They must be ripe, with an intact shell, dense and have a shiny, elastic skin. Ideally, choose young eggplants, because they have less accumulated harmful substances.
How to prepare vegetables
It is impossible to freeze blue ones without certain preparation, since they will look like bitter rubber.Therefore, first we need to prepare them correctly.
There are a few types of frozen eggplant: soaked, blanched, fried, dried in the oven. Each type of blanks has its own nuances, which we will discuss in more detail. But there are major freezing rules: The temperature in the chamber should be -12 degrees Celsius and below, at this temperature they will be stored for 5-6 months, while maintaining their taste and composition.
Before freezing, clean the maximum space from other vegetables, especially greens. Prepare sealed dishes or bags, because eggplants absorb the smell of nearby products.
If you want to freeze a mixture of vegetables (for example, for stews) do not forget that the blue ones need to be frozen separately. Before freezing, be sure to dry the vegetables with excess water or oil, soaking them with dry towels or dried.
How to freeze eggplants for the winter: step by step instructions with photos
How to freeze the eggplant for the winter, you can read the proposed recommendations. Before freezing, wash them well, dry, cut the stalks and, if any, spoiled places. Cut them into cubes or rings, as you need, put in a deep bowl, cover with cold water and salt.
Leave them in this condition for a couple of hours in order for the bitterness to disappear, then drain the water and squeeze the slices a little to get rid of excess moisture. So ready eggplant to freeze.
With blanching
One of the most convenient and fast methods of freezing eggplants is blanching.
Already prepared (washed and chopped) vegetables soaked in salt water should be dipped in boiling water for 2 minutes and immediately dipped into ice water, a colander will help you with this, then place the eggplants on a dry towel to dry. Ideally, put a sliced vegetable in a single layer, so moisture is better left. Only after this procedure can you put everything in a container or bag, seal it tightly, sign and send it to the freezer.
With oven drying
There are housewives who do not like to blanch vegetables, so they use the method of drying. To do this, you can use a regular oven, and drying for vegetables or aerogrill.
Preparation of the blue remains the same as described above. Ideal for this method of peeling eggplants. If you use the oven, then lay the sliced pieces on a baking sheet and cover them with foil, but if you use drying or aerogrill, then just put everything in one layer. Ship contents to oven preheated. 55-60 degrees Celsius, and leave it ajar, if there is a fan, then we turn it on too and leave it for an hour. It is worth freezing the received semi-finished product the same as it is described above in article.
Fried eggplant for freezing
Preparation of the blue does not change.After you soak them, drain them and dry them, heat the vegetable oil in the pan and fry the slices on all sides.
To prevent excess fat from being absorbed, lay out roasted vegetables on dry paper towels. Wait for them to cool, take a cutting board that fits in the freezer, wrap it with cling film and put the cooled eggplants in one layer, wrap the blanks with cling film again, put the eggplants in the second layer and so on.
Little about the useful properties of the product
Eggplant contains many useful substances, such as: fiber, pectin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins of group B, vitamin C, nicotinic acid. (Frozen eggplants do not lose their useful properties.) This vegetable does not contain many vitamins, but it is a low-calorie product and, thanks to the pectin contained in it, stimulates digestion, promotes the output of bile and excess cholesterol.
Blue, especially baked and stewed, is beneficial for people with cardiovascular diseases due to their potassium content and removes excess fluid from the body.
Eating this vegetable protects against atherosclerosis, anemia, gout, osteoporosis and osteochondrosis.
Saturate the body with vitamins and nutrients, and he will respond with gratitude.You will always feel young, beautiful and healthy. Since eggplant is a dietary product, you can lose up to 5 kilograms by eating it.