Freezing carrots for winter at home: the best recipes

Freezing vegetables has many advantages. This is an opportunity to save in the winter, and the preservation of vitamins (after all, everyone knows that in winter vegetables sold in supermarkets differ from summer ones in vitamin composition). Yes, and access to stocks will be permanent.

About whether it is possible to freeze carrots, and whether its useful properties are not lost after a defrosting, we will tell further.

Advantages of freezing

Carrots can be stored in a cellar, basement or other cool place. Under certain conditions, the vegetable can be stored until spring. However, if the temperature is too low or high, the carrot is stained, moldy, dries out or freezes. It is especially difficult for those who keep carrots in the apartment. After all, not everyone has a basement or a balcony equipped for it. That is why the ideal solution in this situation is frozen carrots, the benefits of which persist for a long time.

Moreover, it is not necessary to have a separate freezer, because all modern refrigerators are equipped with spacious freezers. Therefore, this type of procurement does not require any additional costs or extra effort.

For all housewives, this method of preparation has another big plus: you do not need to spend a lot of time. When cooking, just take out the bag and add the necessary amount of carrots to the dish.

Selection and preparation of carrots

Before you freeze the carrots in the freezer, you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of products and choose only high-quality material. It is better if it will be vegetables from your garden.

So, the roots are selected young, juicy, whole, not rotten.

To choose carrots need medium size. Small copies are better to be postponed - they lose their flavor when frozen.

Before harvesting, vegetables are well cleaned of dirt, washed, thinly cut the top layer, cut off the tips and spread on a towel so that they dry well.

Suitable packaging

While the vegetables are drying up, you can choose the container for freezing.

These may be:

• small plastic trays (containers);
• single cups;
• special, provided for the storage of frozen products, packages;
• ice or baking tins (for mashed potatoes or grated carrots);
• plastic bags with a buckle.

Ordinary plastic bags can be used, but they must be strong and necessarily new. When using a plastic container, remember that you need to leave 1-1.25 cm of empty space before the lid, as the vegetables expand when freezing and they need free space.

Ways to freeze

Before you freeze the carrots for the winter in the refrigerator (it does not matter whether you will keep them in bags or in containers), think about its purpose after defrosting. The form of cutting and the degree of processing depend on this.

Sliced

For many dishes it is better to use carrots in a cut form, cutting it into circles, thin strips or small cubes (about 6 mm).

Raw

Chopped carrots convenient for you are dried and laid out in bags or containers in single-use portions. In this case it is necessary to ensure that the air in the container remains as small as possible.

To make it easier to navigate, you can stick stickers on the container with the date of packaging and appointment (for soup, roast, etc.), and put them in the freezer.

You can freeze the carrot in two approaches:

1. Chopped vegetables are laid out on a shelf or a tray and put in a freezer for 1-2 hours.
2. Frozen pieces are packed in containers, expel air from them, tightly closed and hidden in the freezer.

Pre blanching

Since the carrot requires long boiling or stewing, it is advisable to blanch it for a few minutes before freezing. Then - pour over cold water. This will improve the taste and reduce the cooking time in the future.

For this type of billet you will need a large pan, a container with water and ice.

The ice water should be ready before starting blanching.

Blanching is done in the following way:

1. A large pot is filled with 2/3 of the water and put on the fire.
2. After the water begins to boil, it is filled with prepared sliced ​​(or whole) carrots.
3. After 2 minutes, take out the vegetables and quickly shift into ice water.
4. The same time (2 minutes) allows the carrot to "cool" to quickly stop the cooking process.
5. Carrots are transferred to a colander or strainer to drain the water. You can catch the vegetables from the water with a skimmer and spread them out on a paper towel.
6. After the carrot has dried, it is laid out in a thin layer on a tray. At the same time it is necessary to ensure that the parts do not touch.
7. Place the tray in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

Grated

Most often, raw carrots are frozen, after having rubbed it on a grater. There is no special technology for this: the vegetable chopped in this way is laid out in portions and put in the freezer.

It is better to freeze the grated carrot in baking tins. After the carrot freezes, it is simply put in a bag.

Mashed potatoes

Mommies who do not know how to freeze carrots for the winter for a child can use this recipe.

Carrots are boiled in unsalted water for 20-30 minutes, crushed with a blender, packaged in sachets and placed in the freezer. Such frozen mashed potatoes can be successfully used in the form of baby food.

How much can you store

How long frozen carrots can retain their quality depends on the packaging and equipment in which it is stored. The best option, of course, is an insulated freezer with the function of deep freezing.Such a refrigerator is able to guarantee the freshness and value of vegetables. throughout the year.

If you store the carrots in a regular freezer and do not “bother” with the container, then you can store it 7-9 months.

It should also be remembered that the container should be tightly closed so that the carrot does not absorb excess odors.

How to defrost

Defrosting boiled or grated carrots does not require - just take a bag from the freezer and throw the vegetable into the dish at the end of cooking.

But in order not to lose the useful qualities of the vegetable, you need to defrost it competently. Before using, the frozen carrot is transferred to the refrigerator for several hours, so that it gradually thaws out. And only then it is taken out and left at room temperature.

Carrot puree before use, simply heated or put, without thawing, in a paste of other vegetables and heated in a double boiler or microwave.

Frozen carrots are slightly different in their benefits from freshly harvested ones. And dishes from such a vegetable are just as appetizing. Moreover, no one will feel the differences, and hostesses will significantly save time in preparing lunch or dinner. After all, all that is required of them - get a bag from the freezer.