Broccoli is known as a wholesome andnutritional product, using which you can prepare a lot of healthy and tasty dishes. If you are interested in information on how to freeze broccoli for the winter, you are on the right track, since such processing preserves valuable vitamins and minerals with almost no loss.
Useful properties of broccoli
Anyone who has ever tried to follow a dietI heard about this vegetable. The caloric value of 100 g of the product is only 32 kcal, and the body has to spend more calories to process it. It turns out that broccoli helps with weight loss, when you want to get rid of extra pounds. In addition, cabbage has a lot of fiber, which helps to eliminate toxins, relieves constipation and perfectly cleanses the intestines. The rich composition of trace elements and vitamins helps with various diseases.
- Chromium regulates insulin production, which is indispensable for diabetics.
- Phytoncides increase the protective properties of body cells in the fight against cancer.
- Calcium, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus - an excellent mineral "set" for those who want to strengthen the bones or have a tendency to osteoporosis.
- Complex folic acid and iron - preventionthe occurrence of anemia. This property of cabbage is very valuable for pregnant women. If you are thinking about having a baby, find out how to freeze broccoli for the winter. This information is useful to those who care about the nutrition of their families.
- Vitamins K, A and E, fatty acids (Omega-3), as well as antioxidants help to improve metabolism, inhibit the process of skin aging, and have a beneficial effect on the hair.
Freezing Secrets
To spend a minimum of effort and at the same time get a tasty and healthy billet is the dream of any hostess. High-quality freezing of vegetables for the winter involves the implementation of simple rules. As a result, you can eat tasty and varied almost until the next harvest.
- Choose only dense, not damaged by insects vegetables. If you want to know how to freeze broccoli cabbage, choose a product with tidy buds.
- Keep the vegetable deposited daily.shopping (or harvesting). Even the fetus is torn process of nutrition, but at the expense of those vitamins and minerals that are in it. If you postpone freezing for a few days, the broccoli will wither.
- Tight packing and sealing are important conditions for the preservation of natural moisture in fruits and vegetables. Excess air from the bags should be removed.
- Spoon the food into small portions. It is very convenient for cooking. In addition, the faster the broccoli cabbage freezes, the better it will be stored.
Broccoli preparation
Vegetables need to be washed.At the same time immediately reject damaged or underdeveloped inflorescences - they will not be needed. Broccoli cabbage is a tender vegetable, so before re-washing it is advised to stand in saline solution (a couple of tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water) for half an hour.
Clean cabbages are dried on a towel.The bottom line is that the freezing of vegetables for the winter occurs at a temperature of -18 ° C. Excess moisture will also turn into ice. If there is a lot of water, the vegetables will be frozen in a solid lump. Divide the cabbage into florets, separate the stalks, which can also be finely chopped and frozen.
Heat treatment
Blanching is an obligatory stage.At the same time, oxidation enzymes are destroyed, which subsequently may cause an unpleasant taste and odor. It is believed that before freezing broccoli, you can do without pre-treatment with hot water. But in this case, the inflorescences turn into dust (very often) and the thawed product can be disposed of. Citric acid is added to preserve the white color and delicate texture. Enough 1 teaspoon to 2 liters of water.
Put prepared pieces of vegetables in a saucepan with boiling water. After exactly 4 minutes, the cabbage is poured into a colander, washed under a tap.
Cooling in ice water
Prepare the ice cubes in advance, since the water,In which they spread hot vegetables, quickly heats up. This stage is necessary in order to stop the process of heat treatment immediately after blanching. Cooling occurs 4-5 minutes. All the time, check the water temperature and report ice as needed. Often hostesses who are interested in how to freeze broccoli for the winter, ignore this procedure. And absolutely nothing. The longer the cabbage remains warm, the more chances it has to turn into porridge.
Freezing
Having learned как правильно заморозить брокколи, предварительно prepare dishes or bags for storage. Use plastic containers with resealable lids as containers. Small cellophane bags are also suitable, which put one into the other (that is, in 2 layers).
Broccoli cabbage can be frozen on a plate,laid out in one row. But immediately after the temperature is lowered to the desired level, the inflorescences are transferred into containers or prepared sachets, hermetically sealed and returned to the freezer. At each stage, work needs to be done as quickly as possible.
Storage
The process of deep freezing is carried out attemperature is -18 ° C. This is the optimal storage conditions for vegetables in the freezer. For the next 12 months after the bookmark, you can diversify the menu with delicious and healthy dishes. However, vegetables can be stored at a higher temperature, from 0 ° C to -8 ° C. True, the stocks must be used within 3 months.
During storage, the refrigerator will need to be thawed several times. If you know how to freeze broccoli for the winter, take into account all the details, you realize thatre-freeze vegetables can not. Before washing the refrigerator and removing the ice that has accumulated, take out the vegetables and put them in a warm blanket. This will allow as long as possible to keep the temperature low and keep broccoli. After cleaning the refrigerator, the vegetables are returned to the freezer.
