With a good freezer, you can preserve the flavor, aroma, shape and benefits of strawberries for a long time. To do this, you also need to choose the berries correctly. Frozen strawberries can be used for making baked goods, compotes, jelly, cocktails. She's good in and of herself.
Frozen strawberries: how to choose berries
To freeze strawberries, it is important to choose the right berries. Otherwise, when defrosting, you will get a cloudy jelly with an unattractive taste and color, and not intact beautiful and tasty berries. You should not choose overripe strawberries for freezing. It should be moderately ripe, firm and firm, not dry and watery.
To harvest strawberries for the winter, you should pick berries in hot and always dry weather. It is desirable that there is no precipitation for a couple of days before harvesting, then the berries will be more tasty. It is better to give preference to small strawberries - they freeze well.
Frozen strawberries: preparing berries
There is an opinion that strawberries do not need to be washed before freezing. Proponents of this idea believe that washed strawberries lose their taste. If you are sure of the purity of the berries, you can freeze them unwashed. This can be done with homemade berries. However, many doctors believe that washing strawberries is basic hygiene. It is only important to do this as quickly as possible so that the berries are not saturated with water.
Rinse the strawberries in small portions, but do not spare the water. It must be absolutely cool. Wash the berries gently so as not to damage their delicate skin.
It is advisable to place the washed strawberries in a plastic sieve. In it, water will drain faster from the berries. Do not place the berries in metal dishes: if they come into contact with them, the strawberries can change color - they darken slightly.
Let the water drain and carefully remove the stalks. If you plan to freeze whole berries, do not remove them. Without them, the strawberries will immediately release their juice and lose their shape.
Arrange the berries in one layer on a paper napkin so that they do not touch each other. In this position, they should spend at least an hour. During this time, the berries will dry well.
Freezing berries: preparing dishes
It is best to freeze strawberries in plastic containers: ice cream trays, disposable containers, you can even use plastic bottles. The latter should be cut off beforehand.
Strawberries do not tolerate repeated freezing, so it is better to immediately divide them into small portions, which you can definitely master at one time. Freezer utensils must be well washed and dried.
It is permissible to use plastic bags, however, cellophane becomes very fragile in the cold and can break during storage.
Freezing whole strawberries
Place a plastic bag over a cutting board or short plate. Place the washed and dried berries in one layer over the entire surface. Place them in the freezer and leave for 24 hours to set the strawberries.
Take the berries out of the freezer, remove them together with the bag so that the strawberries are inside. Place the packages of berries in the freezer, now for long-term storage. This method is good because the berries in such portioned bags do not stick together and do not spoil their shape.
How to freeze sugar-filled strawberries
Berries with sugar will give a little juice during the freezing process, but after defrosting they will remain the same as before being placed in the freezer - bright and fresh.
Take about 300 g of sugar for 1 kg of strawberries. It is advisable to turn it into powder using a coffee grinder or blender. Place the prepared berries in a plastic bowl and sprinkle each layer with powdered sugar. Refrigerate strawberries for 2-3 hours. The berries should give juice. After that, transfer them along with undissolved sugar to a container and fill with juice.
