Freezing is one of the ways to preserve food for future use. It is very simple and effective. Fast freezing of food and storing them at a low temperature allows you to almost completely preserve vitamins. And this is very important, especially in the Russian climatic conditions, with long and harsh winters.
What are the benefits of frozen vegetables
Thanks to freezing, you can eat vegetables all year round, which are almost as good as fresh products from the garden in terms of their taste and useful qualities. Why are there sometimes claims that frozen vegetables are harmful?
As a rule, vegetables intended for freezing and subsequent storage are processed within just a few hours after harvest. In such a short time, the content of vitamins and microelements in them does not have time to decrease. And in fresh vegetables, which have come a long way from the collection point to the store counter, the loss of vitamins and trace elements can be very large. Laboratory studies confirm that frozen vegetables, especially cauliflower, broccoli, green peas, green beans, carrots and corn, are much higher than imported fresh vegetables. The difference is especially great in winter, when a lot of non-seasonal vegetables from more southern countries: Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Spain, Italy, etc. enter the Russian market.
Frozen vegetables not only serve as a source of vitamins, they also improve appetite and digestion. They are boiled, fried, stewed. Such vegetables can be used as an independent dish, and used as a side dish for meat, fish, poultry. Frozen vegetables are also very good as an additive to mushrooms, especially since mushrooms grown on an artificial substrate are available all year round. The most popular among Russians are frozen vegetables such as green beans, various cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), as well as vegetable mixes (for example, "Mexican", "Hawaiian").
For freezing, you can use a plastic bag, container with a lid. But metal and glass will not work. You can store sliced vegetables in bags and whole vegetables in containers.
Can frozen vegetables be harmful to your health?
In order for the body to only benefit from frozen vegetables, you need to follow only two simple rules. First, these foods should only be stored in the freezer at low temperatures. Secondly, if frozen vegetables removed from the freezer are thawed, they must be cooked immediately. Do not re-freeze them, then they can deteriorate and cause food poisoning.
