In order for vegetables to remain healthy and nutritious for a long time, it is important to preserve them correctly. If you freeze the eggplants fresh for the winter, you will have at hand a product rich in pectin, fiber, vitamins and minerals. These vegetables need a little preliminary preparation before placing in the freezer, otherwise they may lose their delicate structure and taste by the New Year.
Preparation of raw materials
To properly freeze eggplants, be sure to carefully select the raw materials. These should be ripe, dark purple specimens, with no signs of spoilage, with a dried stalk. Vegetable skins should be smooth and shiny. All fruits must be thoroughly washed in running water.
Consider in advance what you are going to cook in the future with frozen eggplant. Perhaps it will be vegetable caviar, puree soup or stew for a side dish. Depending on this, cut the fruit into cubes, circles, sticks, etc. 5-6 mm thick. Try to make all the pieces the same size.
Remove excess liquid from the chopped vegetables to remove the bitterness. To do this, sprinkle the vegetable slices with coarse salt, stir and stand for 1-2 hours in the room. Allow excess moisture to drain, rinse the eggplants and squeeze gently without deforming.
Blanching
Fresh eggplants should be blanched before freezing. To do this, put the vegetables in a colander, release them for 2-4 minutes in boiling water, then immediately into very cold water and discard them on a napkin to dry.
Eggplant can be blanched during the same time in a double boiler. As an option - a microwave oven, only you need to put vegetables in it in a special dish for a microwave oven, add a small amount of water and close the lid. After a quick blanching, the fruits must dry out!
How to freeze eggplant
Place vegetables in a single layer on cutting boards so that the wedges do not touch each other, and wrap them hermetically in bags. You will be able to quickly freeze eggplants for the winter fresh in the freezer at a temperature of -18 ° C in about 4 hours, plus or minus an hour, depending on the thickness of the pieces.
How to store eggplants in the freezer
Immediately after freezing, transfer the vegetables to special bags or trays for further storage. Make sure the containers are sealed - this vegetable absorbs odors very strongly!
The optimum temperature for storing frozen eggplants is not less than -12 ° C. According to experts, these purple vegetables do not lose their beneficial properties in the freezer for 5 months.
