It is no secret that in summer berries, fruits, mushrooms and vegetables are much cheaper than in the cold season. In winter, buying these products can hit your wallet hard. What are the options for getting out of this situation? For example, you can properly freeze foods to preserve vitamins and benefits.
Freezing benefits
Any food can be stored for a long time - berries, fruits, mushrooms, vegetables. And to be more precise, nothing terrible will happen to them in frozen form within a year. Minerals and vitamins will be preserved.
There is no sugar, preservatives and salt in frozen berries, fruits, vegetables, which cannot be said about canned preparations.
Freezing preparation
Before freezing, food must be thoroughly rinsed with water. Pay special attention to root vegetables and forest mushrooms.
Dry the workpieces well before freezing. You can use paper napkins or towels for these purposes. The drier the frozen food is, the better the freezing will be.
If you freeze fresh herbs for hot dishes and soups, then do it in portions, finely chopped.
Products can be boiled, you can not do this - as you like best. In general, products can be subject to some light heat treatment. Just remember to cool them down to room temperature before freezing.
What is better to freeze
A universal option today is a plastic bag. This is especially convenient for those whose freezers are not too large in volume. In bags, you can store all sorts of cuts, vegetable mixes, solid foods.
Plastic containers can be used to freeze soft vegetables, mushrooms, berries and fruits. If the product is easily deformed, choose containers for storage.
Use plastic bottles to freeze broths and purees. Try mashed gooseberries, currants, wild strawberries, and strawberries. You can add honey or sugar to taste if desired. Pour the puree into the bottle, screw the lid back on and place in the freezer. When you decide to use the product, take it out and keep it at room temperature for 20 minutes. Can be added to natural yogurt, cereals, muesli, mashed potatoes.
Glass and metal are not suitable for long-term storage. Unlike plastic, they react too much to temperature changes.
