In what form and how to properly freeze green beans at home

With the onset of cold weather, everyone wants to diversify their diet. But after bright summer dishes, the winter table does not seem so attractive. A unique method of food preservation - freezing - will help solve this problem.

Having prepared in this way asparagus or capsicum, beans, you will provide yourself with tasty, healthy and colorful dishes for the entire winter period. However, without understanding the methods and nuances of freezing green beans, you can waste your time and money. Our tips will help you avoid spoiling the product, freeze it and prepare it correctly.

How to prepare green beans for freezing

Green beans are a type of green bean. It has this name only due to its resemblance to asparagus shoots.

Preparing beans for freezing must begin by selecting suitable pods. Beans should be selected young, so-called milk beans, which have not yet had time to outgrow. Sort through all the legume pods so that no spoiled ones get into the preparation. This will allow you to get a high-quality frozen product.

Beans are frozen in two ways: whole or cut, depending on how you plan to use them. Cut ones are convenient to store (it takes up less space) and used in cooking dishes, since there is no need to defrost and cut it.

Be sure to wash the legumes you are preparing to freeze several times under running water. The process of washing the pods cannot be skipped, even if the product is grown in a home garden and not purchased at the market. A lot of microbes collect on the surface of the beans, which do not die when frozen at home. They can only be destroyed using “shock freezing” in special equipment.

After thorough washing, the pods should be dried and the tails cut off on both sides. Untrimmed tails will give the freezing an unpleasant aftertaste. This completes the process of preparing the product for freezing. Next, you need to decide on the freezing method.

Reference. When frozen, asparagus beans retain up to 90% of vitamins and minerals.

Freezing methods

Let's look at several options for how to properly freeze green beans for the winter at home. The simplest and fastest method is to freeze the beans raw.

Raw

First, you need to decide on the container in which you will freeze the product.

Small regular packaging bags, ziplock freezer bags, or plastic containers will work.

To freeze raw legumes, you need:

1. Cut the prepared product into pieces 3-4 cm in size.
2. Divide into small portions.
3. Place in a container for freezing and place the product in the freezer.

The preparation is ready for storage and further use.

Boiled

Freezing boiled beans is another convenient way. Using this method, the frozen product is ready to eat without pre-processing.

Preparation:

1. Cut the prepared pods into slices 3-4 cm in size.
2. Place in boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Drain the water and leave the cooked product to cool.
4. Place the slightly cooled pods on a paper or cotton kitchen towel and dry.
5. Place the finished product in prepared containers or bags and place in the freezer.

This preparation does not need to be defrosted when preparing dishes: it can be put in a hot salad or added to soup at the very end.

Blanched

This method is very similar to freezing cooked beans, but blanching retains more of the beneficial vitamins and minerals. The color of the product remains the same as when fresh.

Preparation:

1. Place the prepared pods into boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes.
2. Drain the contents of the pan into a colander and pour into a pan of cold water.
3. To preserve color and vitamins better, add ice to cold water.
4. After a minute, remove the workpiece from the ice and dry it on a cotton towel.
5. Place the dried pods in a freezer container and place in the freezer.

Attention! Freeze green beans at -18-20°C.

Storage conditions and periods

The frozen product should be stored in the freezer. In this form, it is stored until the next season, that is, 10-12 months, without losing its beneficial qualities.

To preserve the vitamins and minerals contained in frozen legumes, they should not be re-frozen. To prevent this, freeze the pods in small portions, enough to prepare 2-3 dishes, no more.

How to defrost correctly

You should not defrost green bean preparations: they will lose their attractive appearance and partly their taste. If you freeze cooked food, add it to soup, sauté, or other dish just before finishing cooking.

If freezing using the “raw” method, add the beans to the dish with the remaining raw vegetables. For frozen salads prepared in this way, the pods must first be boiled.

How to properly cook frozen green beans

So, harvesting green beans for the winter was a success, what can you make from it?

The easiest and fastest way to cook frozen pods is boiling. In this form, the dish can be served as a side dish.

How and how much to cook

Frozen products should be cooked without first defrosting. Boil water, salt it and pour the required amount of beans into boiling water. If it will be the main dish, cook for 5-6 minutes, then drain and serve.

If you plan to prepare another dish from the pods, for example, fried beans in oil, you need to cook less, about 3-4 minutes.

In a frying pan

The dish will have a more piquant taste if frozen green beans, boiled until al dente, are fried. To do this, place the chopped garlic. When it gives off its taste and aroma to the oil, remove it from the frying pan and place the cooked frozen mixture into it. Fry until done and serve as a separate dish or as an addition to salad, grilled vegetables or fried meat and fish.

Tips and tricks

When purchasing or harvesting green beans from the garden, be sure to check the pods for freshness. For eating and preparing the product for freezing, use only young pods. Checking the degree of ripening of asparagus beans is simple: press your fingernail on the pod - a juicy and bright dent should remain on it.

Freezing it for the winter green beans, add other vegetables to it for variety. For example, if you freeze carrots with legume pods, Bell pepper, corn and green pea, you get a ready-made mix for salads and stews.

When preparing green beans for freezing, be sure to ensure that the water-treated pods are thoroughly dry. If you take half-dried pods, they will freeze in one piece, which will be difficult to separate for use in dishes.

Conclusion

Using the described methods for freezing green beans, you can save them until the next season. Remember that this type of legume cannot be stored for a long time. Cut beans remain fresh and healthy for several hours, after which they begin to wither and lose their properties. You can keep the product in the refrigerator for just a day. Therefore, freezing is the fastest and most convenient method of preserving green beans at home.