How to freeze bell peppers for the winter: making healthy preparations for delicious dishes
The idea of the frozen food trade originated in America in the early 20th century, and it wasn't until the 1950s, with the advent of refrigerators in most households, that frozen food became commonplace. Now, in addition to salting and pickling vegetables, every housewife can preserve any vegetables.
In this article we will tell you in detail how to freeze bell peppers for the winter.
What benefits will we get from freezing fresh peppers?
Bell pepper contains a large amount of vitamins C, B, PP and A, which increase immunity, strengthen capillary walls, and neutralize free radicals in the body.
When properly frozen, all the beneficial properties of the fruit are preserved. In autumn, vegetables are much cheaper than in winter, and you can be sure of their excellent quality.
Preparation
For freezing, you will need plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid, zip bags or regular plastic bags. To prevent vegetables from smelling like food stored in the freezer, it is better to place them in several plastic bags and tie them tightly.
For freezing, take fresh large fruits without damage. Vegetables with thick walls freeze better. Each fruit is thoroughly washed, the stalk, seeds and partitions are removed. Then the vegetables should be thoroughly dried, preferably laid out on a clean towel. After this, the peppers are frozen whole or cut (depending on the recipe).
Freezing methods
How to freeze bell peppers for the winter depends on the recipe for the dish in which it will be used.
Freezing whole bell peppers
When the fruits are prepared and dried, place a cloth napkin or a special plastic tray on the bottom of the freezer. The peppers are placed one on top of the other in the shape of a pyramid, covered with a cloth and left for two days.
After freezing, vegetables are placed in thick plastic bags or special containers for freezing.
Cubes or strips
Vegetables prepared for freezing are cut lengthwise into two parts. Each slice is cut crosswise into strips, and the strips into cubes. Place the chopped vegetables in freezer bags and place them in the freezer for two hours.
After this, the bags are shaken so that the pieces do not freeze into a lump, but are preserved in bulk, and are again placed in the freezer for storage.
Freezing baked sweet peppers
Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil, place washed, peeled and halved peppers on it and bake in the oven at a temperature of 180-200°C for 35-40 minutes.
After this, put it in a saucepan, close the lid tightly and leave for 15 minutes. Then peel the peppers, cut them into pieces and place them in a container to freeze. The workpiece is stored in the freezer.
How to freeze peppers stuffed with meat, rice, vegetables
Before freezing, blanch cooked vegetables in boiling water for about 1 minute. After this, they will become softer, which will allow them to be filled more densely with minced meat.
Minced meat is chosen to taste:
- Chopped onions, garlic, carrots and spices are added to the minced meat.
- For peppers with rice, the rice is first boiled in salted water and mixed with vegetables and spices.
- For a completely vegetable dish, chopped onions, carrots, and cabbage are fried with spices in vegetable oil. The peppers are stuffed with the prepared minced meat and frozen in the freezer on a napkin overnight.
After this, the stuffed vegetables are transferred to freezer bags and placed in the freezer for storage.
Freeze with dill and parsley
For 2 kg of pepper you will need 150-200 g of dill and parsley.
Preparation:
- Rinse the greens, soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes and dry with a towel.
- Wash the peppers, remove the seeds and stem, cut into strips or cubes. Chop the greens.
- Place a thin layer of pepper on one diarrhea, and greens on the other. Place the trays in the freezer for a day.
- Mix vegetables and herbs evenly, place in bags and store in the freezer.
Recipe for freezing bell pepper lecho
For this recipe you will need 2-3 yellow, red and green peppers and 3 large tomatoes.
Preparation:
- Wash vegetables and dry. Remove seeds and stems from peppers. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water and peel them.
- Cut the vegetables into strips, mix gently so that the tomatoes do not release juice, and place the mixture in bags or containers for freezing.
- Close or tie the freezer container tightly and place it in the freezer.
- After a few hours, shake the container and leave it in the freezer for further freezing and storage.
Assorted for stew
To freeze this recipe, use peppers of different colors.
Preparation:
- Vegetables are cut into strips lengthwise or crosswise.
- Cover the cutting board with cellophane, place chopped vegetables on it in a thin layer and put it in the freezer.
- After a few hours, the pepper is poured into a plastic bag or container, tightly closed or tied and placed in the freezer for further storage.
It is not necessary to defrost vegetables before cooking the stew.
Temperature for freezing peppers and shelf life
Freezing at a temperature of -18...-20 degrees preserves the beneficial properties of peppers, their color and taste.
If all freezing rules are followed, vegetables can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months.
In what dishes can it be used?
Frozen vegetables are used in the same way as fresh ones: pizza, vegetable stew, stewed peppers with onions and carrots as a side dish for meat, meat baked with vegetables, casseroles, omelettes. Add to soups 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
There is no need to defrost vegetables first.
Can it be re-frozen?
It is undesirable to re-freeze any vegetables - they lose their beneficial qualities and taste. When cleaning the refrigerator, vegetables are taken out of the freezer for no more than an hour.
It’s better, of course, to transfer them to another refrigerator or take them out to the balcony. But if this happens in the summer, and there is no other refrigerator, all the products from the freezer are placed in one large container, for example, a basin, and covered with a cloth. This will defrost the food more slowly.
Read also:
How to prepare pickled tsitsak peppers for the winter.
How to cook Ratunda pepper with honey for the winter.
What's good about the Winnie the Pooh pepper: let's get to know the variety.
Conclusion
In order to fill your menu with vitamins as much as possible in winter, it is better to freeze peppers in different versions: whole, pieces, strips and cubes, as well as stuff with various fillings to your liking.
Before cooking, vegetables are not defrosted, but immediately added to the dish.To prevent the pepper from absorbing the odors of other foods in the freezer, it must be carefully packed in bags or containers for freezing.