How to properly freeze carrots for the winter in the freezer: rules and methods of freezing

Carrots traditionally store in a cool place: in cellar, basement, on the balcony. If a number of conditions are met, the vegetable can last until spring. An alternative to storing in a cool place is the freezer.

We'll tell you how to freeze carrots for the winter in the freezer, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this method of storing vegetables, and where to use thawed carrots.

Is it worth freezing carrots?

Vegetables stored in a cool place lose their beneficial properties over time, while frozen foods retain the benefits of vitamins and minerals for up to a year.

This factor is of great importance when deciding on long-term storing carrots, rich in carotenoids (α-, β-, γ-carotenes, phytofluene, phytoene, etc.), vitamins (B1, B2, B6, C, K) and other valuable nutrients.

The chemical composition of carrots per 100 g of product is presented in the table.

Pros and cons of freezing

Can carrots be frozen? In terms of benefits, freezing stands between canning and fresh storage, although the benefits of fresh carrots are maximum during their ripening season; when stored in winter, root vegetables inevitably lose some of their vitamins.

Frozen carrots are not consumed in summer and autumn, but in winter, frozen vegetables are useful: if carrots are stored without disturbance, they retain up to 90% of vitamins and up to 100% of microelements.

Interesting! One of the important properties of carrots is the presence in the vegetable of a yellow-orange pigment, or beta-carotene, which, after entering the blood, is synthesized into vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on eye health and prevents early loss of vision. A 15 cm long raw carrot provides a person with 0.018 mg of vitamin A.

Carrots in the freezer completely retain their taste, color and aroma; they are easy to defrost and quick to cook.

The downside of freezing is the strict rules for storage and consumption: the product must be frozen and thawed once, the defrosting procedure must be carried out immediately before cooking. Thawed carrots cannot be stored in the refrigerator.

Where to use frozen carrots

After defrosting, it is better not to eat the orange root vegetable raw. The ideal method of use is inclusion in salads, soups, borscht, meat and vegetable dishes, the recipe of which involves heat treatment of vegetables.

Carrots that have been stored frozen can be boiled, fried, baked and stewed.The vegetable will fully impart color, aroma and benefits to the dish.

Selection and preparation

Preparation for freezing includes the selection and processing of root vegetables, as well as the selection of suitable containers.

Carrots

Only fresh young ones are chosen for freezing. rootswithout damage or discoloration. Overripe vegetables are not suitable for storing in the freezer; they have almost no benefit. Root vegetables that are too small are also not suitable - when frozen they lose their taste. Choose a medium-sized carrot.

Before harvesting for the winter, carrots are washed, peeled from the top layer and the ends are cut off. Place the processed vegetables on a paper towel to dry. If you freeze wet carrots, ice will form on them.

Tara

Suitable containers for freezing carrots are small plastic containers, disposable cups, plastic bags for storing frozen foods, ice or baking trays (they store mashed potatoes or grated carrots), and plastic bags with a zipper.

For freezing, ordinary plastic bags are also used, if they are thick enough.

How to freeze

Before you start freezing, it is recommended to decide how the thawed root vegetable will be used. The cutting method and the degree of processing of the vegetable depend on this.

Whole

Washed and peeled root vegetables are dipped in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and immediately cooled in cold water. Then they are dried and placed in prepared containers.

Chopped

It is convenient to freeze carrots in slices - circles, strips or cubes up to 6 mm. The vegetables are dried and placed in a labeled container (with the date of freezing), which is sent to the freezer.

To prevent the pieces from sticking together, the chopped carrots are first scattered on a tray and left in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then they are transferred to a container and put back in the freezer.

Interesting! Afghanistan is considered the birthplace of carrots. It was here that she was first discovered. Back then it grew in the wild and was purple and white and yellow. Orange carrots came to Russia from the Netherlands, where they were grown for the royal family. Regular consumption of orange vegetables can change the color of a person’s skin to yellow. This property is used by zoologists to preserve the color of the plumage of brightly colored birds. In addition, carrots are added to the diet of cat breeds that have red hair.

An example of storing chopped root vegetables is in the photo.

Blanched

Is it possible to freeze boiled carrots to avoid long cooking or stewing after defrosting? Yes, to do this, the root vegetable is blanched for a few minutes before freezing to improve the taste and reduce its cooking time in the future. Then douse with cold water.

Blanching algorithm:

1. Place a saucepan filled 2/3 with water on the fire.
2. Sliced ​​or whole vegetables are immersed in boiling water.
3. After 2 minutes, the carrots are quickly transferred to ice water. Let the root vegetables cool for another 2 minutes.
4. Place the vegetables in a colander to drain the water.
5. The dried carrots are laid out in a thin layer on a board and placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
6. Frozen vegetables are placed in containers and put back into the freezer.

Grated

Usually raw carrots are frozen by grating them. The technology of this process is simple: the vegetable is grated and placed in baking molds, after 1-2 hours, when it is completely frozen, it is transferred from the molds into bags or plastic containers.

This produces convenient portions of grated root vegetables that can be used for roasting and complex recipes. For example, the Korean pickling recipe does not exclude the use grated defrosted carrots.

Puree

Young parents and lovers of fresh carrot puree freeze the vegetable in the form of ready-made carrot pulp. To do this, boil the root vegetable in unsalted water for 20-30 minutes, and then puree it with a blender to the desired consistency. A meat grinder is also suitable for grinding carrots into puree. Future complementary foods for the baby are placed in a sterile container and sent to the freezer.

Shelf life

How long frozen orange root vegetables will retain their quality depends on the container and freezer. It is best to store carrots in an insulated freezer with a deep freeze function. This chamber guarantees the freshness of vegetables throughout the whole year. In a regular freezer, carrots can be store 7-9 months. It is recommended to keep it in a closed container to protect it from foreign odors.

Interesting! The California town of Holtville hosts a week-long Carrot Festival every February. During the week, participants choose a "carrot queen", hold a carrot parade, cook the best dishes using the orange root vegetable, and also participate in sports competitions using carrots as equipment.

The ideal storage temperature for frozen carrots is -18...-23°C. At this temperature, bacteria and pests die and natural wilting slows down.

How to defrost carrots correctly

To properly defrost carrots, the container with the vegetable is transferred to the main chamber of the refrigerator, where it slowly moves from frozen to fresh.It’s easy to check the condition of carrots - you can pierce the thawed vegetable with a fork.

It is not recommended to place frozen carrots directly into boiling water or boiling oil in a frying pan. If you need to speed up the defrosting process, it is better to use cold water, placing a container with root vegetables in it, or a microwave oven with a defrosting function.

Reviews

We invite you to read the reviews of those who have tried freezing carrots instead of storing them fresh.

Tatiana, Millerovo: «We have a private house; in the yard there is a small dugout in which vegetables and cappings are stored. I inherited this dugout, and it does its job well, but one day my daughter-in-law advised me to store the carrots in the freezer - not whole, but grated and placed in small molds. Freezing occurs quickly, and in winter you just need to take out a portion, defrost it and add it to the roast. It’s very convenient, this is the third year I’ve been preparing carrots this way, although, of course, I still store some of them in the dugout.”

Victor Valentinovich, Krasnodar: “They brought me a box of homemade carrots from Kushchevka, and I needed to store them somehow. I have a small balcony in my apartment, there is simply nowhere to put it, and the carrots will freeze in winter. My wife chopped all the carrots and put them in small bags that are stored in the freezer! You can get, for example, one piece, or you can get the whole bag, it contains about 500 g. In winter, I won’t buy carrots from the garden at the market in Krasnodar, but now I have them at hand in the freezer. By the way, I also store beets.”

Inna, Irkutsk: “In winter, I’ll start feeding my 8-month-old daughter vegetable puree, so I immediately prepared puree from my grandmother’s carrots - boiled it and ground it in a blender.It’s easy to make puree at home. No salt, pesticides or expensive jars. I put everything into silicone muffin tins and froze. Then I just put the ice-cold puree into one big bag.”

Conclusion

Freezing carrots is a way to preserve fresh vegetables for a long time. When choosing root vegetables for freezing, pay special attention to their ripeness, size and color. Root vegetables that are too small or overripe should not be frozen.

It is better not to freeze the orange vegetable whole (as it takes up too much space); it is convenient to save the carrots in slices. Blanching before freezing significantly reduces the subsequent cooking time of the vegetable. Carrots can also be prepared grated or pureed.