Brussels sprouts, in addition to excellent taste, has also such qualities as utility and decorativethat is actively used when decorating dishes.
To use this vegetable for winter period, its processing is necessary. Can I freeze Brussels sprouts for the winter?
The freezing of this vegetable product can be attributed to most preferred methods of storage for the winter. The main thing is to comply with the technology of freezing and subsequent storage.
Do not freeze twice Brussels sprouts - if it has been defrosted, then you need to start it as one of the ingredients for cooking.
This vegetable is used in soups, salads, as an independent dish, as well as in vegetable stews.
Freezing is one of the ways to store cabbage at home, and how to store cabbage in a cellar or basement can be found on our website.
Good or bad?
Frozen brussels sprouts: good or bad? Frozen vegetables possess all the properties of fresh vegetables, although they lose during storage some amount of useful substances. This fully applies to Brussels sprouts, which is one of the varieties of ordinary cabbage.
It was bred by the breeders from the usual kale, and got its distribution, thanks to an unusual appearance, as well as good taste properties.
Like white cabbage, Brussels sprouts are quite useful a vegetable.
Besides, she has very low calorie, and is considered a product that must be included in your diet by people who want to lose their weight.
It is also useful for women who are carrying a child - it reduces the risk of the fetus birth defects - such as cleft palate and spina bifida.
Proved the benefits of Brussels sprouts in the following cases:
- helps to reduce the level cholesterol;
- improves eyesight, prevents damage to the retina due to the presence of zeaxanthin, lutein and vitamin A in large quantities;
- beta-carotene and vitamin C present in the coaches effectively fight the risk of respiratory diseaseswhich is especially important in the winter;
- has an impact to work the brain, is a means of preventing Alzheimer's disease by finding vitamin A;
- thanks to the indole-3-carbinol in Brussels sprouts, this vegetable is effective in preventing breast canceras well as other types of cancer due to the presence of substances such as isothiocyanates;
- effective as a prophylactic against the occurrence of diseases of cardio-vascular system.
However availability high acidity, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the thyroid gland are factors that suggest restrictions in the use of Brussels sprouts in large quantities.
Fundamental rules
How to freeze brussels sprouts for the winter? To freeze should carefully select vegetable products.
Kochanchik, which do not exceed 2 cm in diameter, without the presence of mechanical damage and rot, as well as signs of lethargy. To learn how and in what time it is necessary to remove the crop of Brussels sprouts from the garden, you can learn from our article.
After the vegetables have been inspected and sorted, it is necessary trim the stem - it does not represent nutritional value.
After that, you can begin to prepare the Brussels sprouts to freeze. You will need:
- pan in which blanching will occur;
- colander or sieve;
- capacity for cooling, filled with ice water;
- several cloth or paper towels to dry products;
- freezing tray;
- freezer storage bags - best fit bags with a clasp.
Step-by-step instruction
After preparation, you can begin the process of freezing. How to freeze brussels sprouts:
- pour in the pan prepared for blanching, water - at the rate of 3 liters of water per 1 kg of product;
- after boiling water, we drop prepared kochanchiki into it and cook for 2-3 min;
- at the end of blanching, immediately drain the water and drop the product in ice water - for this, you can even prepare ice to minimize the process of cooling the product;
- after ochchanchiki cooled, they are spread on cloth or paper towels to running off excess water and drying;
- when the cabbage is dry, you should shift the coaches in one row on a pallet and send in the freezer for freezing;
- after the coaches froze, you need to put them in plastic bagfrom which to remove the air as much as possible.
Important! If in the fridge, there is such a function as "Fast freezing"when the temperature in the chamber drops to -22, or even 24 degrees, then this mode should be applied. This will get the highest quality product.
In this form, frozen Brussels sprouts should be stored in a freezer at a temperature not higher than -18 degrees. So this product can be stored for up to a year..
Information on how to freeze for winter at home other types of cabbage, such as cauliflower, white cabbage or broccoli, you can find on our website.
Tips and tricks
If you need to freeze a large amount of Brussels sprouts, it is recommended boil fresh water each timeby merging already used.
Sometimes, for freezing, Brussels sprouts are not blanched, but sent to the freezer immediately after sorting. without additional heat treatment. In this case, the shelf life of cabbage is significantly reduced, and its taste will be somewhat worse. However, in the absence of time, this method is quite applicable.
If you use this method, then you can not lay out on a pallet - this is done so that wet cabbage does not freeze into one lump. The blanching code was not applied, then there is no danger of freezing among the cochans, and put them immediately in a plastic bag.
Now throughout the winter time you will have Brussels sprouts on the table - tasty and healthy vegetable, which will help not only to diversify dishes, but also to preserve health.
