|
Product
|
Pre-freezing
Preparation
|
Tips
|
|
Fruits |
| Apples |
Wash,
peel, core and slice |
Dip in
acidulated water (see eggplant) or toss with fruit fresh to
prevent browning |
| Berries |
Hull if
necessary, wash gently and pat dry |
Flash
freeze for best results |
| Cherries |
Stem and
pit |
Flash
freeze for best results, freezing pit can produce bitterness. |
| Cranberries |
Freeze
in bags they are sold in |
| Peaches/nectarines |
Blanch
for 30 seconds. Remove skin |
Dip in
acidulated water (see eggplant) and pit then slice. or toss with
fruit fresh |
| Pears |
Wash,
peel, core and halve or slice |
Dip in
acidulated water (see eggplant) or toss with fruit fresh |
| Plums |
Sort,
wash and pit, blanch only if you want to remove the skin |
| Rhubarb |
Wash and
cut off both ends, cut into l-inch (2.5-cm) lengths |
|
Product
|
Pre-freezing
Preparation
|
Tips
|
|
Meat
and poultry |
| Small
cuts of meat |
Wrap
tightly in 2 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Defrost in plastic
wrap overnight on a plate on the lower rack of refrigerator. |
| Large
cuts of meat and poultry |
Wrap
tightly in 2 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Defrost in
plastic wrap overnight or over several days on a plate on the
lower rack of the refrigerator |
|
Product
|
Pre-freezing
Preparation
|
Tips
|
|
Fish
and seafood |
| Fish
fillets and shrimp |
Wrap
tightly in 2 layers of heavy- duty plastic wrap. Defrost shrimp by
running under cold water until ice crystals disappear. Defrost
other shellfish and fish fillets overnight on a plate on the lower
rack of refrigerator. |
|
Product
|
Pre-freezing
Preparation
|
Tips
|
|
Vegetables |
|
|
| Asparagus |
Trim and
blanch for: 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness |
Alternate
tips and ends in packages to get a tight fit |
| Beans
(wax or green) |
Blanch
for 3 minutes |
| Beets |
Wash,
boil for 15 minutes then peel and remove roots and stems |
Freeze
only whole, sliced or diced baby beets since larger beets lose
texture and flavor when frozen |
| Broccoli |
Blanch
florets for 3 minutes and drain well before freezing |
Pack
heads and stems alternately to ensure a tight fit |
| Carrots |
Blanch
whole baby carrots for 5 minutes and diced or sliced carrots for 3
minutes |
| Cauliflower |
If fresh
from the field, soak in salted water for 30 minutes to remove
insects; blanch florets for 3 minutes |
| Corn
kernels |
Blanch ears for 4
minutes and cut kernels from cob |
Flash freeze for easy
use later |
| Corn on
the cob |
Blanch
for 7 minutes |
Wrap each
ear individually, then group together in plastic storage bags; do
not defrost, boil for 15 minutes |
| Eggplant |
Blanch
for 4 minutes in acidulated water (1/2 cup/125 mL vinegar to each
liter of water). |
Pat each
piece or slice dry and freeze between pieces of plastic wrap |
| Herbs |
No need
to blanch. Just wash and spin dry |
Place
chopped herbs in ice cube trays then transfer to zip-top bags when
frozen |
| Peas |
Shell and
blanch for 1 1/2 minutes |
Best
flash frozen |
| Peppers
(sweet or hot) |
No need
to blanch, just quarter, remove seeds and ribs, then freeze |
| Tomatoes |
Remove stems and flash
freeze |
Only good for cooked
dishes once frozen, skins slip off when melting |
