The best recipes for how to freeze cauliflower at home for the winter

The human body constantly needs vitamins and minerals. If in the summer there are no problems with this, in the winter the situation changes dramatically. The way out of this situation will be the freezing of products useful for the body in order to add them to food in winter. One of these products is cauliflower - a dietary product that contains a large amount of nutrients. Let's figure out how to freeze cauliflower for the winter at home, and find out all the nuances of its preservation.

Every housewife who wants to stock up for the winter wants to know how to do it with maximum benefit, and which methods are best not to use. Speaking of cauliflower, I would like to advise you not to store it in the cellar. The vegetable will spoil quickly, and you will not be able to eat it all winter.

The best way to preserve cauliflower is to freeze it in the freezer. This option will not damage the product and retain all the useful properties in full. To do this, you must adhere to the general rules, and you can eat cabbage not only in winter, but also in spring.

Features of freezing cauliflower

Freezing cauliflower has its own nuances, which, first of all, depend on what dishes you are going to use it in. For example:

1. Cabbage, which you will later use to make soup, can be frozen whole.
2. The product used for frying and stewing should be divided into equal parts in advance and sent to the freezer in this form.

Another feature on which the further form of the product will depend is freezing raw or after heat treatment:

1. Boiled cabbage retains its original color and texture well, but loses some of its nutrients.
2. The raw product will become less dense during the freezing process and its color will become darker. The advantage of this method is that all useful substances will be preserved in the vegetable in full.

Note! The reference is the cutting of cauliflower into individual inflorescences, the diameter of which is 3 centimeters.

How to choose and prepare

Housewives who did not grow the product on their own, but purchased it in a store, should pay attention to its quality and appearance. A good vegetable can be selected, guided by the following rules:

1. The vegetable should be clean and there should be no signs of decay on its surface.
2. A good product will be white in color, with slight yellowish tints.
3. Cabbage, the inflorescences of which are not adjacent to each other, is better to leave on the counter and choose another, more dense-looking vegetable.
4. Take the product in your hands and feel its heaviness. Too light weight, which does not correspond to the size, indicates that growth accelerators were used during cultivation. You should not expect special juiciness from such a vegetable.
5. There is a variety of cauliflower, the inflorescences of which are green. This is normal, and you should not be afraid of such a vegetable.

Dip a store-bought vegetable in salt water for a few minutes. This way you will get rid of insects that can hide on the stems and between the inflorescences.

Refrigerator preparation

When freezing vegetables, pay attention to the following nuances that will allow you to save the product for a long period of time without losing its beneficial properties:

1. Make sure you have enough free space in your freezer. It is desirable that for 2 kilograms of vegetables there are at least 8 liters of free space. When stored under such conditions, the vegetable will not be damaged, which will positively affect the shelf life and its benefits during defrosting.
2. The temperature maintained in the freezer should not fall below -19. This will allow the cabbage to retain its beneficial properties from six months to 9 months, depending on the quality of the product.

The Best Ways to Freeze Cauliflower

Harvesting vegetables for the winter season can be done in several different ways. The most optimal are:

• freezing fresh, without blanching;
• freezing a product that has previously gone through the blanching process.

For storage it is best to use:

• plastic bags;
• special plastic containers.

Other methods are not suitable for long-term storage of cauliflower, and it is better to refrain from using them.

Quick freezing without blanching

In order to freeze fresh vegetables, you must:

1. Wash the product. This must be done carefully so that dirt and other debris do not get into your food.
2. Remove leaves and damaged areas.
3. Dip the vegetable in salted water. Thus, you will get rid of insects that can hide in inflorescences and other hard-to-reach places.
4. Separate the florets from the thick stem if you wish to freeze it piecemeal.
5. Before packaging, all vegetable mass must be thoroughly dried. It is advisable to use a towel for this purpose.
6. Pack the product in portions in special boxes or plastic bags.

This method is used in order to preserve the maximum of vitamins. If you are not chasing the benefits of the product and it is important for you that the cabbage does not darken during the freezing process, blanch it.

In bags or kegs

Preparing vegetables is half the battle. In addition to the preparation process, they must be properly packaged. The best way to do this is to pack the mass in plastic bags or kegs. They securely store the product while we freeze it and prevent the penetration of unpleasant odors and other unnecessary substances. Experts advise pumping air out of the bags. This will prevent the formation of excess ice in the container itself and the freezer. Kegs in this regard are more versatile, and some are already equipped with vacuum lids.

Boiling in salted water

Cabbage boiled in salted water is prepared as follows:

1. The head of cabbage is washed with a large amount of clean water.
2. Leaves and damaged areas are removed.
3. The head of cabbage is cut into separate inflorescences. This allows the product to be processed more carefully.
4. It is necessary to boil a vegetable at the rate of 4 liters of liquid per 0.5 kilograms of product.
5. While your water is boiling, fill another container with water and add ice to it. If there is no ice and it cannot be prepared in the near future, send the container to the refrigerator.
6. Salt is added to the boiling liquid, and vegetables are sent. Cook them for 3-5 minutes.
7. After cooking, the cabbage is immediately sent to cold water. This will preserve its texture and color.
8. Next, it must be dried and packaged in bags.

How and how long the frozen product is stored

Cauliflower can be stored:

1. In a refrigerator. The shelf life is no more than one month.
2. On the balcony, if it is sufficiently insulated - no more than 1 month.
3. In the basement or cellar, preservation is ensured for three months.
4. The freezer will keep the vegetable for 9 months. There are cases when it was possible to extend this period up to 1 year.
5. Storage in other locations will depend on the ambient temperature and humidity to be maintained.

Defrost Rules

You can defrost cabbage in the following ways:

• measure out the required portion and put it in the refrigerator. This approach will preserve the juiciness of the product and a maximum of vitamins;
• cook it without defrosting. This will preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.

Note! By defrosting vegetables at room temperature, you lose a lot of vitamins that leave them with the liquid.

Defrost by putting vegetables in water is not a good idea. You will lose many vitamins and other useful substances. These tips are great for more than just defrosting vegetables. In this way, you can defrost berries, herbs and even fruits.