Eggplants for the winter: freezing recipes

Every summer, skilled housewives try to make as many preparations for the winter as possible. If earlier for this it was necessary to cook, sterilize and roll everything up, now you can just freeze it. But not everyone knows how to properly freeze vegetables in order to preserve their beneficial properties and taste. In this article, we will see how eggplants are frozen for the winter at home.

Can eggplants be frozen?

Everyone knows that eggplants can be used to make wonderful salads and other preserves. Supermarkets sell ready-made frozen mixes of vegetables. But is it possible to freeze these vegetables at home?

The answer is unambiguous – you can. The main thing is that eggplant freezing is carried out in the right way. Everyone knows that in the process of freezing, almost all useful substances are preserved. Just eggplants are very rich in various trace elements. In addition, this vegetable contains a large amount of vitamins.

Choosing eggplant for freezing

First of all, of course, you should pay attention to the appearance of the fruit. Large eggplants can have many seeds. Therefore, it is better to choose small fruits. They are more tender and tasty. Also, the fruits should be clean and even. The presence of spots may indicate diseases.

Large eggplants tend to have bitterness. But young fruits are usually not bitter and have a pleasant delicate taste. Such vegetables can not be soaked in a saline solution.

Proper freezing

There are different recipes for freezing eggplant. All of them differ in the way the fruits are prepared. They can be pre-blanched, soaked and fried. You can try several ways at once. The main thing is to have enough space in the freezer.

Freezing eggplant in the first way is very simple. You can just freeze the whole fruit. Some pre-boil vegetables a little, and then remove the skin. After that, you need to let the eggplants stand so that the glass is excess liquid. The disadvantage of this method is that large fruits will take a long time to defrost, and they take up a lot of space in the freezer.

For those who have a small freezer, it is better to freeze the fruits in other ways. Fresh fruits can be cut into small pieces. So, vegetables will take up less space and will freeze and defrost faster. In addition, it will be much more convenient to use them, because you do not have to additionally cut and peel the fruits.

Next, the chopped pieces are poured into a prepared container and salted. Then you need to mix the eggplant thoroughly so that the salt is evenly distributed. In this form, the workpiece is left for 15 minutes. After that, you need to drain the liquid that stands out and dry the vegetables. To do this, it is better to use a paper or waffle towel. If you do not dry the pieces, then in the freezer they will simply freeze to each other.

Now the prepared fruits can be scattered in containers or bags. But some housewives freeze the pieces in such a way that they do not stick together. To do this, chopped and dried vegetables are laid out on a cutting board. Before that, it can be covered with foil or parchment paper.

The pieces are laid out at a short distance from each other and sent to the freezer. There eggplant should be for several hours. During this time, the fruits will freeze slightly, and they can be moved to containers. Eggplants prepared in this way do not stick to each other. Therefore, it will be much more convenient to get and use them. You can take as many pieces as you need without having to defrost the whole lump.

What to freeze

For freezing, you can use a variety of containers and packages. For example, it is very economical to freeze vegetables in ordinary plastic bags. The main thing is to know a few important rules:

• use several bags for packing eggplants at once. So, the packaging will be more airtight;
• after the pieces of vegetables are placed in the bag, it is necessary to let the air out of it as much as possible;
• tie the bag well so that the smells of other vegetables or greens do not pass to the eggplant.

In stores, you can buy special packages for freezing. There is a special clasp, which is very convenient to use. But if space permits, it would be better to put the eggplants in a plastic container. Thanks to the tight lid, they will retain their taste and smell for a long time. So far, this is the most convenient way to store frozen vegetables.

In addition to these options, there are packages with special clips. They are designed to freeze vegetables. You can buy these bags in any supermarket. To save space in the freezer and maximize the taste of vegetables, you can use vacuum bags. But you need to be prepared for the fact that they will have to look. They are quite expensive, so they are less in demand.

Freezing with blanching

There are also recipes that call for blanching. This is done to keep the vegetables soft. Given the stiffness of the eggplant pulp, blanching would be useful. The whole process goes like this:

1. First of all, vegetables must be cut in a way convenient for you.
2. Next, eggplant should be salted and left for 15 minutes.
3. Place a container of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
4. Eggplants are placed in a colander, and then sent to boiling water for exactly 1 minute.
5. Then the vegetables are cooled and allowed to drain excess liquid. To do this, they are laid out on a towel.
6. Ready vegetables are laid out in bags or containers.

What is the best way to freeze

Also, many are interested in how best to freeze eggplant, with or without peel. It is important to consider how bitter you have them. If the fruits are young, dense and do not have bitterness, then you can freeze with the peel and even without blanching. Everything else is done as usual. Vegetables are washed, cut and packed.

In this case, it would also be good to first freeze the pieces on a cutting board, and only then lay them out in containers or bags for further storage. Some recipes suggest frying the pieces first and then freezing them. Thus, they will take up even less space, as they will fry.

How to defrost properly

In order for the taste of vegetables to remain unchanged, it is necessary not only to freeze eggplants correctly, but also to defrost them in the right way. There are several ways how this can be done:

1. In the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens have a “defrost” function. This is a fairly quick way to defrost vegetables.
2. Just leave to defrost in the kitchen. In this case, you will have to wait at least 2 hours for the pieces to completely thaw. So you need to get the vegetables out of the freezer in advance and leave to defrost at room temperature or move the frost to the refrigerator overnight.
3. Start cooking immediately. During the heat treatment, the vegetables will quickly defrost. Many people use it, because it does not require any additional kitchen appliances or time.

Some people dip frozen vegetables in water to help them defrost faster. It is advisable not to use this method, because in this case a large number of useful trace elements are lost.

Conclusion

Now you know exactly how to freeze eggplant for the winter. The article contains various recipes that many housewives have already tried. You need to spend quite a bit of time to prepare the vegetables, and then the freezer will do everything by itself. In winter, frozen eggplants can be used to cook a variety of dishes. Many people add vegetables to stews, make adjika or other snacks with them. Definitely, frozen eggplants will come in handy in your kitchen.