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How to defrost berries; Whether to defrost the berries before baking
Unlike perishable fresh berries, frozen ones retain their aroma and taste for 3 years. They greatly help out hostesses in winter, when they really want juicy and bright pastries, summer desserts. We will tell you whether you need to defrost berries when preparing different dishes and how to do it correctly.
If you defrost the berries correctly, they will not lose their appetizing appearance.
Where are frozen berries used?
Frozen fruits and vegetables are available at the supermarket all year round. Under industrial conditions, berries are harvested by shock freezing. If stored properly in the store, the fruits do not lose their shape, have the same color and taste as fresh ones.
If you wish, you can prepare berries for future use using the freezer yourself. The most popular among housewives are strawberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, raspberries.
Berries frozen at subzero temperatures (–18 –23 degrees) are suitable for consumption for 8–12 months. At temperatures from 0 to -8 degrees – no more than 3 months.
You can make jelly, fruit drinks and compotes from frozen berries. They are used as a component of dairy and alcoholic beverages, smoothies. They serve as a basis for creating berry creams, sauces, mousses, jellies.
Frozen berries are ideal with ice cream and sorbet. They can be used to stuff dumplings, pancakes, muffins, pies, pies, curd casseroles. However, thawed fruits are not suitable for decorating cakes and desserts. They don’t look appetizing in fruit salads either.
How to defrost berries in different ways
Without defrosting, the fruits are placed in compotes and cereals during cooking. In semi-thawed form, they can be grinded with a blender for smoothies, fruit drinks or cocktails. You can cook jelly only from thawed products, otherwise it will not solidify.
Should the berries be thawed before baking? If you put the fruits in the cake as they are, there is a high probability that they will flow strongly. On the other hand, defrosted berries in baked goods lack juiciness. You can get out of the situation by mixing frozen fruits with two tablespoons of starch. During baking, the thickener will absorb all excess berry juice and prevent it from flowing out of the cake.
You don’t have to defrost the berries before baking if you add a little starch to them
In order to defrost berries, you can:
- place in a closed container in cold water for 10 minutes;
- put on a plate in one layer, having previously spread paper towels;
- put in a tightly closed bag under a cold stream of water;
- transfer to the main compartment of the refrigerator for 6 hours.
Can berries be defrosted in the microwave? Yes, for this, the berries are poured into glass dishes and placed in the oven. Next, set the fast defrosting mode. Check if the berry has thawed every minute.
So, frozen berries can be used in the same way as fresh ones. It is best to defrost the fruit gradually: either in cold water or in the main compartment of the refrigerator.