How to freeze pears for the winter in the freezer

Freezing pears for the winter at home is a traditional occupation of housewives who are accustomed to stocking up for future use. In the summer season, the body accumulates vitamins by “preserving” in the fat layer of the body. But in winter, sometimes you really want to treat yourself and your family not only with vitamins, but also with delicious products made from fruits and berries. To do this, there are many recipes for freezing food in the freezer. They are used in cooking in winter and spring, when the body needs vitamins.

Is it possible to freeze pears

You can freeze pears, but for this you need to follow the freezing rules so that you don’t get a homogeneous, stuck together porridge at the exit, which is suitable only as mashed potatoes in pies.

To prepare pears in reserve, you should give preference to varieties:

• Severyanka;
• August dew;
• Cathedral;
• Saratovka;
• Kondratievka;
• Rossoshanskaya;
• Hera;
• Veles;
• Red-sided;
• Muscovite.

These species belong to the winter variety or late summer variety, they are distinguished by their density and smooth skin, without scales. Softer types are only suitable for making purees, jams and marmalades. They can be used, but be aware that they will deform when thawed.

How to freeze pears for the winter so that they do not darken

Pears, like other catechin-containing fruits, begin to darken when exposed to oxygen, acquiring an unappetizing, rot-like appearance. How to avoid browning reaction when cooking pears? The secret lies in citric acid. When preparing fruits, cutting into slices or whipping with a blender, fruits should be sprayed with citric acid diluted with water from a spray bottle.

The second way is to soak them in a solution containing citric acid for an hour. This will slow down the reaction of catechins during preparation and freezing. If you use slices, then they can be grated with lemon, orange, tangerine or other citrus fruits. When sour fruits are not available, ascorbic acid can be added as an alternative.

At what temperature to freeze

Observing a strict temperature regime, you can freeze pears for the winter. Storage in the refrigerator, where the temperature does not fall below +2 degrees – is impossible. The product must be frozen quickly, for this they use a freezer or a refrigerated island that can hold a lot of fruits and vegetables at once. Fruits should be frozen at a temperature of at least -18 degrees.

How to freeze a fresh pear for the winter

In order for the products to remain fresh during defrosting and retain their taste, it is necessary to responsibly approach the choice of fruits. Fruits should be chosen whole, without holes from insects and rotten sides. Then follow this order:

1. Rinse under running water and dry on a towel. They must be dry so as not to freeze water together with the fruits.
2. Next, peel the fruit and cut into slices, cubes, straws or into 4 parts.
3. Cut out the core and problem areas.
4. Put on a flat dish, grease with citric acid and put in the freezer for 2 hours.
5. After the first freezing, put the pieces in a special bag with a zipper, squeeze out the air and continue to store in the freezer for no more than 10 months.

The product will successfully endure freezing.

Recipe for pears frozen in sugar syrup

Sugar is a natural preservative that preserves the beneficial properties of fruits for a long time. To prepare pears in syrup, you need:

• mix a glass of sugar and 500 ml of boiling water;
• prepare pears, put them in a deep container;
• pour hot syrup and leave to blanch for 3 minutes;
• remove the pears with a slotted spoon and arrange in containers for freezing;
• pour syrup, slightly covering the fruit;
• let cool to a cold state;
• put in the freezer to freeze.

During the entire shelf life, the product can be used in cooking.

How to freeze pear slices

You can freeze pears for the winter by putting them in ice molds or dicing them. In the first option, you need to beat them to a puree state and put them in molds or jars from baby food. You can cut the fruit into two parts, cutting out the core and add berries to the resulting recess.

Freezing pears for the winter with sugar

Freezing pears for the winter with sugar is as easy as in syrup. Pour in plenty of sugar. Having cut the fruit beautifully, you should wet them, but do not dry them, as in the usual way. On wet slices, sugar will stick better, and will not crumble to the bottom of the dish.

Pears should be frozen. At this point, pour in the first layer of sugar. First on a flat dish, and then on top of the slices. In this form, they will stand in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the pears and place them in the final bowl or in a freezer bag. Sprinkle the fruit again with sugar. Shaking is not necessary so as not to damage the pieces.

What can be cooked from a frozen pear

From thawed fruits, you can cook dishes such as charlotte, pear puree, compotes. They are added to pies, rolls, dumplings, puffs. For compotes and pies, you should not wait for a slow defrosting, you can throw them in frozen pieces directly into boiling water and dough.

According to culinary experts, freezing pears for the winter, you can cook a delicious dish – a pear shifter, which is cooked with honey. The product should be baked like a regular pie with sugar, flour and eggs, only you need to add honey to the filling. Put the dough on the spread out pears and bake until done.

Shelf life of frozen pears

Pears can keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 months in complete safety, if you do not allow interruptions in temperature during storage. When thawing, follow the rules of slow defrosting. Do not pour boiling water over fruit or dip in warm water to speed up the process. This can harm the structure, and the fruits will lose their shape, become soft and tasteless.

A container or a bag of frozen foods should be placed in a refrigerator with a positive temperature and wait until they thaw naturally.

Conclusion

Freezing pears for the winter at home according to the recipe creates ingredients from simple fruits for complete meals. The advantages of this method over conventional preservation are that the fruits retain vitamins, do not rot, and are not treated with carcinogens. Frozen fruit dishes can be given to children and even babies without fear for health.