How to Compare Fresh Versus Frozen Vegetables

Your preference for fresh or frozen vegetables probably depends on how you grew up. For instance, if your favorite green bean casserole was always made with fresh green beans, the frozen variety probably just won’t do. And though taste and texture are important when you compare fresh versus frozen vegetables, it’s just one of many things to consider when deciding which way to go.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. When you compare fresh versus frozen vegetables, find out when vegetables are in season in your part of the world. That’s when you want to buy fresh over frozen. If possible, always buy from a farmer’s market that sources its produce from local growers. The less time your vegetables have spent in transit, the fresher and riper they’ll be.
2. If you’re making a special dish and it calls for a vegetable that is not in season in your part of the world, choose frozen over fresh.
3. Frozen vegetables are often not as rich in taste as fresh vegetables are, and the texture is a little different. If you or the people you’re serving have a preference, shop accordingly. For example, frozen mushrooms tend to be tasteless and frozen broccoli tends to be tough.
4. When buying frozen vegetables, choose items with the “U.S. Fancy” label over the “U.S. No. 1” or “U.S. No. 2.” That way you know you’ll be getting the vegetables of the best size, shape and color. Also avoid any frozen vegetables with ingredient lists that include sugar, salt or anything else. The only ingredient should be the vegetable itself.
5. If you’re concerned about frozen vegetables being less nutritious than fresh, have no worries. While fresh vegetables are picked before they turn ripe (then often shipped for as long as two weeks) frozen vegetables have been picked at their height of ripeness, then “flash frozen” immediately. So while fresh vegetables are often not allowed to ripen to prime nutrient levels, frozen foods come with those nutrients locked in.
6. When you compare fresh versus frozen vegetables, take into account how much space you have available in your refrigerator and your freezer, and how long before you’re going to use them.
7. Shop for vegetables with your budget in mind. Vegetables that are in season are cheaper than those that are not, as they’re more plentiful and have less distance to travel.