How to Freeze Vegetables

Freezing vegetables helps preserve their freshness.

The secret to freezing vegetables is first blanching them (briefly plunging veggies into boiling water) and then shocking them (briefly plunging veggies into ice cold water). They must also be properly packaged to prevent freezer burn.

Things You'll Need

• Vegetables
• Large pot of water
• Large bowl of ice water
• Baking sheet
• Paper towels
• Parchment paper
• Freezer bags

Instructions

1. Blanch the vegetables by cooking them in a pot of boiling water until their color has brightened, but vegetables are still very crisp.

2. Shock the cooked by transferring them to a bowl filled with ice water, and cool for 1 minute. If needed, add more ice to keep them cold. Freezing warm vegetables takes longer and creates large, damaging ice crystals.

3. Transfer the vegetables to a rimmed baking sheet covered with three layers of paper towel, and cover with another couple of layers of paper towels. Dry well.

4. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, in a single layer, and freeze until solid, about 1 to 2 hours.

5. Once frozen, transfer the vegetables into freezer bags -- about 2 cups to a bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Store in the coldest part of your freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• Double bagging your frozen vegetables will help prevent freezer burn and keep foods from picking up odors and flavors from other foods.

• Freezing too many vegetables at once will overload your freezer and cause its temperature to rise. As a general rule, freeze no more than 2 lbs. of produce at a time.

References

• Tip Nut: How to Freeze Vegetables