The gifts of the garden are a traditional source of vitamins in the summer, but in winter they are not always available and not to everyone - if only because they become much more expensive. So the demand for deep-frozen vegetables and fruits is soaring: according to statistics, by 2-3 times!
“Freezing” has both supporters and opponents. The main questions that buyers ask: are frozen fruits and vegetables healthy? Can they be considered a full replacement for their fresh “brothers”? Who needs them and how to choose the right quality product?
Let's try to find answers.
Fresh vs frozen
Opponents of all kinds of preservatives say: fresh gifts from the garden cannot be compared with frozen ones. They are right, but only about freshly picked fruits or vegetables. The healthiest vegetables come from your own garden! And those from the store are, strictly speaking, no longer “first fresh”. Temperature, humidity, transportation - all this affects products much more detrimentally than deep freezing.
The freshness of fruits and vegetables is usually determined by the percentage of vitamin C. This essential vitamin is especially fragile - a couple of days of storage, and its presence in the product becomes negligible. So, 2 days after harvest, spinach loses 75% of vitamin C, asparagus and broccoli - up to 80%.
Today, deep freezing is the only 100% natural way to preserve food: only it allows you to preserve both the taste and (more importantly) the structure of the original product. The time required to collect vegetables and freeze them is minimal - as a result, you get a truly healthy product.
How does freezing occur?
When using the method of quick freezing of a product, the main point is to reduce the temperature from the surface inwards. At a certain point, the water/juice contained in the product turns into tiny ice crystals. Deep freezing technology allows you to very quickly bring the temperature inside the product to the required -18. This temperature is the same at all stages of the process - as a result, the finest homogeneous crystals are formed in the cellular tissues of the fruit or vegetable, which do not cause any changes in the structure of the plant fibers. The higher the freezing rate, the less the fibers suffer. A fruit or vegetable retains all its inherent properties, hardly differing from “fresh from the garden” in its nutritional value.
If the freezing process took a long time, the crystals would grow - as a result, the fruit or vegetable is partially dehydrated and the walls of the cell membranes are destroyed. Such a product is no good after defrosting. By the way, for the same reason you cannot defrost fruits and vegetables before cooking.
So, if you see the inscription “Instant freezing” on the package, buy it with confidence!
Fresh fruits and vegetables can be classified as seasonal products: it is better to eat them during the period when the harvest is harvested. It is then that they are frozen - that is, a person who in February-March chose “fresh” carrots between frozen and fresh will receive... less vitamins.
There is another point that opponents of “freezing” focus on – its higher price compared to a fresh product. In absolute terms, this is most likely true – especially in summer and autumn. But in relative terms, “freezing” is more profitable: it is peeled (no seed cuttings for you), washed and cut into pieces. There are savings in both money and time.
There is an opinion that dyes are added to vegetables and fruits when frozen. The fact is that before freezing, vegetables are “shocked” with boiling water or 100-degree steam in order to preserve unchanged nutrients and “fix” the natural color of the product - for example, green vegetables like okra will become even greener due to the effect of high temperature on chlorophyll, and orange , like carrots (containing carotene), are redder.
As you can see, frozen vegetables and fruits retain almost all the beneficial properties of fresh ones. So, thanks to “cold technology,” the gifts of hot summer are always available to us.
Who needs this?
1. City dwellers who do not have a dacha. They don’t get enough vitamins in the summer, and in the winter...
2. People on a diet. 5-7 minutes – and the healthy dish is ready!
3. Infants and also elderly people. Their immune systems are weak; This means that fruits and vegetables, carefully processed before freezing, are just what you need.
4. For those who don’t like fussing around in the kitchen, or who always don’t have enough time: young mothers, businessmen, students and simply those who don’t like cooking...
5. ...and, paradoxically, for those who love culinary experiments! Vegetable mixtures can be added to soup, rice, potatoes, and meat dishes - you can’t list all the variations!
How to choose
1. When studying the colorful “conjuncture” in the supermarket, it is better to give preference to well-known brands. A serious, conscientious manufacturer strictly controls raw materials, using only high-quality fruits and vegetables without flaws.
2. Take the time to read the packaging - it indicates the method and time of preparation, as well as the shelf life of the product.
If stored properly, quick-frozen fruits and vegetables can retain their beneficial properties even longer than the expiration date indicated on the package. However, the date is worth looking at.
If you're concerned about GMIs, look for the label on the packaging that says, "Does not contain genetically modified ingredients." If there is none, remember the manufacturer and do not buy products from his “line”.
3. Pay attention to the freezing method: “quick-frozen” products are the best choice. Sometimes the manufacturer writes on the packaging: “shock freezing method,” and this is also good.
4. Rate the quality of the content:
"by eye": the packaging must be intact, without external damage (tears, scratches, etc.). Is the packaging covered in frost? Warning sign: The product may have been stored above the specified temperature for some time. It is better to put such packaging aside;
manually: Let's say the packaging looks perfect. Shake it and then feel it with your hands. Do you feel frozen lumps? This means that the product was thawed and then frozen again. As we already know, repeated freezing is destructive - such packaging cannot be taken.
5. If possible, pay attention to the temperature sensor on the refrigerator: it should show -18 or slightly lower. This will give you an additional guarantee of the quality of the product.
So, with a reasonable approach, frozen fruits and vegetables will bring you both benefit and pleasure - maybe less than their fresh “brothers,” but vitamins are definitely guaranteed. As well as saving time... and a whole field for experimentation in the kitchen!
The climatic conditions in which we live do not allow us to enjoy freshly picked vegetables and fruits all year round. Therefore, in the off-season we have to be content with imported or frozen fruits. Which ones are preferable? Some believe that there is no benefit from frozen vegetables and fruits, while others, on the contrary, are convinced that these products can be a real salvation for the body. Let's try to figure out how things are.
Historical background
In general, the idea of freezing food did not arise yesterday: residents of northern countries have long preserved freshly caught fish in this way. It was laid out on ice; under a strong icy wind, the catch quickly froze and could be stored for a long time (in the cold, of course). American inventor, entrepreneur and naturalist Clarence Frank Birdseye, while on an expedition to the Canadian Labrador Peninsula in 1912, drew attention to this method of preserving food and decided to test it in action upon returning home to New York. Birdseye made artificial ice and conducted a series of experiments. The scientist discovered that when frozen slowly, large ice crystals form in food, which destroy tissue, and after thawing, the taste of such food leaves much to be desired. But if cooling occurs quickly, the quality of the product does not suffer. Birdseye acquired a patent for his invention, sold it to General Foods for $22 million in 1929, and the first frozen vegetables appeared in stores in 1930.
Vegetables are "shocked"
Just a few decades ago, producers simply placed the fruits in a huge freezer for several hours. Nowadays they use another, faster method called blast freezing. It allows you to preserve the maximum amount of valuable nutrients in vegetables and fruits, mushrooms and berries, as well as their taste and attractive appearance. The fruits are placed in chambers with a temperature of minus 35–40°C and blown with streams of cold air for 20–30 minutes. In this way, vegetables and fruits are frozen very quickly, small ice crystals are formed in them, which do not destroy the tissue structure.
Isn’t it better to freeze the fruits of the summer harvest at home, you ask? Let us answer directly: no, not better. The fact is that household freezers cannot provide the necessary conditions for rapid freezing. The temperature will drop gradually, the juice will turn into large ice crystals, cell membranes will be damaged and the lion's share of nutrients will be lost.
Frozen or fresh?
Now let's return to the dispute we outlined at the very beginning. So which vegetables are healthier: fresh or frozen? If by “fresh” we mean those collected at your dacha, they are undoubtedly better than store-bought ones. But with stores, the situation is different. According to recent studies by both our and foreign scientists, frozen vegetables contain significantly more nutrients than their “fresh” counterparts coming from countries of “eternal summer”. When frozen, fruits lose less vitamins and minerals than during long-term transportation. In addition, it is no secret that vegetables and fruits (usually unripe!) are treated with all sorts of chemicals before being sent on a long journey so that the food does not spoil.
However, not everything is so rosy with frozen fruits. They may contain both dyes (which unscrupulous manufacturers may “forget” to write about on the label) and GMOs. How critical this is - judge for yourself. This is what he told us Andrey Mosov, head of the expert direction of NP Roskontrol, doctor:
Theoretically, GMOs may appear in mixtures that include vegetables for which genetically modified analogues exist and are cultivated on an industrial scale: soybeans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes. These ingredients are most likely to be found in mixtures containing soybean sprouts or corn. There is nothing wrong with this, but the manufacturer is obliged to disclose the presence of GMOs in the product labeling. Much more important for the consumer is information about the nutritional value, botanical variety of a fruit or vegetable crop and the region of its growth. Indication of such information in the labeling always speaks in favor of the manufacturer, being an indirect sign of his good faith.
Choose wisely
If we are talking about frozen fruits in packaging, then preference should be given to well-known brands - they care about their reputation, so they are more attentive to the selection of raw materials and control at each stage of production.
The temperature of the freezer where the fruits are located should be no more than –18°C. If bags of vegetables, fruits or berries are covered with frost, it means that the temperature regime is not being maintained, which, again, affects the quality of the product.
Feel the packaging (it should be intact, without tears or scratches). If you feel ice blocks at hand, refuse to purchase: such a product has been defrosted and re-frozen, which means you will not get any pleasure or benefit from such vegetables and fruits. The labeling must contain complete information about the contents and manufacturer, composition, freezing method (it is better to choose quick-frozen or blast-frozen), as well as the presence of GMOs.
Is it worth purchasing loose frozen vegetables, fruits, and berries? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. On the one hand, in this case you clearly see what you are going to buy. On the other hand, unfortunately, it is impossible to be sure of the freshness of products of this kind, even if tags indicating the date of packaging are attached to the trays.
And finally, let’s note that you should purchase frozen vegetables before you get ready to go to the checkout. It’s better if they “arrive” home in a cooler bag. And immediately put frozen food in the freezer! At a temperature of –6°C they can be stored for 1–2 weeks, at –12°C for 4–6 weeks, and at –18°C for up to 1 year.
How and what to cook
Remember that frozen vegetables should not be washed. And there is no need to defrost them before cooking. The best way to get a truly healthy dish is to quickly boil the vegetables in a little water or steam them. Immerse them in boiling water while frozen and season them just before eating. Vegetables can simply be salted and peppered, poured with vegetable or melted butter, one sauce or another, sprinkled with grated cheese or chopped herbs.
The debate about whether frozen vegetables and fruits are beneficial has been going on for a long time. Some argue that it is better to eat fresh foods, while others are convinced that cold perfectly preserves the beneficial properties of plant foods. Both points of view are correct in their own way, and the devil is in the details. It is fundamentally important what specific vegetables and fruits we are talking about: where they were collected, how long they were stored, what technology they were used to freeze and how they were prepared.
When are frozen vegetables more beneficial than fresh ones?
Doctors insist that a person’s diet should contain a lot of vegetables and fruits, and they are right. The menu should be planned so that at least 1/3 of all products are plant foods. Otherwise, the body will not receive the required amount of fiber, vitamins and microelements necessary for normal functioning.
To paraphrase a famous commercial, we can say that not all vegetables are equally healthy. The benefits of a cucumber freshly picked from your own garden bed are beyond doubt. However, the beneficial substances are gradually destroyed, therefore, after lying in the refrigerator for several days, vegetables, fruits and berries become less valuable. They are still tasty, but they contain much less vitamins (especially vitamin C).
Vegetables and fruits from the supermarket always look great, but their quality is highly questionable. These fruits are grown in other countries. They are picked long before ripening in order to be delivered to the buyer whole and beautiful. They ripen along the way. The amount of vitamins and microelements in such vegetables cannot be determined. Most often, they lose in the usefulness of high-quality products frozen immediately after ripening.
Another unpleasant nuance: to preserve their presentation, some fruits are treated with chemicals. They can last longer and lose even more nutrients. It is possible that in the supermarket you will buy beautiful, tasty, but practically “empty” products. The meaning of eating them is completely lost. And if you take into account the possible chemical treatment, then such food can be harmful.
To maintain vital energy, stay healthy and beautiful, we need only the right vegetables and fruits, that is, those that contain the maximum amount of nutrients. The rest is just empty food. It's tasty, but useless.
Frozen vegetables are a great option if you can’t buy fresh, high-quality fruits. It is important to find a reliable manufacturer who strictly adheres to the technology of industrial freezing and storage of products. An alternative is to prepare your own vegetables for the winter.
Features of industrial shock freezing technology
In industrial enterprises, the shock freezing method is used. Manufacturers prepare the freshest products. This is in their interests, because... eliminates the cost of storing fruits. Vegetables, fruits, and berries are washed, peeled, and processed in accordance with technology.
It is curious that some fruits are blanched before freezing - dipped in boiling water for a short time. This is necessary to create a protective film that will prevent vegetables from losing their beneficial properties.
The freezing temperature varies depending on the technology chosen. With classic shock freezing it is −30-40°C, and if the cryogenic method is used, then it is −60°C. Finished products are stored at −18°C.
If the technology is broken and the fruits are thawed and then re-frozen, it is better not to buy them: they are potentially harmful. At the moment of defrosting, such vegetables and fruits spread, turn into porridge, and juice flows out of them. If food has had to go through multiple freezing cycles, it may spoil.
How to determine the quality of purchased products
When choosing frozen vegetables, focus on the following criteria:
Brand. Responsible manufacturers care about their reputation, so choose products from trusted brands.
Condition of the freezer. Take a closer look to see if there are any signs of frost on the bags of vegetables. If there is, it means the food has already been defrosted. Do not buy under any circumstances!
Package. Feel the package. It should be dense, intact and without lumps of ice inside.
Marking. Everything should be indicated on the packaging - from the composition to the freezing technology. If the package contains vegetables containing GMOs or dyes, the manufacturer must also write about this.
After purchasing vegetables, store them properly. If the freezer temperature is −6°C, the products should be used within 1-2 weeks. At −12°C they will last 4-6 weeks. Permissible shelf life at −18°C is 1 year.
Frozen vegetables should be cooked in a minimal amount of water. They do not need to be pre-washed or defrosted. The manufacturer took care of the preparation.
If possible, avoid pickles and preserves. It’s better to freeze the harvest from your garden or fresh farm produce.
Cherries, raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, currants, cherries, apricots, gooseberries, pears, peaches, grapes, eggplants, tomatoes, sorrel, bell peppers, cauliflower, green beans, and carrots tolerate freezing best. Give preference to these fruits.
Fruits and berries are ideal for baking, making jelly, and compotes. Vegetables can be boiled in a small amount of water and used for side dishes.
Before freezing, the fruits should be washed, dried, cut or divided into inflorescences. If you decide to blanch vegetables, then place them in already boiling water and let stand for 1.5-5 minutes.
Place dry prepared vegetables into portioned bags or containers and place in the freezer.
Pay attention! Bags or containers must be tightly sealed. Air can damage the quality of workpieces.
The main thing about the benefits of frozen vegetables and the features of choice
Remember, no preparations can compete with high-quality fresh vegetables. But if you have to choose between imported fruits and frozen ones, the second option is better. Follow these rules:
buy only proven products;
if you suspect that the vegetables have been re-frozen, do not take them;
observe the terms and conditions of storage of products;
cook vegetables in a minimum amount of water;
If you freeze fruits yourself, try not to violate the harvesting technology.
If the quality of vegetables and fruits becomes your top priority, they will give you vigor, beauty and well-being. Give your body vitamins!
In an effort to preserve the freshness of food, many housewives freeze it for several days or even weeks in order to prepare it later. But it is strictly not recommended to store some food in the freezer for a long time, since sub-zero temperatures negatively affect its taste and negate its beneficial properties.
Let's look at what foods can be frozen and how to do it correctly, and which ones should not be sent to the freezer.
20 foods that should not be frozen
What should not be frozen:
- Canned food. There is no need to freeze because they will not spoil at room temperature. In the freezer, on the contrary, cans will swell and their contents will no longer be edible.
- Eggs. This applies to both boiled and raw eggs in the shell. After sub-zero temperatures, the product will lose its taste and acquire an unpleasant aroma.
- Meat that has previously been defrosted. If re-frozen, it will not only lose its taste, but will also become a source of many pathogenic bacteria.
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage. These vegetables contain a large amount of water, so after freezing they will lose their original taste and aroma.
- Strawberry, watermelon. Such berries will also spoil after prolonged subzero temperatures.
- Yogurt, kefir, sour cream. These fermented milk products can spoil even in the freezer and become a source of intestinal infections.
- Boiled pasta. Once frozen, finished pasta is not suitable for consumption.
- Sauces with high flour content. The consistency of the product will deteriorate at sub-zero temperatures.
- Soft cheeses. After defrosting, pathogenic bacteria may begin to multiply in them.
- Melted ice cream. Such a product will not only lose its taste, but can also cause food poisoning.
- Bean coffee. After thawing, it can no longer be brewed, since the drink will not have its characteristic aroma.
- Mayonnaise. In the future, it cannot be used for cooking, because the consistency will be loose and not thick enough.
- Crackers. It is not advisable to freeze such flour products, as their texture will become too soft, and therefore the products will be unsuitable for consumption.
- Reheated dishes. The steam that comes from hot food will spoil other foods in the freezer.
- Honey. The product will quickly become sugary and lose its beneficial properties.
- Onions and garlic. Firstly, they will become soft and unfit for consumption, and secondly, frost kills the vitamins contained in them.
- Chocolate. An ice coating forms on it, which, when melted, will spoil the product.
- Spices. In the cold they will lose their flavor.
- Ginger root. All the beneficial properties that made the plant so popular disappear at sub-zero temperatures.
- Products in unsealed packaging. The food you put in the freezer must be sealed in thick plastic containers, otherwise the food will not only spoil quickly, but will also transfer its odors to each other.
20 foods that can be frozen
What foods can be frozen:
- Dough. If you still have dough left after making the flour goodies, you can freeze it on parchment paper and use it later.
- Chips. They must be frozen in the same packaging in which they were sold so that the product does not lose its taste.
- Hard cheese. After thawing, it will not spoil, and it will be easier to cut.
- Fruits and berries with low water content - bananas, pears, raspberries and others. In the winter season, you can make an assortment of vitamins from pieces of these products, since they do not lose their beneficial properties when frozen.
- Pancakes with filling. You can prepare a tray of pancakes in advance and then fry them as needed without even defrosting, or reheat them in the microwave.
- Meat in marinade. It can be stored in the freezer for several months in a row. The main thing is to cook it immediately after defrosting.
- Curd casseroles. It will be enough to heat the product in the oven or microwave, after which it can be eaten.
- Cooked rice. In the future, it can be used as a side dish by frying it in a frying pan.
- Pie. On weekends, you can make more pie and store the remaining pieces in the freezer and reheat in the microwave if necessary.
- Herbs. They can be frozen either fresh or dried, and added to soups and broths throughout the year.
- Milk. It should be stored in a bottle that is not completely filled with liquid, since the volume of liquid increases when frozen.
- Juices. Drinks will not lose their taste and aroma at sub-zero temperatures, but it is also worth remembering that you need to pour the liquid into a large bottle.
- Chopped vegetables. Pre-prepared peppers or eggplant from the freezer will help you prepare soup and other dishes as quickly as possible.
- Lemons or oranges. These fruits can be cut into slices and saved for making desserts.
- Bread. It can be stored in the freezer for no more than a week. After seven days it will be unfit for consumption.
- Tomato paste. The finished product can be poured into a bag to store liquid, and later used for making soups.
- Mashed potatoes. There is no need to throw away the leftovers of this dish - it can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months.
- Fish sticks. They can be stored at sub-zero temperatures for quite a long time. After defrosting, fry them in sunflower oil and serve.
- Waffles. To make them crispy again after defrosting, just reheat them in the oven or microwave.
- Fried pies. They can be stored at sub-zero temperatures for no more than a month - after that they lose their taste.
How to freeze food correctly: useful tips
Before putting food in the freezer, you need to prepare it, because incorrect actions on your part can lead to rapid spoilage of food.
Here are some tips for freezing various foods:
- Before freezing, it is better to cut meat and fish into large pieces - after defrosting they will be easier to cook, but as for fish - after freezing it will be much more difficult to cut up its carcass.
- Before freezing, the meat must be washed and then dried with a towel.
- Before freezing, mushrooms, vegetables and fruits should also be thoroughly rinsed under running water and then dried on a kitchen towel.
- Products should be packaged in airtight containers or bags to prevent them from spoiling in the same freezer.
- In bottles containing juice, milk or other liquid, leave about three-quarters of the space free.
- The finished dough must be frozen on parchment paper, as it may stick to the bag.
- Vegetables should be cut into pieces immediately - in the future you can instantly use them to prepare various dishes without waiting for defrosting.
- Fresh herbs are especially important in winter. How to freeze it? Chop your favorite dill, parsley and other herbs, distribute into ice cube trays and fill with water - such cubes will be convenient to take out for adding, for example, to soups.
- Hard cheese needs to be cut and placed in a container, adding a little starch between the slices so that they do not stick together.
- Ready-made baby puree cannot be frozen in glass jars - it is better to pour it into a small plastic container and close it with an airtight lid.
This is how you can easily prepare your favorite products at any time of the year. With proper preparation and freezing, you can keep your food fresh without spoiling it.
And this is in the midst of summer, when everything is fresh and cheap, take it - I don’t want it! The surprise caused by this fact did not find a response among colleagues: it turned out that many of them also buy frozen vegetables all year round. The reasons are simple: it’s fast, convenient, relatively healthy, and you don’t have to sweat it out in the kitchen at all.
FOOD FOR THE BUSY AND LAZY
Today, when women have less and less time for housekeeping, semi-finished products have become a good solution for many housewives. Bright bags of frozen vegetable mixtures look especially attractive: pour them into a frying pan and in 10 minutes a delicious and healthy stew is ready for dinner!
Frozen vegetables have undeniable advantages, and you can’t argue with that:
* High quality and safety. Before entering the freezers, all fruits undergo strict inspection, and only vegetables and fruits of high quality and a certain degree of ripeness are allowed to be frozen. An important point: only seasonal vegetables and fruits are used for freezing, which means that the concentration of benefits and taste in them is maximum, and the amount of chemical additives and nitrates is minimal.
* Naturalness. When freezing products, dyes, food additives, flavor enhancers, preservatives and other achievements of the chemical industry are not used.
* Convenience and speed of preparation. Caring producers have already washed, peeled, cut the vegetables and even mixed them in the right proportion. The task facing the consumer is minimal: prepare the contents in accordance with the recommendations on the package and eat with pleasure!
* Variety. A wide range of vegetables and fruits - both mono and in the form of mixtures - makes it possible to diversify the menu quickly and without hassle. Mixtures with asparagus, green beans, and mushrooms are very popular. Creative people can independently combine different types of frozen products, and those who are not used to imagining in the kitchen will successfully use ready-made mixtures.
Do no harm
Despite such a wide range of various advantages, experts are sure: buying frozen mixtures in the summer is not only impractical for economic reasons (see the "KP" calculation book), but also simply stupid!
The lack of vitamins is especially acute at the end of winter and spring - it is at this time that various frozen mixtures come to our aid, says nutritionist Larisa Butkova. - And, despite the fact that the nutritional value of frozen vegetables is well preserved during long-term storage, since the time from the moment they are collected to freezing is reduced as much as possible, I can’t imagine how you can buy such mixtures in the summer.
According to the nutritionist, the main problem lies in the fact that Ukrainians perceive frozen vegetables not as a seasonal replacement for fresh ones, but as an out-of-season independent dish, but this is fundamentally wrong. For example, in Europe, many nutritionists strongly recommend consuming various frozen vegetables daily, but only in winter and spring.
For us, vegetables from a bag are not a surrogate designed to replace the usual zucchini
ki, cabbage and tomatoes, and a new dish. However, the nutritionist says, modern Ukrainians also have healthy food preferences, and the main one is the relatively low demand for frozen potatoes.
If we are quite comparable in consumption of frozen vegetables to residents of Europe and America, then we eat much less potatoes from the freezer than they do, says Butkova. - Our compatriots perceive deep-fried potatoes (peeled and cut into strips) as fast food, and not as a daily home-cooked meal, and here we are absolutely right!
WE MAKE THE MIXTURE EVEN HEALTHIER
When frozen, even if it is fast and deep, some vitamins and microelements are still lost and the energy value of the product decreases. The largest vitamin loss when freezing vegetables concerns vitamin C - up to 25 percent. Losses of other vitamins are less significant and are within 10 percent.
It’s easy to make a dish of frozen vegetables healthier: just add fresh ones to them. As we have already agreed, we are not talking about the summer-autumn period at all - at this time you need to use exclusively fresh products. In winter, you can (and should!) add fresh carrots, onions, and garlic to the prepared mixtures - they are sold all year round and are quite affordable even for the wallet of the average Ukrainian.
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Photo by Maxim LYUKOV.
TIPS "KP"
The optimal shelf life of frozen vegetables and fruits is up to six months. The shorter the product has been frozen, the better.
Give preference to vegetables that have been quickly deep frozen at a temperature of -35 degrees (this is indicated on the package). This freezing preserves the vitamins in the product to the maximum.
If frozen vegetables have stuck together into a homogeneous mass, do not buy it - this indicates that during storage and transportation the product was defrosted, and quite possibly more than once.
Do not defrost vegetables under running hot water - this will wash away all the useful things that are still left in them.
If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, heart, gastritis, swelling, then it is better not to fry the frozen mixture, but to boil it.
COUNTER "KP"
Now you can buy:
tomatoes - 10 UAH/kg,
bell pepper - 10 UAH/kg,
cauliflower - 9 UAH/kg,
asparagus - 15 UAH/kg,
carrots - 5 UAH/kg,
zucchini - 4 UAH/kg.
Thus, the simplest calculations show that a vegetable mixture prepared with one’s own hands will cost 8-10 UAH/kg, depending on the ingredients. That is, when buying mixtures, we overpay two or three times - this is our payment for our own laziness.
MONEY
How much do frozen vegetables and mixtures cost in the supermarket*
French fries (by weight) 17.75 UAH/kg
Green beans (by weight) 19.38 UAH/kg
Broccoli (by weight) 27.38 UAH/kg
Andalusian mixture (carrots, asparagus, corn, peas - by weight) 15.75 UAH/kg
Green beans (packaged) 37.73 UAH/kg
Green peas (packaged) 28.92 UAH/kg
Broccoli (packaged) 41.08 UAH/kg
Vegetables for frying (packaged) 30-40 UAH/kg
ON THE TOPIC
Home freezing: pros and cons
Today there is no problem in freezing vegetables for the winter yourself - the main thing is to have a spacious freezer at home. Many housewives do just this - after all, this method allows you to save a lot (see Calculator "KP".). In addition, if the vegetables for freezing are grown in your own garden, you can be sure that only the best fruits went into winter supplies.
The downside is that during home freezing, vitamins are lost due to insufficiently low temperatures. Mixtures prepared in industrial conditions benefit in this case: they are prepared using quick freezing technology. Low temperature and high freezing speed ensure the formation of very small ice crystals that do not damage the structure of vegetables and fruits, which guarantees the preservation of the taste, shape and benefits of nature's gifts.