How can you freeze bell peppers for the winter in the freezer at home fresh

How to properly freeze bell peppers for the winter? This question is asked by housewives who want to preserve the beneficial properties of the product for a long time. Freezing bell peppers, as well as preparing them for conservation, have nuances that must be taken into account when preserving the product for a long time.

Is it possible to freeze bell peppers for the winter

Freezing food is perhaps the most useful type of preservation. The fruits and vegetables in the freezer not only do not spoil, but also retain the maximum amount of useful vitamins and minerals.

In addition, it is convenient - the preparation of vegetables, containers and the freezer takes much less time than rolling peppers into glass jars and drying vegetables.

Attention! Of course, frozen peppers can be purchased in the store or, if desired, in the cold season, you can find fresh vegetables in the supermarket. When buying frozen vegetables, there is a risk of purchasing a product that is repeatedly frozen. In addition, it is not known the bottom whether the peppers were frozen fresh or were they already starting to deteriorate?

Buying fresh fruit does not always meet expectations: instead of a fragrant, beautiful and fresh vegetable, you can purchase a dried-up pepper at a high cost.

Selecting and preparing a vegetable before starting the process

In order for frozen vegetables to preserve their taste and vitamins as much as possible, it is necessary to choose the right fruits for freezing. So, for the preservation of green, red and yellow sweet Bulgarian peppers, large fruits with a smooth skin that are not damaged by insects and rot are suitable. Vegetables will need to be rinsed under warm running water and allowed to dry. If you start freezing wet fruits, they can stick together, as a result, the product will lose its shape.

The seeds must be removed from the fruit and the stalk must be cut off. It is recommended to clean the insides by hand, as a knife can damage the inner walls of the vegetable.

When choosing bitter or hot chili peppers, they also pay attention to the appearance of the fruit. Only superficially perfect vegetables are frozen. The fruits are washed under running cold water and dried thoroughly. Hot chili peppers are harvested as a whole.

After the fruit has dried, you can proceed directly to freezing.It can be done in several ways, but first you need to get suitable utensils and prepare the refrigerator for freezing.

Attention! To "bring down" the spiciness of the chili pepper, before freezing the product is kept in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

Preparing the refrigerator

Before freezing the fruit, you must defrost and thoroughly wash the containers in the freezer and refrigerator. Drying time is required after washing. The dry and clean refrigerator is ready to freeze vegetables. When performing it, you should also observe the commercial neighborhood: for example, it is recommended to allocate a separate container for frozen peppers, and not even leave packed products next to meat and fish.

What dishes do you need

For freezing in the freezer, plastic boxes with a tight-fitting lid, cellophane and zip bags, as well as bags specially designed for freezing peppers are suitable.

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Attention! The product to be frozen must be sealed in a plastic container or bags (for reliability, the fruits are packed in 2-3 bags and tightly tied). Otherwise, other foods stored in the freezer will smell like bell pepper.

The best ways to freeze peppers at home

Bell peppers can be frozen in several ways, they are chosen depending on the subsequent use of the product and personal preferences.

Entirely in the freezer

After thorough washing and drying of the fruits, the bell peppers are frozen whole. This will allow you to stuff them in the future. For fresh vegetables, you will need to cut off the stalk and peel the fruit of seeds. Then they are laid out in one layer on a cutting board, wrapped with cling film and placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for 3-6 hours.

Then the fruits are folded one to one, separating the peppers with cellophane, or all vegetables are sent to a common container for further storage.

Halves

When preparing bell peppers, you can freeze them in halves. The advantage of this method is that the fruits harvested in this way will take up much less space in the freezer.

After washing, removing seeds and stalks, the fruits are cut in half lengthwise, then the halves of the vegetables are placed in small zip-bags, or tightly tied in ordinary cellophane bags. When distributing the fruits, it is necessary to determine the exact number of pepper halves to be used at one time. The fruits sorted in this way are removed to the freezer.

In pieces

Bell peppers can be prepared in slices, rings, cubes or strips for different types of dishes:

1. For stews, soups and gravy, cut vegetables into cubes.
2. For pizzas and pies, vegetables are cut into strips or casters.

To remove excess moisture (vegetable juice released when cutting fruits), the sliced ​​product is dried with paper napkins or towels before freezing. Next, the vegetables are placed in plastic bags, having previously released air from there, or in plastic, hermetically sealed containers.

Assorted stew

Sweet peppers are frozen as part of assorted vegetables. The most popular are the following types of frozen vegetables:

1. Paprikash. The assortment includes finely chopped peppers mixed with chopped zucchini, tomatoes and beans in pods.
2. Rustic mix. The assortment consists of finely diced potatoes, peppers, beans in pods, carrots, onions, corn. Broccoli is also added to this mixture. The vegetable is pre-blanched before adding to the assortment.
3. Lecho: cubes of blanched peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini.
4. Dressing for borscht: the mixture contains finely chopped peppers, tomatoes, beets. Onions and carrots are also added here.
5. Hawaiian mix: semi-cooked rice, chunks of pepper, corn and peas.

Freezing baked sweet peppers

Oven-baked vegetables are also frozen. The pods are washed, but the stalk and seeds are not removed. The products are placed on a greased baking sheet and sent to the oven for forty minutes. Take out the browned vegetables, put them in a saucepan and leave them like that for 15 minutes. Then, holding the fruit by the tail, remove the skin and carefully remove the insides.

The cleaned product is cut into small pieces, sorted into containers and filled with the juice formed during baking. Such a product can then be used for making salads.

Attention! Baked bell peppers can be frozen as a whole.

Freezing stuffed peppers

Bulgarian peppers are frozen and stuffed. For this, the finished semi-finished product is placed at a short distance from each other on a cutting board, wrapped in cellophane or cling film. Next, they are placed in the refrigerator for an hour, and after cooling, they are frozen in the freezer (if possible, set the lowest temperature possible). After freezing (it takes from 4 to 7 hours), the product is put in bags (air is removed from them beforehand) or containers and placed in the freezer.

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Attention! It is not recommended to freeze stuffed peppers for more than 8 hours. Otherwise, the moisture contained in the peppers will evaporate, and odors will exchange between the ingredients of the stuffed dish and other products stored in the freezer compartment.

With dill and parsley

In order for the pepper to get a rich aroma, it is frozen with dill and parsley. To do this, take 150-200 grams of greens and half a teaspoon of salt for 2-3 kilograms of pepper. Pepper and dill are thoroughly washed and soaked in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Then the water is changed and the greens are left for another 10-15 minutes. Shake the dill and parsley and dry. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the greens do not start to fade. After it is thoroughly crushed.

Attention! Freshly plucked parsley and dill are suitable for freezing Bulgarian peppers. It is such greens that have the brightest and most intense aroma, and also contain a large amount of useful vitamins and minerals.

Bulgarian peppers are freed from seeds, the stalks are cut off and cut in the necessary way (rings, cubes or strips). Next, greens and peppers are placed separately on different trays and frozen in the freezer for 24 hours. Previously, the ingredients are covered with cling film.

At the end of the preparation, the frozen peppers and greens are mixed, packed in pre-prepared containers or bags and sent for final freezing.

Temperature for freezing peppers and shelf life

In order for the frozen peppers to retain the maximum amount of vitamins and beneficial trace elements, the freezing temperature should not exceed -18 - - 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature rises, the product will be stored for a shorter amount of time.

Storage periods differ depending on the type of frozen product:

1. Fresh frozen peppers can be stored for up to 12 months.
2. Baked or blanched vegetables can be stored for up to 6 months.
3. Stuffed peppers can be stored for up to 7 months.

Attention! Before freezing, containers and packages with vegetables are marked. Indicate the approximate shelf life and date of freezing.

Is it permissible to re-freeze the product

Re-freezing the product will not spoil the bell peppers, but it will worsen the taste of the product, as well as negatively affect the amount of useful vitamins and minerals. In addition, such a product will lose its attractive appearance. To avoid this, re-freezing the bell pepper is undesirable.

How to properly defrost frozen peppers

The correct defrosting of Bulgarian peppers is as follows:

1. The vegetables, frozen as a whole, are left in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes, then defrost in the microwave for 5 minutes under the selected mode. An alternative way to defrost peppers is to leave them at room temperature for 15-20 minutes after the refrigerator.
2. Shredded chopped vegetables are placed in the microwave for 5 minutes, defrosting, and added to soups or stews.

Freezing bell peppers is a great way to preserve the beneficial properties of the product for a long time with a minimum amount of time and effort.

In order for the vegetable to retain its original appearance and taste, it is necessary to follow certain recommendations for the choice, method of freezing and storing peppers.