Freezing is one of the most effective ways to preserve nutrients and extend the shelf life of products . This method can be stored for a long time without worrying about its damage and loss of useful properties.
When it comes to healthy eating, it is important to remember that cooking at home is one of the best ways to provide yourself with balanced meals. However, we often simply just be lazy to cook something or no time. Sometimes it seems that it is too difficult to cook healthy dishes. However, what if there are methods, how will you help you simplify this process?
For example, freeze products. This allows you to preserve many nutrients, including vitamins and minerals that can be lost during long -term storage or heat treatment.
Read what foods you should start freezing to start eating properly and saving your time.
Fruits
Frozen fruits are the perfect solution for healthy eating. One of the advantages is that fruits do not lose their beneficial properties during freezing and retain taste. In addition, they are already cleaned or cut, which greatly facilitates their use during cooking.
If you have fresh fruits, just spread them on a baking tray and freeze, then store in sealed bags or containers. This method will allow you to keep the fruit for up to a year, and they will always be at hand for a strip, dessert or other dishes. Frozen fruits retain their qualities for up to 12 months.
Bouillon
Not everyone has a lot of time for a lunch break. So a good solution is to freeze the broth, which can then be used in the preparation of a variety of dishes. It is suitable for soups, stew, baked and even for the preparation of cereals without oil. The frozen broth is stored for up to six months, unlike how it perishes quickly in the refrigerator.
To freeze the broth, pour it into silicone or freezing bags. You can also use ice cubes to have convenient portions for sauces or stew. The frozen broth is thawed quickly and is conveniently added directly to the pan.
Ginger
Ginger is an ingredient with spicy taste and numerous digestive and health benefits that will give your dishes more spiciness. In frozen form, ginger retains all its useful properties, which is equally important. In addition, it can be added not only to dishes, but also to make delicious vitamin teas.
To freeze ginger, just place the crude root in a freezing package. During cooking, frozen ginger can be rubbed directly into the dish. You can also grind it before freezing. The whole ginger is stored for up to six months, and crushed-three to four months.
Vegetables
Vegetables, as well as fruits, are great for freezing. Not only do they retain most of their beneficial properties, they also allow you to enjoy the taste of various vegetables even outside their season. Frozen vegetables sold in stores are collected at the peak of their maturity, which allows to maintain the maximum content of nutrients and taste.
If you decide to freeze your own grown vegetables, then the process is not difficult. The first step is their preparation: cleaning, slicing and blanching (short -term immersion in boiling water and further cooling with cold water). It helps to preserve the taste, color and texture after freezing. Then the vegetables should be laid in one layer on a baking tray and put in the freezer. Once they are frozen, they can be transferred to bags or containers for long -term storage.
Groats, porridge
Groats and porridge are an important source of carbohydrates that are the main source of energy for the body. However, their preparation can take a long time, especially when it comes to more satisfying varieties, such as wild rice or quinoa.
To make them faster, you can prepare a large portion and freeze it for further use. Just prepare, for example, rice, cool it to room temperature, then spread in a layer on a baking tray and freeze.
Then, transfer the rice to freezing bags, remove excess air and store them in the freezer.
When it comes to use frozen grains, just transfer them to the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight for defrosting. Then they can be heated on a stove or in a microwave and added to a variety of dishes - soups, stew, pilaf.
Meat and seafood
Meat and seafood are excellent protein sources that add to your diet. Instead of buying them regularly, you can buy them during sale and freeze, which will save money and have ingredients at hand for a variety of dishes.
Meat or seafood can be frozen both raw and cooked. If you freeze the cooked products, be sure to allow them to cool to room temperature before placed in the freezer. Warm products can form condensation, which leads to the formation of ice crystals, which affect the texture when heated.
It is useful to freeze products in such portions that you can use at a time. For example, salmon fillet can be divided into separate packages or containers for freezing so that you do not thaw more than required. Grill chicken can be ground or cut into pieces before freezing.
