Freezing serves to keep food longer. Vegetables like cabbage can also be frozen, even if it doesn’t seem like the usual thing. Find out in this article how you should do it.
Vegetables are foods that tend to break down faster than other edible products. Fortunately, you can use freezing and thus preserve them for longer. This time we tell you what is the correct way to freeze cabbage at home.
In this food, there are vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, and fiber. Therefore, before it expires, you should learn the steps you have to follow in order not to waste these nutrients. Keep reading more on this topic.
Why freeze cabbage?
Freezing is a quick and simple method of preserving vegetables and animal products. With this technique, the natural color, fresh taste and nutritional value of most of them can be maintained.
In relation to this, the article “Forms of food preservation” explains that low temperatures slow or inhibit the growth and activity of microorganisms. In fact, the lower the degrees Celsius, the slower the reactions that allow bacteria and fungi to grow.
While all-natural foods have nutrients that are beneficial to the body, the study “Foods with anti-inflammatory effect” suggests that cabbage has a powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial and preventive effect on inflammatory diseases.
One of those responsible for this activity is sulforaphane, which is also found in other vegetables of the cruciferous family. The broccoli is another plant in this category that also abounds in this active ingredient.
Generally, cabbage will last up to 14 days in the refrigerator. But if you have an amount that you know you will not eat in that period of time, it is advisable that you freeze it to prevent it from spoiling and have it available at another time.
you must first wash the cabbage with safe water and then discard the outer parts, thick leaves, and areas that are damaged. Also, you have to cut it into small pieces or separate it sheet by sheet.
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How to proceed after bleaching it?
After doing this, you can continue with the freezing. We explain the step by step:
- First, you have to drain the blanched cabbage and let it dry completely.
- Then, you have to separate the amount that you are going to use in each meal and based on that, store it in different containers. Never put everything together because it is not advisable at all to defrost and then put it back in the freezer.
- To continue, you have to put it in containers with a lid or in suitable packaging. These include lids and zip-lock plastic bags suitable for freezing.
- Then it only remains to label or label each container. This process is necessary to know the exact date you saved your food. This way, you can determine how long they will keep.
Keep in mind that with this process, food undergoes slow changes, so it does not maintain its quality indefinitely. In this case, the frozen cabbage lasts between 9 months and 1 year. Later, its properties begin to dissipate and its flavor is affected.
How to freeze cabbage without blanching it?
While the described technique is advisable for all the vegetables you choose to freeze, you can do it without this step. But consider that its structure tends to collapse when frozen and that bleaching will help preserve it better.
Step by Step
To do this, you have to wash the cabbage with safe water. Then follow these directions:
- Cut into pieces or separate into sheets for washing. To do this, you need to soak them in 1 liter of water and 5 drops of kitchen-safe bleach for 10 minutes. In this way, it seeks to eliminate the microorganisms that it may contain.
- Drain completely and proceed in the same way as explained in the previous section. That is, keep it in suitable containers and label them with the date.
Remember that you can also do it this way, but that the result will not be the same. In addition, the preservation time will be less compared to that applied by the blanching technique, since the enzymes in the food will continue to be active.
How to use frozen cabbage?
Once placed in the freezer, it no longer needs to go through a defrosting process. You can remove it when you need it and add it to the container where it will be cooked directly.
In this way, you can boil it to accompany other vegetables, sauté it, use it as a filling for tacos and salads, among other foods. The organization is a key step to take advantage of this modality. You must organize yourself well so that your freezer has order and labeling to avoid complications when cooking.
