Freezing is a simple and accessible way to keep vegetables fresh. Of course, they will not be as tasty as from the garden. But there is one huge advantage - all the nutrients are retained in the products.
Is it possible to freeze tomatoes, you ask? Certainly! This is what my article today will be about.
Last year I already made such a preparation, and I was very pleased with the result. Used in winter for meat and pizza, and also stewed potatoes and added to roast. This year I will do the same. Try it, I assure you, you will be satisfied.
Take ripe and dense tomatoes, I take cream, they have a thick skin, little juice and a lot of pulp. Even pureed from them turns out thick like a paste. After all, we don’t need to freeze the water, and this variety contains only pulp, a few seeds and a dense skin.
How to properly freeze tomatoes for the winter in the freezer at home
Freezing vegetables is even easier than canning. To do this, you only need the main product, in our case tomatoes, and a freezer. The next step is preparing the tomatoes.
For freezing, it is recommended to choose fleshy tomatoes; they are not very watery and are better preserved as the temperature decreases.
They need to be washed and dried (you can simply lay them out on a towel or wipe them off).
Now the vegetables need to be cut into slices or circles.
There are other processing methods, it all depends on what the tomatoes will be used for. After cutting, they need to be frozen.
To do this, you will need a flat cup, tray, baking sheet or cutting board, the main thing is that it fits in the freezer. Wrap the item in a bag or cling film, spread out the chopped tomatoes and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours (ideally, if the temperature is set to at least -20°C).
Advice from experienced housewives! You don't have to wait until harvest to start freezing vegetables. If you have a couple of tomatoes left over while preparing dinner, you can immediately put them in the refrigerator.
After the time has passed, the frozen tomatoes need to be taken out, put into bags, sealed tightly (so that foreign odors are not absorbed) and put in the freezer for storage.
Preparing the refrigerator
Technological processes are in constant search. Every year, inventions appear in various directions with new and improved models of household appliances, which have many functions and help housewives. Modern freezers, chambers, and refrigerators fall into this category.
Home freezers are equipped with a blast freezing section, thanks to which many types of vegetables, as well as delicate, capricious tomatoes, are cooled quickly enough. During freezing, the beneficial qualities of the product and external indicators are preserved.
Preparatory processes are carried out in a standard way. The chamber is defrosted, washed, dried, and ventilated. Eliminates possible foreign odors from the compartments. The compartment intended for freezing tomatoes must be empty and have as much free space as possible.
See also
How to properly freeze apples for the winter at home in the freezer and rules for storing fruit
Read
What tomatoes can be frozen and how to prepare them
Of course, you can harvest any tomatoes. But there are still a number of tips and recommendations for this case.
I will share them with our readers:
- It is better not to take early varieties. It is believed that they contain a minimal amount of vitamins and microelements, so ideally it is better to use them only for food. Plus, early ripening varieties usually taste sour and contain a lot of water, and after freezing they will become completely tasteless.
- Freeze tomatoes from your own garden. We know nothing about purchased vegetables - where they were grown, what they were fertilized with, when they were picked. There are also sellers who treat tomatoes with chemicals before selling them. Of course, it is better not to take such products. As a last resort, you can buy from a trusted person. And by the way, tomatoes from open ground are better suited for freezing than greenhouse tomatoes.
- Pay attention to the appearance of vegetables. They must be whole, ripe (but not overripe!), without damage or rot or any other suspicious spots. It is also better not to use very large tomatoes - medium-sized tomatoes are ideal.
Well, of course, you need fresh vegetables, and not those that have been lying around for a week. It is also important that they are washed and with dry skin.
How to freeze tomatoes for the winter in the freezer fresh (whole and cut into pieces)
The situation is easiest with whole vegetables. They just need to be washed, dried, placed on a flat tray or baking sheet and put in the freezer for several hours.
Afterwards, it is recommended to put each tomato in a separate bag, seal it well and put it away for further storage.
This might come in handy! You can cut the tomatoes into cubes and freeze them with herbs (parsley and dill). Mix the ingredients, place in small molds and put in the refrigerator until winter.
Tomatoes cut into slices are often frozen. In this case, you can remove the skin or leave it on, it doesn’t matter. Pieces of vegetables also need to be pre-frozen in an unfolded form, and then put into containers or bags, closed and put away until required.
Reviews from housewives: who dared to freeze tomatoes and what happened
Tomatoes and bell peppers. I cut them into cubes, also put them into bags in portions, remove all the air and put them in the freezer.
Frozen vegetables are great in soups or stir-fries.
Victoria from Orena
https://otzovik.com/review_291809.html
Tomatoes go very well if you grind them in a blender and put them in bags (or containers), then put them in the freezer. In winter, I took it out, chopped it off with a knife as much as needed and added it to the soup, or when stewing something. The summer aroma was felt, and so was the taste.
Cheboksarochka
https://www.babyplan.ru/questions/134812-kto-nibud-morozil-pomidory/#ixzz5QhHXe6hR
It won't work for a salad - they melt! It turns out quiche mish. like when Victoria unfreezes. but for stew borscht is just right
ChamomileWhite
https://www.babyplan.ru/questions/134812-kto-nibud-morozil-pomidory/#ixzz5QhHi2GdS
We froze in the following way: blanch, remove the skin, blend with herbs and grow a little. oils (I read that somewhere). In portioned containers. Used: for scrambled eggs. It’s still better with live tomatoes, but my husband liked it anyway. I didn't want to do it a second time. Into the soup. - so-so. I liked the borscht better. I came to a conclusion - I will do this a little, for borscht (you can also use it as a filling for cabbage rolls when cooking). Option: whole cherry tomatoes. I didn’t even think how well things would work out for me with them. I froze it simply because it was a shame to throw it away. A lot of. So here it is. One day we fried pork kebab. The meat was a bit tough and so-so. They “gnawed” a little, a lot remained. I decided that now I would play all this very well. I trimmed off the blatantly burnt part, put it in a cauldron, added these very frozen cherry tomatoes, frozen eggplants, a drop of water - and into the oven. How delicious everything turned out! The meat absorbed the juice from the vegetables, stewed and softened; You can’t even tell that the cherry tomatoes were frozen. This surprised me very much. In principle, I like eggplants frozen. The smoky taste from the meat added a special piquancy. I took note of the dish. I think I will repeat it on purpose. Conclusion - I’ll still freeze the cherry tomatoes
ly_joyful
https://www.babyplan.ru/questions/134812-kto-nibud-morozil-pomidory/#ixzz5QhI1q0in
Frozen tomatoes for the winter for salad and pizza
To prepare a warm salad and for pizza, tomatoes are usually cut into slices. It is better to choose medium-sized or large vegetables. They need to be washed, dried, spread on a towel, and cut into circles, but not too thin.
Now you need to take a board, cover it with parchment or cling film, place the chopped tomatoes at a short distance from each other and put them in the freezer for several hours (you can leave them overnight if you started preparing in the evening).
Once the time has elapsed, the finished hardened rings should be divided into portioned bags, hermetically sealed and stored until winter.
Advice! It is advisable to cut out the place where the stem was attached to the tomato. This will be problematic for defrosted vegetables.
Tomatoes for salad, frozen whole in the freezer
For freezing whole, it is better to choose ripe, fleshy, medium-sized tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. This type of freezing is convenient for making pizza, sandwiches, first and second courses, and baking. Cherries are suitable for whole roasting, decorating main courses and for salads. Larger specimens can also be used for salads and preparing various dishes.
Before freezing, vegetables are thoroughly washed, dried with a towel, then placed in a dry bag and put in the freezer until needed.
Watch how to do it correctly in this short video.
Summarizing all the described methods, we can say that tomatoes can be frozen, either cut into slices or pieces, or whole. After all, frozen whole fruits, after defrosting, can also be cut into slices before preparing a dish, for example, for pizza, slices for salad or small pieces for seasoning soups and preparing sauce. How to do it better, choose at your own discretion.
How to freeze tomato puree in the freezer
An excellent type of preparation for those who do not like store-bought tomato paste, but prefer a home-made product. The only ingredients you need are tomatoes and salt.
And now the recipe itself:
- Cut vegetables into large pieces (small and medium in half, large into 4 or 8 parts);
- Place deeper in a baking tray, add salt (salt is optional);
- Place in an oven preheated to 180°C for one and a half to two hours (this is necessary so that all unnecessary liquid is removed from the tomatoes, you will get sun-dried tomatoes);
- Remove the vegetables and cool at room temperature;
- Grind through a fine sieve.
Puree tomatoes should be poured into silicone molds (used for baking) and placed in the freezer. When the paste has completely hardened, remove it from the molds, put it in a container or package it in bags and put it in the refrigerator until needed. Beauty!
Alternative way
Another option for preparing puree for the winter is also suitable. Here you need to first cut out the stalks, remove the skins from the tomatoes (so that you don’t have to grind them later), cut them arbitrarily and place them in a saucepan or pan with a thick bottom.
First, turn on high heat, when it boils, turn it to low and simmer the vegetables without covering with a lid. The goal is to soften the tomatoes and evaporate excess water.
When you get a homogeneous mass, remove from the stove, cool and put in molds for freezing, put in the refrigerator until hardened. Ready-made tomato puree briquettes can be stored in containers or bags.
Rules for freezing tomatoes
Above, we have already described what vegetables should be like – ripe, clean, without any type of damage.
We would like to share some more secrets so that tomatoes remain tasty and, most importantly, healthy:
- You can use spices and seasonings, but not salt, otherwise the vegetables will release water and be tasteless;
- Freezing in any form is allowed - whole, cut, crushed, even tomato juice can be frozen;
- It is ideal for storage to use hermetically sealed containers that can withstand low temperatures - these can be plastic containers, bags with a zip fastener;
- Experienced housewives advise labeling containers that have been frozen (write for at least a year) - you will know what has been lying around for a long time and should be thrown away;
- It is better to lay out vegetables in portions - take them out and use them immediately (multiple freezing will only spoil the tomatoes);
- The ideal option is a “No Frost” refrigerator (the so-called shock or quick freezing allows you to prepare vegetables as quickly as possible and at the same time preserve all the beneficial properties).
The advantages of this type of preparation include the speed of the process itself, the preservation of vitamins and fresh taste, as well as many cooking options. But there are also disadvantages - it requires space in the freezer, tomatoes change consistency, and the correct temperature regime is also necessary.
Whole frozen
The easiest way to freeze tomatoes is to freeze them whole. They will take up a little more space, but the preparation time will take a minimum.
Whole tomatoes are frozen in the following way:
- Rinse the fruits and dry well.
- Place them in portions in bags.
- Additionally, freezing is not necessary, since the thick skin will prevent the fruits from sticking together.
- Tie the bags tightly and store them.
- Cherry tomatoes are even easier to preserve whole. Thinness - it is recommended to prick them slightly so that the skin does not crack.
Advice If you grow tomatoes on your own plot, then pick the fruits immediately before freezing. This way they will retain much more vitamins.
Use turbo freezing so that the fruits do not freeze gradually from the edge to the center, but immediately and completely. It is the shock mode that allows you to preserve tomatoes in their original form.
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How long do frozen tomatoes last?
Let’s say right away that frozen tomatoes can be stored for up to 12 months: at a temperature of -18°C for ten months, below -20°C for a year.
Here are some more rules on the topic of this section:
- The container must be closed;
- If vegetables begin to thaw, do not refreeze them;
- Tomatoes must be dry when placed in the refrigerator;
- Do not use spoiled or stale raw materials.
You also need to know how to defrost the product. For example, whole tomatoes should be left at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and used immediately.
Attention! It is allowed to use the microwave oven in the “Defrost” mode.
The pizza slices do not need to be thawed at all, but simply placed on a sheet before placing in the oven. Mashed potatoes for first courses can be immediately placed in the pan without waiting for defrosting.
