TOP 10 recipes for freezing fresh and fried zucchini at home for the winter

During the summer season, the body can obtain sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals from fresh vegetables and fruits. With the onset of cold weather, it is recommended to freeze a certain amount of fresh vegetables from the garden in order to be able to receive all the beneficial substances at any time. Below is detailed information on how to freeze tasty and healthy zucchini for the winter, what recipe options are available, and how to properly store the preparations.

Is it possible to freeze zucchini?

Before starting to stock up, owners of their own gardens first of all ask themselves the question: is zucchini even suitable for freezing? Does it make sense to store it in the freezer, hoping that it will not lose the vitamins it contains?

It is recommended to freeze zucchini for the winter if during the cold season you want to have preserved vegetables, the beneficial properties of which cannot be compared with canned or imported products that are offered on store shelves.

After all, only in fruits grown yourself can you be sure that they do not contain preservatives, nitrates and other harmful substances that are added to vegetables and fruits during industrial production.

And freezing is a great way to preserve all-natural foods and be able to eat them at any time of the year.

How to choose vegetables to prepare for the winter

In order to be able to eat healthy and tasty in winter, you need to choose the right vegetables to freeze. When harvesting, all fruits should be divided into two categories - those that are best eaten now, fresh, and those that are suitable for freezing for the winter.

For storage in the freezer, the most successful are young zucchini or squash. It is recommended to choose light-colored, small-sized fruits - later, when preparing frozen vegetables, they will turn out best - the middle of zucchini that is too large will become boiled, and the skin will be hard and dry.

Frozen small zucchini can be cooked evenly and retain its taste.

Zucchini is considered not a very good option for freezing for the winter - such fruits contain too much liquid, which is not suitable for storage at low temperatures. Zucchini with the least amount of liquid in them is suitable for freezing - then the cooked vegetables will not be tough and will retain their good taste. It is recommended to choose zucchini with thin skin and small seeds.

Preparing the refrigerator

The refrigerator does not require particularly careful preparation before placing the zucchini in it, but, nevertheless, in order to preserve the best taste of vegetables, it is necessary to follow several recommendations:

1. Remove from the freezer or from the separate compartment where the zucchini will be stored all products that emit strong odors. If the flavors mix with each other for a long time, this will affect the taste, therefore, in order to preserve the pure taste of the fruit, it is recommended to store them separately from other products.
2. Place the freezer at a low temperature to create the effect of stress freezing (this method preserves the taste and vitamins of zucchini). For primary freezing, zucchini should be sent either to the “Fast/Super freeze” compartment, or set to the lowest temperature in the common chamber, and raise it to the usual temperature after a certain amount of time has passed.
3. Another important point is the preparation of containers in which vegetables will be stored. The best option is plastic bags, from which it is necessary to remove as much air as possible (this will allow the vegetables to last longer).

Methods for freezing zucchini at home

Below are some of the most popular ways to freeze zucchini for the winter, preserving its good sweet taste and all its beneficial qualities.

Freezing fresh zucchini rings

In fact, there is no single option on how to properly freeze zucchini for the winter. Modern cooking knows several methods, and the choice of one of them depends on the intentions in the further preparation of frozen vegetables and, of course, on individual preferences.

One of the most popular options for storing zucchini in the freezer is freezing vegetables, cut into rings.

This option will be convenient for further preparation of dishes with zucchini (for example, a fried side dish or casserole) and is easy to implement.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Cut washed and well-dried vegetables into rings, the thickness of which should vary between one and a half centimeters.
2. Place the rings on a previously prepared dish (it is recommended to cover it with plastic wrap or a bag to prevent the vegetables from freezing to the dish).
3. If you plan to freeze a lot of zucchini, they are laid out in several layers, separated from each other by polyethylene, so that the fruits do not freeze together.
4. Place the dish in the freezer. It is recommended to use “stress” freezing.
5. After the vegetables are frozen, they should be removed from the dish and placed in a separate bag or container for storage.

Diced

Freezing zucchini in cubes is no more difficult than in rings. The fundamental difference is only in the form of cutting vegetables - for this method they should be cut into small cubes of equal sizes (1.5-2 centimeters).Storage for this type of freezing is recommended in portions, because small cubes will be difficult to separate from each other for adding to dishes.

With vegetables and rice

One option for preparing a complete zucchini dish in the freezer is to freeze the vegetable mixture with rice. Thus, you get a ready-made side dish that does not require additional ingredients - it is perfect with meat or as an independent dietary dish.

Cooking method:

1. Prepare vegetables: onions, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes. Cut into cubes of the same size.
2. Sauté the vegetable mixture in a frying pan with olive oil. Braising time is about half an hour, over low heat. Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.
3. Mix the stewed vegetables with boiled rice. Cool the stew and portion it into separate containers, then freeze it.

With greens

To better preserve the taste of fresh zucchini and give it a special charm, you can freeze vegetables with fresh herbs. The preparation method is not very complicated - everything is done in the same way as conventional freezing in rings. The only difference is that before putting the vegetable in the freezer, you need to sprinkle it with herbs (preferably dill, this is the most successful combination for cooking).

For baby food

You can use zucchini to prepare food for your child for the winter - if you make it yourself from vegetables from the garden, it will be tastier and healthier than store-bought counterparts. To prepare baby food, finely chopped zucchini is crushed in a blender and poured into ice cube trays.

In this form, the vegetable is sent for initial freezing, after which the resulting forms should be folded into portions and stored in the freezer.For one dose, a child will need two or three cubes.

Freezing fried zucchini

Another popular method is freezing already prepared, fried zucchini. In this case, the dish will only need to be heated in the microwave before eating. Before frying, zucchini must be treated with the necessary spices (salt, pepper) and rolled on both sides in flour. After frying, they must be cooled and then sent to the freezer, separating each layer of vegetables with polyethylene.

Grated zucchini and zucchini puree

Freezing grated zucchini involves using all the fruits, regardless of size and amount of liquid in them.

Before cooking, it is necessary to remove all large hard seeds and remove the peel from large fruits (this is acceptable on young zucchini). The vegetables are grated on a coarse grater, and the moisture is removed from all the resulting pulp before freezing. Zucchini puree is frozen in the same way, and other root vegetables are added to it - for example, carrots or pumpkin.

Temperature and shelf life

The main storage rule is that frozen zucchini cannot be removed from the freezer for a long time and then sent there again. Temperature changes are extremely undesirable, otherwise the vegetable will lose its taste and beneficial properties. The optimal temperature for permanent storage is from 10 to 20 degrees Celsius. Shelf life – no more than 10 months.

Rules for defrosting zucchini

In order for the workpiece to defrost properly, it is placed at room temperature. It is not recommended to immediately place frozen vegetables on a hot stove - frozen ice will turn into water, which will affect the taste and quality of the dish.The exception is vegetable stew, which is suitable for stewing until ready immediately after the freezer.