How to properly freeze raspberries for the winter in the refrigerator at home

The summer season allows you to saturate your body with useful microelements and vitamins. At this time there are a lot of fresh berries that are beneficial. Unfortunately, in winter it is either difficult to find fresh berries, or they are unaffordable. You can solve the problem by preparing them in the form of compotes and jam, however, this option is not very attractive. Raspberry jam, when heat treated, loses two-thirds of its benefits. Experts recommend freezing the product fresh. The main thing is to know how to freeze raspberries correctly.

Features of freezing raspberries for the winter

When preparing raspberries for freezing, be sure to consider the storage location of the product. If you have a large refrigerator or separate freezer, this is not a problem. It is enough to put the berries in a separate container and place it away from meat and fish products that have a strong odor. If the refrigerator is small, you need to choose the container more carefully. It should have a tight-fitting lid. Such containers can be found in any hardware store.

It is also better to defrost and wash the freezer first to remove foreign odors.

You can also use plastic bags that have a special fastener for storage. This will allow you to package the berries in small portions, which can be used immediately after picking. This will make it possible to eliminate secondary freezing, after which a significant part of the vitamins is lost. In addition, large quantities of raspberries may lose their shape under their own weight before they freeze.

Product selection and preparation

In order to get dry raspberries after defrosting, and not a sticky mass covered with a layer of ice, you need to know the rules of this process:

1. You need to choose only freshly picked, whole berries for freezing, without defects or damage. This is an important circumstance that must be observed.
2. The collected raw materials should be carefully sorted, putting aside the crushed and rotten berries, as well as removing any leaves and other debris that have fallen there. If the raspberries are not very clean, it is better to wash them carefully.
3. To remove insects, raspberries need to be soaked for 15 minutes in salted water at room temperature.After time, remove the debris with a slotted spoon, and rinse the raspberries several times to remove the salt.
4. Treated raspberries should be dried on a cotton towel, which will absorb excess moisture. For freezing, only dry berries are used. The container must also be clean and dry.

It is best to initially freeze the raspberries in one layer, carefully laying them out on a special board so that the berries do not touch each other. Cover the top with cling film and place in the freezer for several hours. When they freeze, they are transferred to prepared containers.

Many people advise not to use bags, although this is convenient, but to use small containers, since raspberries are quite fragile. If the choice is made in favor of this storage method, then they need to be placed in a separate place in the top layer.

It is important that freezing occurs at a temperature no higher than minus 18 °C. This so-called deep freezing allows you to preserve all the beneficial properties of the product throughout the year.

How to freeze raspberries at home

The main thing when freezing is to avoid mistakes. To do this, you need to carefully study the entire procurement process:

1. It is not recommended to use overripe raspberries for freezing. It will release juice and spread out.
2. Berries prepared for freezing must first be cooled for a few minutes in the refrigerator or in a draft. Otherwise, condensation will form, and in the freezer they will be covered with a layer of ice.
3. When dry freezing, do not wash raspberries. It is better to use it for purees or desserts.
4. At temperatures below 18 °C, all harmful bacilli and bacteria die, so there is no need to worry that unwashed berries will be dangerous after defrosting.
5. For convenience, it is better to use small flat containers with a lid. They will hold a little product. It is worth remembering that you cannot fill the container all the way to the lid. It is better to leave a small gap between the lid and the product.

The ideal option would be to choose plastic containers. Glassware may burst, and iron cookware may oxidize. The minimum freezing temperature is -18-22 °C, the maximum is up to -40 °C.
Let's take a closer look at the different types of freezing.

Whole berry

To freeze raspberries without cooking, the berries are sorted and prepared as described above. If necessary, wash and dry. Lay out fresh raspberries on a board or flat surface and put them in the freezer. After a few hours, they are placed in prepared containers and sent for storage.

Whole raspberries with sugar

Typically this method is used if the berry is very ripe and juicy. The basic steps are the same as for regular freezing. The difference is that each layer is sprinkled with sugar.

Raspberry puree

To obtain a puree, grind the raspberries using a blender or mortar.
Usually the bones are not removed, since they are small and practically not felt. The ratio of berries and sugar is 1:3. The composition is poured into containers and sent to the freezer. If stored in the refrigerator, the shelf life is six months.

Raspberry puree without seeds

To get seedless puree, it is prepared in the same way as in the previous recipe, but additionally rubbed through a colander. The finished product is stored in the freezer.

Sugarless

Frozen raspberries without sugar are an excellent nutritious product for people who care about their health. The berries, previously prepared in the classical way, are packaged in bags or containers and sent for storage.It’s even better to freeze raspberries with other berries; the result is healthy vitamin mixes that are pleasant to eat in winter.

In a container

Preparing in containers is an ideal option, allowing you to preserve all the vitamins and beneficial properties in the berries. The main thing is to prepare the berries correctly. You can put whole raspberries and puree in containers.

With sugar

The collected berries must be prepared properly, add sugar in the proportion: a glass per kilogram of raspberries and mix carefully without disturbing their integrity. Pack the resulting product into containers or bags and place it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Further storage

To get the maximum benefit from a prepared product, you need to know how long it can be stored in the freezer without losing its qualities:

1. If the storage temperature is within -18 °C, the shelf life is one year.
2. Higher temperatures, up to -15 °C, reduce the shelf life to six months.
3. A storage temperature of -12 °C means that the product should be consumed within three months.

It should also be taken into account that whole berries are stored slightly longer than pureed ones.

Rules for defrosting berries

By adhering to the following recommendations, you can eliminate many mistakes when defrosting:

1. It is better to freeze freshly picked berries, they contain much more useful substances.
2. To maintain their shape, you need to refrigerate the raspberries. It will not become limp after defrosting.
3. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make the puree. This will avoid oxidation from the metal.
4. The container must be small in order to use its volume immediately after defrosting.
5. The product must be defrosted in the refrigerator. This will preserve the integrity and flavor of the fruit.
6. Repeated freezing is excluded. With it, the berries lose two-thirds of their beneficial qualities.

To enjoy raspberries in winter, you just need to learn some rules for freezing this berry and strictly follow them.