Frozen beets retain a maximum of vitamins and other nutrients. This preparation saves the housewife time when preparing first courses not only in winter, but also in summer. Another advantage of a frozen product is that you don’t need to get your hands and dishes dirty again. It is enough to grate a lot of beets once, put them in bags and put them in the freezer. But at the same time, you need to know how to properly freeze beets for the winter.
Is it possible to freeze beets for the winter?
Buryak can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator or cellar, but despite this, housewives often freeze it. This saves housewives time on preparing first courses and minimizes the amount of dirty dishes. When grating beets, the juice flies to the sides, getting on clothes and furniture. So why not grate a lot of vegetables at once and put the semi-finished product in the freezer?
It is worth immediately reassuring housewives who believe that there are no useful substances left in frozen vegetables. With this storage method, vitamins and minerals are preserved in their entirety.
Subtleties of freezing
Beetroot can be frozen raw or cooked.
To ensure that the product retains its beneficial substances, adhere to the following recommendations:
- Vegetables are frozen in portions, in bags or plastic boxes. The bag contains the volume of product required to prepare one dish.
- You should not refreeze the product, as this will lose all the beneficial properties.
- You can also freeze boiled beets whole. In this case, it is recommended to set the “Quick Freeze” function.
- Vegetables should be stored for no more than six months.
- Vegetables are stored separately from meat and seafood.
- When freezing whole vegetables, they are first washed and peeled.
For freezing, you should choose beet varieties with dark pulp. Vegetables should be fresh and firm.
Preparing the refrigerator before starting the process
Before freezing vegetables, the freezer drawer is emptied of excess food, washed and dried. Bags of beets are placed tightly in a dry box.
If the refrigerator is equipped with the “Quick Freeze” function, then set it for a couple of hours.
In this case, the vegetable is frozen quickly and the beneficial substances are preserved.If the refrigerator is not equipped with such a function, then the product is frozen at 10-15 degrees below zero. This temperature is considered optimal.
Plastic containers are often used to freeze chopped vegetables.
Methods for freezing beets at home
You can freeze root vegetables in different ways. It can be frozen whole, grated, cut into cubes or cut into strips.
Fresh beets
Many housewives store fresh beets in the freezer, pre-grated or cut with a knife:
- Young dark-colored beets are washed with a brush, dried with a paper towel and peeled.
- The root vegetable is grated or cut into strips.
- Place in small bags or containers and place in the freezer.
The date of storage is written on bags of semi-finished products. You can do this with a marker or stick pieces of paper with the date on the bags with tape. This will allow you to use the product in a timely manner.
When choosing beetroot for freezing, preference is given to root vegetables with one tail. If a vegetable has a lot of roots, then it is tough.
Boiled beets
Medium-sized table beets are washed and boiled until fully cooked in their skins. Drain the hot water, rinse the vegetables with cold water and cool. Peel, grate or cut into cubes. The finished product is divided into portions and each is placed in a thick plastic bag. Place the bags in the freezer and store at a temperature of 12-14 degrees below zero.
Experienced housewives recommend freezing both grated vegetables and diced products. Such semi-finished products are used for different types of salad.
Freezing tops
You can also freeze beet tops.This product is used to prepare green borscht and vitamin salads. Only young, light green leaves are suitable for freezing. They are soft and without hard veins. The tops are washed with running water, dried, spread on a towel, and finely chopped. The greens are packaged in bags, tied and sent to the freezer. It is recommended to store beet tops for no more than 8 months.
Beetroot puree
To prepare first courses and side dishes, you can freeze finely grated beets. For harvesting, choose young, strong root crops with one root. Vegetables are washed with a brush, dried with a towel and peeled. Grate it on a fine grater, squeeze out a little juice and put it in small bags or plastic containers.
Beetroot puree can be stored for six months, after which the vegetable loses its beneficial properties. It cannot be defrosted again, so the product is laid out in portions.
Beets are not recommended for people with diabetes, as the root vegetable contains a lot of sugar.
Preparation for borscht
You can freeze semi-finished borscht for the winter. For cooking you need to prepare the following products:
- beets - 2 kg;
- carrots - 2 kg;
- sweet pepper - 700 grams.
Beets and carrots are washed with a brush and peeled, peppers are cleaned of seeds. Root vegetables are grated on a coarse grater, the pepper is cut into cubes. The vegetables are mixed and placed in portions in small bags.
When preparing borscht, vegetables are fried in a frying pan along with tomatoes, and then poured into the pan.
Storage methods
You can store frozen vegetables in plastic bags and small plastic containers. But it’s worth considering that the bags fit more compactly in the freezer drawer.It is recommended to store beet puree in plastic containers. Vegetables in the freezer should be organized by type. Don't put everything in the freezer drawer together. Starting to look for one piece, you will have to pull out the rest, but putting them back is difficult.
Defrosting rules
If frozen beets are used for preparing first courses and side dishes, they do not need to be thawed. In this case, the semi-finished product is poured into a frying pan, a small amount of vegetable oil is added and simmered under the lid for 15 minutes.
Boiled vegetables should be defrosted gradually. To do this, the bag with the preparation is taken out of the freezer and placed on the refrigerator shelf. It is advisable to do this in the evening, then in the morning the product can be used to prepare main courses.
Beetroot puree is also defrosted gradually, placing the required portion of the product in the refrigerator. Speed up the process by placing a bag of grated vegetables in a bowl of warm water.
Whole frozen vegetables are thawed at room temperature. If you take them out in the morning, you can use them in the evening to make salads. Beets are a storehouse of nutrients. It is not necessary to store it fresh. The product is grated, cut into cubes and cubes, and then frozen.
