I’m the first to admit that my bargain hunting instincts fail from time to time. The most recent example of this is two doubly wrapped bags of chopped green and red peppers that are consuming roughly 13 percent of my freezer.
I bought the peppers on super sale at my local Albertsons. They were, if my spite allows me to remember correctly, about $.50/lb. I was so excited by the rock bottom price – they never dip below $.89/lb – that I loaded two plastic bags full with the crispy vegetables.
At the checkout counter my copious quantity of peppers perplexed the cashier, who apparently did not get the memo…… about stockpiling on sale. She asked what I was cooking that day.
“Oh, nothing.” I said, slightly defensive about my purchase. “I’m going to freeze them.” Didn’t she know green and red peppers freeze well, just like every other vegetable?
Two weeks later I used a few of the frozen peppers in a stir-fry and discovered the source of the cashier’s confusion. Peppers, as it turns out, do not freeze well. When you cook them they turn mushy.
Which leaves me with two questions. What do I do with these extra frozen peppers? And what vegetables DO freeze well?
January 8th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
prior to freezing, cook the veggies and make a sauce base and then freeze.
I would defrost the frozen Peppers and either saute or roast them and then add them to a pasta sauce.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I would put it in a blender and puree it.
Then you can add it to your spaghetti sauce.
It really adds flavor. I do it all the time (with fresh bell pepper though) and my kids don’t even know there’s veggie in the sauce.
I puree it with onions too.
I haven’t done with frozen one but I don’t see why not.
January 8th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Just a quick comment how much I like your new site – way to go – way too cool. Thanks so much.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
perhaps a pureed pepper soup? or just pureed peppers to ADD to a soup (tomato? tortilla soup?) or as a sauce or marinade for meat?
January 8th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Could you throw them in a pot of soup??
January 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
You know, I was surprised to see that the peppers got mushy when you cooked them because I’ve bought frozen chopped peppers from Trader Joe’s and they never turned mushy when I cooked with them. Perhaps the trick is that you have to chop them up before freezing them. As for the peppers you currently have (that haven’t been chopped), I’d say use them in stews, chilis, or in the slow cooker, because the mushiness won’t be as noticeable. Good luck!!
January 8th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
great new blog, I love it!
January 8th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Hi! Im new here. Your post made me giggle. I actually do freeze peppers and they are ok. Did you flash freeze them first? (Chop them up to desired size, lay on a cookie sheet and freeze in a single layer for about 30 mins. Then put in ziploc bag and freeze). Then you can pull out what you need when you need them. They do tend to work best for me chopped into smaller pieces. Anyhow, onions freeze really well too.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I’ve never tried to freeze them. We don’t usually get so many that we have to, but the tips that the other commenters have given are helpful.
Thanks for linking to my site! I’ll subscribe to your feed.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Great suggestions, folks! Thanks for stopping to check out my new site and sharing your tips. Keep it up! ~Julia
January 10th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
A future plan for any bulk purchase of peppers may be to just roast them in the oven or on the grill, and keeping them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a jar in the fridge. A lot cheaper than buying a jar of roasted peppers, and they can be used on salads and in sandwiches or just by themselves. And they’ll take up less space.
With these, uh, “victims”, you are now the proud owner of some pepper paste.
January 10th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Fabulous idea! I bet they would keep for a few months in the fridge and would have a great flavor. ~Julia
January 26th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
jUST WANTED TO SAY HOW MUCH i ADMIRE YOU , YOUR SITE, YOUR IDEAS! IT IS FIVE OF US IN THE FAMILY WITH BELOW 40,000 YEARLY INCOME. RAISING A 16 YRS OLD, A 15 YRS OLD AND A 7 YRS OLD, I AM 42 AND HUBBY IS 45, WHEN I COVER THIS END, THE OTHER IS BARE NAKED SO SO HARD! BUT YOUR IDEAS ARE LIKE A DROP OF WATER IN THE DESERT. THANK YOU.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Wow, you just made my day. Knowing my work makes a real difference in the lives of my readers is the biggest compliment one could give me. Thank you for your readership.