After my botched attempt to freeze red and green peppers, see below, I am seeking advice about which vegetables do well in the ice box. Freezing food saves money if it successfully preserves items bought on super sale.
For starters I found a list of freezable vegetables on GardenGuides.com. Their list includes peppers, however, which troubles me because mine turned mushy after freezing. Perhaps they will use the frozen peppers in a soup or omelet, which many helpful readers suggested as a solution.
To get to the bottom of the mystery – which veggies freeze and which ones don’t – I’m starting two lists on this blog.
Let me know which vegetables have worked for you. If there are any particular directions or……intentions for the veggies, include that. I’ll update the list as I get comments.
Do freeze:
- Green beans
- potatoes (boiled)
- Chili peppers
- Onions
- Pancakes (not exactly a vegetable, but still good to know)
- Peas
Do not freeze:
- Green/red peppers
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Mashed potatoes
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Mashed potatoes don’t freeze particularly well–boyfriend’s Mom froze Thanksgiving leftovers in “patties” for easy reheating…but when I got them home and attempted to reheat, they were unedible! They may have worked had I tried to make a soup or other concoction with them, but as reheated mashed potatoes, FAIL!
In general, with vegetables, I think the commenter on your other post who recommended flash freezing first, may be onto something…
Mushrooms! My husband froze them accidentally. They turned into a mushy mess.
My mom used to make a bunch of pancakes on Sunday then freeze them. They were still good 2 weeks after. Or maybe I was just eating them to fast.
Yummmm. I love pancakes. I think I could probably live on pancakes and orange juice. Good to know they freeze well! ~Julia
I find bagged salads do pretty well in the freezer, at least for incorporating into soups and stews afterwards to boost nutritional content and not waste precious veggies.
Never thought about adding lettuce to soups and stews, but if you can do it with cabbage, why not lettuce?? ~Julia
Vegetables with a high water content will never freeze well, no matter what you try.
But, those with lower water contents do well with the following process:
1. Blanch cut vegetables in boiling water, then dip immediately in very cold water to stop cooking process.
2. Set blanched veggies out to dry on a towel.
3. Once dry, flash freeze veggies separately on a pan, then bag together when completely frozen (that way you can dish out as little or as much as you want from the freezer).
Blanching will kill the enzymes that can affect color, taste and texture after freezing. They also tend to retain more Vitamin C, as opposed to un-blanched veggies.
Also, I’ve invested in a food-saver appliance and it does wonders at postponing freezer burn.