The taste and benefits of tomatoes all year round: how to freeze tomatoes for the winter in the freezer and what to cook from them
We eat tomatoes all year round. But the vegetables that are sold in supermarkets in winter cannot be compared with those grown in their own beds. They are non-aromatic, fibrous. An easy way to preserve summer flavor is to freeze tomatoes for the winter at home.
The content of the article
Which tomatoes can be frozen
To freeze, you need medium-sized, ripe, firm fruits. The Cream and Cherry varieties are ideal for this.
Green tomatoes must not be frozen! They do not retain their shape, spread after thawing, bitter and ruin any culinary masterpiece.
Freezing preparation
Tomatoes are washed under running (non-hot) water and wiped dry so that they do not stick together or deform in the freezer. And then - just a flight of ideas!
Choose to taste - cut into rings, small pieces, give an original shape, or freeze whole, with or without skin.
How to freeze tomatoes for the winter - recipes and freezing methods
We bring to your attention the most popular methods.
Freeze in circles
Let's start freezing. Choose fleshy fruits with thick peels, cut them into 8-10mm slices to keep the tomatoes better, place on a flat plate or cutting board and place in the freezer. Transfer to a bag after 4-5 hours.
Freeze whole tomatoes
To freeze whole tomatoes, put the washed and dried fruits on a special rug or cutting board at a distance of several mm from each other.
It is important that the tomatoes do not come into contact with each other. Place in the freezer.
After 3-4 hours, transfer the freezer to bags for storage... You can use these tomatoes in different dishes. Take out, defrost, peel and cut as you like.
Freezing in pieces
You can save time in the kitchen in winter by freezing the tomatoes directly into pieces. You do it according to an already known and understandable scheme: cut, freeze for 3-4 hours, transfer to a container for storage.
Harvesting stuffed tomatoes
Another way to save time is to freeze stuffed tomatoes. Cut off the "cap" of the tomato from the side of the stalk and remove the pulp. Put the filling in the resulting "container".
Place the tomatoes on a cutting board in the freezer until fully frozen for 5-6 hours. After that, lay out in packing bags.
Filling for stuffing: mushrooms, meat, vegetables, etc. Add grated cheese to add a bright flavor to the dish. Salt and pepper the filling before freezing.
Attention! Mushrooms and meat for the filling are used ready-made, that is, fried or boiled.
Freezing tomato juice and paste
Fruits that have lost their presentation and are not suitable for harvesting in whole and in pieces are frozen in the form of juice, paste in jars, glass (sterilized) or plastic bottles, bags of the same volume that is used once after thawing.
When filling the container, the main thing is to leave free space so that the container does not burst when freezing. When freezing in bags, use two cellophane bags instead of one for safety.
reference... The advantages of this storage method: the juice is not boiled or curled into jars, the paste is packaged in portions.
Freezing pizza tomatoes
Freeze pizza tomatoes in rings or thin slices. Place the sliced vegetables on a tray in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
Remove, carefully separate the stuck together pieces and put in a bag. When preparing pizza, spread the filling on the dough, add tomatoes and grated cheese on top.
Tomato puree, frozen in molds
Can I freeze cooked tomato puree? Yes. Pour the boiling puree into silicone molds for ice or muffins of the required size, let cool and put in the freezer for 3-4 hours. After that, transfer the frozen figures to a container for storage.
To better keep its shape, wrap each "tomato" with cling film. This puree is added to stews, soup or meat.
Blanched tomatoes in the freezer
Before freezing, vegetables are blanched. To do this, remove the stem from each fruit and make an "X" cut on the opposite side. Then immerse the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. As soon as the peel begins to curl up at the cut, remove and place them in ice water.
After these procedures, tomatoes are easily peeled with your fingers. Next, transfer the peeled fruits to a baking sheet, cutting board or flat plate and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Only then put in bags and put away for storage.
Harvesting vegetable pulp
Peel soft tomatoes, pass through a meat grinder or chop with a blender, pour into disposable cups or other molds. Store as such in the freezer.
How to Freeze Cherry Tomatoes
All freezing methods are suitable for miniature Cherries. All you need is a "jewelry" technique for cutting vegetables.
Read also:
The simplest do-it-yourself preparations: storing garlic in glass jars.
A selection of the best methods for preserving garlic at home for the whole winter.
How and how much to store frozen tomatoes
The freezing phase lasts from 3 to 6 hours. After that, put the resulting freeze into bags or containers. Try to keep the container sized for one serving so that you can use tomatoes from the freezer right away. With frequent temperature changes (heat-cold), tomatoes lose their shape, stick together.
Important! Frozen tomatoes are stored in the freezer for 8-12 months.
Defrosting and use
Only defrost whole tomatoes for cooking. Soak them for 10-15 minutes at room temperature, then cut and add to the dish. Put the stuffed tomatoes in the oven right away so that they do not lose their shape. Do not defrost tomato paste, pulp, mashed potatoes, chopped tomatoes before adding to the dish.
Now you can easily prepare many dishes in winter:
- stuffed tomatoes in the oven;
- borscht or soup with fresh tomatoes (tomato slices, in the form of a paste);
- vegetable stew, stew (tomato puree);
- casserole, pasta sauce (vegetables frozen in small cubes);
- for a puff vegetable casserole, tomatoes cut into thin slices are more suitable;
- salad.
Tomato puree pasta recipe
You will need:
- 200 g spaghetti;
- 200 g frozen tomato puree;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 150 g of hard cheese;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt, pepper, seasonings to taste.
Defrost the tomato puree, add chopped garlic to it and place in a hot frying pan with olive oil. Rinse the spaghetti al dente and place in the pan. Season with salt and spices to taste. A blend of Italian herbs goes well with this dish.Simmer until the excess liquid evaporates without a lid.
Sprinkle the finished dish with grated cheese before serving.
Conclusion
Before the appearance of large freezers, tomatoes were salted, mashed, made juice, ketchup, rolled into sterile jars and stored in a cellar. It's much easier now. Because there is a freeze! This method has many advantages: taste, vitamins are preserved, and it is convenient to store. The hostess spends less effort and time, and the result exceeds expectations.