How to freeze whole eggplants fresh for the winter. Freezing eggplants at home for the winter

By freezing eggplants for the winter, you can enjoy the taste of your favorite dishes in the cool season. Due to the low temperature they long time retain their original appearance and taste qualities.

The only thing is that, unlike the vegetables we are used to, eggplants require a little processing before freezing. But, despite this moment, absolutely all vitamin composition they will be completely preserved.

Is it possible to freeze eggplants and is it worth it?

Today, freezing eggplants is news for many housewives. Not so long ago they began to practice it in cooking and it should be noted that every year it is gaining more and more popularity.

Eggplant is a vegetable that has a special taste and is completely odorless. But at the same time, like a sponge, he is able to absorb the odors of the products around him. If the freezing process is incorrect, it can completely lose its taste.

When frozen, eggplants must be stored in a separate hermetically sealed container, and then nothing can harm their taste.

You will ask yourself the question: is it worth freezing them at all? Here we can say with confidence that it is worth it. Just imagine what a delicacy dishes prepared in winter from fresh vegetables will seem to you.

We do everything right

How to freeze fresh eggplants for the winter - now we’ll figure it out. So, as we have already noted, vegetables must be prepared before freezing. There are three freezing options in total. fresh fruits. They can be soaked, blanched or fried (baked).

To ensure successful freezing, follow these tips:

Method for preparing fried blueberries for the winter in the freezer

And now about how to freeze fried eggplants for the winter in the freezer. Freezing such eggplants is one of the most basic and quick options. To ensure tasty vegetables, follow these guidelines:

Recipe for preparing frozen baked eggplants for the winter

This freezing option is also quite simple, the only thing that takes a lot of time is the preparation process itself. To freeze baked blueberries for the winter you need:

In addition to this baking option, you can also prepare the eggplants as a whole. To do this, before placing whole vegetables in the oven, poke several holes in them with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes.

After the fruits have cooled, you can remove the skins from them. In the same way, we pack them in bags and freeze them in the freezer.

How to defrost a product correctly

To ensure that the eggplant does not lose all its properties, it must be properly defrosted. You can use the microwave by turning on the defrost mode.

A second option would be to defrost in the main compartment of your refrigerator. Also, some housewives practice frying vegetables that are not completely defrosted.

The most important thing is to never defrost food using water. In such conditions, the vegetables will lose all their vitamins, and the pulp will become tasteless.

People often wonder about how to properly freeze eggplants, since the season for these vegetables is not as long as we would like. To preserve the taste of this vegetable until winter, first of all, you should understand that you cannot freeze them raw. That is why methods have been invented to help deal with their preservation for a long time.

The little blue ones can be frozen; to do this, the fruits should at least be soaked. They cannot be placed in the freezer in their raw form. Don't forget about the freezing time. This product can be stored in the freezer for no more than 1 year. In this case, the temperature should be no higher than -18 degrees.

Speaking of re-freezing, this is not recommended.

Selection and preparation of fruits for freezing

In order for freezing eggplants to be successful, first of all, you should pay attention to the fact that when purchasing the vegetables, they are fresh and without signs of spoilage.

Other selection rules include the following:

The peel of vegetables is even and smooth, without visible damage.
When pressed, the vegetable should quickly regain its shape, which will indicate elastic flesh.
Fresh fruits are always heavy. A vegetable 15-17 centimeters long weighs about 500 grams.
The ideal eggplant is one whose pulp has White color, and when in contact with air for a long time retains its appearance. In this case, the seeds should not have bad smell and be dark. If there are no such signs, the freezing will most likely fail.
For such purposes, it is better to give preference to small fruits, since large specimens contain more corned beef, which gives a bitter taste.
It is also worth paying attention to the stalk. In fresh vegetables it is green and without wrinkles.
Under no circumstances should you use overripe fruits, as evidenced by wrinkled or dry skin.

Once the vegetables have been selected, it is worth thinking about proper preparation. To do this, they need to be cut and then make sure that they are free from excess water, since otherwise there is a chance that they will turn into mush.

The next step is to carry out heat treatment, this can be baking, blanching, frying or stewing.

How to properly prepare a refrigerator

Preparing the refrigerator consists of providing free space in order to freely lay vegetables. If a non-sealed container is used, the temperature in the freezer should be maintained at -18 degrees. When using sealed containers, -12 is sufficient.

The best recipes for freezing eggplants at home

Today, housewives use quite a few ways to store blueberries in the freezer. Afterwards they can be consumed as a main product or added to salads. Regardless of the freezing option, it is worth taking into account even the most minor features of the process, since otherwise there is a high probability that the vegetables will lose their taste or shape.

Whole fruits

To preserve whole eggplants in the freezer, buy young and unspoiled vegetables. Next, the raw fruits should be washed well, without tearing off the stem, and placed in the peel in a frying pan. At the same time, it is recommended to set the heat on the stove to the minimum value so that the vegetables do not burn.

When they are cooked, you should definitely remove their bitter skin and wrap them in cling film after cooling. Next, the blanks can be placed in a container and sent for freezing.

This method is considered one of the most convenient, since it allows you to get the fruits at any time, and, since they are whole, cook from them delicious dishes. In most cases, such frozen fruits are used to prepare eggplant caviar.

Another common option is to add them to tomatoes for a summery flavor.

Blanched

To prepare preparations using blanching, you should prepare a pan with water, salt and lemon juice. When the water boils, salt it and pour in one tablespoon lemon juice. Then you can drop it there eggplant pieces and boil for no more than 5 minutes.

Afterwards, you can begin to take them out and dip them in ice water. You can put fruits in containers and in the freezer only when they have completely cooled and dried.

Freezing in strips or cubes

To prepare vegetables cut into strips or cubes for the winter, you should buy firm, but ripe eggplants. You can cut them into pieces approximately 2 by 2 centimeters in size. If, after freezing, they are used to prepare a stew, it is worth peeling the fruits.

If you need to freeze a vegetable cut into strips for rolls, it is not necessary to peel the peel. When it comes to freezing raw eggplant, you can start soaking it, and then dry it well, place it in an airtight container and send it to freeze.

Freezing eggplant baked in the oven

To successfully freeze stewed eggplant and at the same time preserve their taste, it is advisable to cut the vegetables into cubes. Next, preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Grease the mold, baking sheet or pan vegetable oil. Now you can place the eggplant cubes here and simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At the same time, it is not at all necessary to salt the vegetable. This can be done as desired. After the specified time has passed, the eggplants can be removed from oven and let them cool to room temperature.

A container is used directly for freezing. For convenience, it is advisable to place a sticker on it with an inscription indicating exactly how the vegetable was processed and the date of cooking. Frozen stewed fruits are good for making vegetable crumble.

Freezing stewed fruits

If the goal is freezing stewed vegetables, here you should follow the same scheme as when baking in the oven. Whether or not to peel the fruits can be decided at your own discretion. It all depends on what kind of dishes a person is going to cook after defrosting.

If the cook has not yet decided on this, it is still better to peel the eggplants, since in this case you can cook anything from them, and not be afraid of the bitter taste, which will not always be appropriate.

Boiled eggplants

To prevent frozen vegetables from becoming bitter in the future, they should be pierced deeply with a toothpick in several places. Next, you can begin to boil the fruits whole. Compared to cooking in pieces, they need to be in boiling water 3 times longer. Before doing this, do not forget to salt the water. When the eggplants are ready, take them out and leave to cool completely.

After that, you can start cutting them into pieces, and at the same time dry them well with a towel.

Fried in a frying pan

Pan-fried eggplants are frozen according to the following scheme:

First you need to choose fresh eggplants. Before cooking, they are washed well and cut in the necessary way and soaked in water;
Afterwards, drain the water and dry the vegetables well;
then pour vegetable oil into the frying pan, heat it up a little, and then lay out the eggplants for thorough frying;
so that in the future too much fat is not absorbed into the vegetable, finished product It is better to place it on a paper towel that absorbs moisture well;
when the fruits have cooled, they are laid out on a flat wooden surface and wrapped in film. Afterwards they are ready to be sent for freezing;
if there are a lot of vegetables, they can be stacked according to the same principle in several tiers. After a couple of hours, when the fruits are well frozen, they can be taken out of the refrigerator and placed in a container with a tight lid or in a sealed bag.

Storage periods and rules

As mentioned earlier, it is not recommended to store eggplants in any form in the freezer for more than 12 months. In order for them to retain their taste, if whole vegetables are sent to the freezer, they should be removed from the stalk.

Frozen vegetables retain their properties best in containers that can be closed as tightly as possible. If air gets inside, the shelf life will be shortened.

It should be understood that the success of freezing directly depends on how correctly the fruit was prepared. If mistakes were made during the drying or soaking process, in the future this will result in the eggplants being spoiled and becoming unfit for consumption.

How to defrost a product correctly

In some cases, frozen blueberries can be cooked immediately, without any defrosting. Another commonly used option is to move them into the refrigerator, where they will thaw gradually. Sometimes it is more practical to place them on a flat surface and leave them to defrost at room temperature.

What can you cook after defrosting?

The most common dishes prepared from frozen eggplants are:

Caviar. To prepare it, you can use fruits that have been previously heat-treated, and at the same time cut into completely different pieces. In this case, no recommendations are provided, since the blue ones are crushed during the cooking process to the consistency of puree.
Rolls. To do this, baked or fried fruits are defrosted and a mixture of cheese, garlic and herbs is wrapped inside.
Roast in pots. For this dish, it is better to cut the fruits into small cubes. They are placed in pots with meat, as well as other ingredients, and then placed in the oven.
Towers of tomatoes, blue and grated cheese. To prepare this dish, vegetables are cut into rings. Before cooking, they should be completely defrosted and warmed to room temperature. Next, you can place the tomatoes on them and sprinkle grated cheese on top.

In most cases, you can cook the same things from thawed blueberries as from fresh ones. If freezing was done correctly, it will not affect the taste of this fruit in any way.

Useful qualities of eggplants

The blue ones contain a large number of different minerals and vitamins. That is why eggplants should be present in the diet of any person who wants to be healthy. Thanks to potassium salts, the fruits have a positive effect on blood vessels and heart performance.

Doctors advise people who have metabolic problems to eat these vegetables. They will also be useful for pain in the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver. The fruits are also rich in fiber, which has a positive effect on intestinal function. Eggplants will also be beneficial for people who are on a diet, as they contain only 28 kilocalories.

Unlike other vegetables, eggplants, after freezing, change their structure and taste beyond recognition. Therefore, there are special tricks for freezing eggplants for the winter at home. The Indian alien is so beloved by culinary experts that the methods home freezing are being used more and more often. Moreover, dishes made from frozen eggplants are indistinguishable in taste from those prepared from fresh fruits.

What are the benefits of eggplant?

The homeland of eggplants is India. They belong to the nightshade family. The heat-loving crop is demanding in agricultural technology. Eggplants occupy a worthy place in cooking due to their beneficial components. The microelements contained in its composition have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. The fruits have special properties:

Eating eggplants reduces the craving for tobacco, since the pulp contains the amount of nicotine the smoker needs.
Activates the process of removing bile from the body, which is important for liver diseases.
A large amount of fiber improves intestinal motility. Copper stimulates the hematopoietic system.
The solanine present in eggplants gives them a bitter taste, but is easily removed by soaking with salt.
Fruits are a perishable product.

You can prolong the use of eggplants by using canning. But with heat treatment, the amount of useful substances is halved. With the advent of household freezers, a way to preserve benefits has appeared. green products freezing. Is it possible to freeze eggplants for the winter? Yes, you can. Wherein useful composition almost completely preserved. The faster the freezing is carried out, the more vitamins there are in greens and fruits. However, repeated freezing of products is unacceptable. The product taken from the freezer must be used without any residue. In addition, unlike beets, parsley and dill, eggplants require special treatment before being placed in the freezer.

When stored in light, eggplants produce solanine, which is a toxic substance. It is contained in fruits in small quantities, giving them bitterness.

How to freeze eggplants for the winter?

Eat general recommendations, which should be used when placing eggplants in the freezer:

Fruits should not be frozen without first soaking. At the same time, the pulp becomes rubbery.
Soaking is always carried out in a salty solution, which removes the bitterness of the product. Soaking time is several hours. You can sprinkle the slices with salt for an hour and squeeze out the released juice.
Regardless of the method of further processing, the mass or fruit ready for storage must be wrapped so that there is no air and oxidation does not occur.
Before storing, workpieces should be dried from excess moisture or oil on paper towels.
The finished product should be stored in an airtight container or food bag for no more than 6 months.
When placing various bags and containers in the freezer, you must label the product. Packages at winter storage become indistinguishable.

Preparation methods differ depending on various recipes. Many recommendations on how to properly freeze eggplants can be found on culinary websites. This involves blanching, frying in a pan or oven until soft.

The most in a fast way is a preparation in the form of a whole eggplant. Fresh elastic fruit without damage is washed and allowed to dry. Remove the tail and fry on all sides in a dry, oil-free frying pan. It is important to turn the fruits so that the bitter juice flows out. After this, remove the skin and, after cooling the eggplant, wrap it in cling film and put it in the freezer.

If the same eggplant is sprinkled with salt and greased with vegetable oil, then after baking in the oven until soft, it will be ready as a semi-finished product. We remove the skin and also pack it in cling film.

If you are slicing, then you should prepare cubes, strips, slices for a specific dish. Please note that the smaller the fragment, the faster it will freeze and retain more vitamins. After cutting and salting, the slices can be blanched, in the oven for baking, or in a frying pan for frying. Sometimes eggplant slices are fried after breading in flour or breadcrumbs. Baked and fried eggplant pieces are ready to eat after defrosting.

Blanching - heat treatment for a few minutes and then cool in water:

Place the prepared slices into boiling water and boil them for 2-4 minutes until they become soft. Quickly drain in a colander and cool with water.
Place the pan with eggplants in the microwave for 3-4 minutes at a power of 800-900 W.
Steam vegetables in a steamer for 3-4 minutes.

The semi-finished product is ready, all that remains is to dry it and lay it in a thin layer to freeze. Only after this the products are packaged for storage.

For deep frozen One layer of eggplant pieces will take 4-5 hours. If more than one layer is laid, the freezing time increases, and this is not entirely beneficial for the preservation of vitamins. Freezing eggplants for the winter at home is a labor-intensive and responsible process.

For preservation, choose medium-sized fruits without the slightest damage, with elastic pulp. In this case, the best varieties for harvesting will be late date maturation.

Winter storage of frozen vegetables

During the entire period, care must be taken to ensure that no mixture of aromas is formed in the freezer. Products such as frozen dill should be kept in an airtight container, preferably in a separate chamber. It manages to spread its aroma throughout the entire refrigerator. Other preparations add unnecessary odor. Therefore, it is better to use special containers. It's good to have disposable packaging. I took it, opened it, used it.

When there is a power outage, do not open the cabinet door. Modern equipment keeps the cold for more than 12 hours, if the circuit is not disturbed. Later, of course, an audit will be required. If some of the product has melted, then you need to make caviar. Eggplants cannot be frozen again.

How to defrost a product correctly?

A portion of frozen eggplants can be placed in the refrigerator to gradually thaw for several hours. You can arrange the slices on a plate and leave them on the table. Cooks do not recommend using a microwave in this case.

Video about freezing eggplant for the winter

This vegetable should not be underestimated. If you think that it is enough to just cut it into cubes and put it in the freezer, you are deeply mistaken. After defrosting, the blue pieces will be bitter. This means that nothing worthwhile can be prepared from them.

There is an opinion that freezing eggplants for the winter at home involves exclusively soaking the vegetable in a saline solution. Ostensibly to get rid of that same annoying bitterness. But this is not an option either: the thawed product will have a consistency more like puree than individual pieces favorite vegetable. For caviar, of course, this will also work. But you can’t fry the little blue ones with garlic and you can’t season them with sour cream. You can store eggplants for the winter in the freezer different ways. The main thing is to correctly implement the harvesting method you have chosen.

Reasons to love the blue fruit

There are many different names for eggplant: Pakistan, licked, blue, demyanka, and badorzhan. But the essence still does not change from changing the names, and the fact remains: this vegetable is not only tasty, but also healthy. However, not without contraindications, of course.

Why is it useful...

Dark-fruited nightshade, which is the scientific name for eggplant, is rich in micro- and macroelements, without which the human body is unable to function normally. But its value lies not only in this.

B vitamins. This vitamin group is famous for its beneficial effects on nervous system person. Therefore, eggplant is a natural pill for stress and depression, which people are especially susceptible to during the cold season.
Folic acid. High content This acid makes the little blue ones a must eat product for pregnant women. The substance promotes high-quality intrauterine development of the baby and partially relieves the burden on the mother’s body.
Vitamin C. It turns out that for regular prevention of viral diseases, it is enough to eat two eggplants a week. High vitamin C content helps strengthen immune system and protects against viruses.
Zinc and manganese. These two microelements are necessary for everyone. But especially for those who have recently suffered a stroke and are at the rehabilitation stage.

The blue ones contain vitamin PP. It is especially useful for those who are trying to get rid of nicotine addiction, making it easier to quit smoking cigarettes.

...and why it’s harmful

A favorite delicacy of many is fried large quantities vegetable oil, eggplants - unfortunately, do not provide any benefit. Vegetable pieces in progress heat treatment are thoroughly saturated with toxins released from the oil, which later enter our stomachs along with the vegetable. Therefore, intending to cook for frozen eggplants, think seven times about how to do this in order to preserve all the usefulness of the vegetable. There are two more nuances that you need to know about.

Solanine. Another disadvantage of blue ones is the ability to accumulate a poison called solanine, which is contained in potatoes with green sides and provokes vomiting and diarrhea. Solanine is formed in overripe vegetables, so it is recommended to eat only young eggplants.
Low carbohydrate content. What is good for some is fraught with hypoglycemia for others. Same with eggplants: healthy person for Weight Watchers, plenty of it the product will go for good. But for the sick person diabetes mellitus On the contrary, it is harmful: a small amount of carbohydrates can provoke hypoglycemia - a condition in which the level of glucose in the blood becomes critically low.

It’s easy to detect high levels of solanine: cut the vegetable and observe the cut. If the cut darkens within two to three minutes, it means that the content of the toxic substance is high, and it is better not to eat the product.

Permissions and prohibitions

But the little blue ones, living in almost every garden bed and taking root well on the domestic black soil, are one of the most low-calorie vegetables. 100 g of “bellied” product contains only 24 kcal. Therefore, do not be surprised if on the Internet you come across many eggplant diets And positive feedback about them.

But such power systems are not suitable for everyone and not always. The table will tell you for which diseases eating blue vegetables is vital, and for which diseases you need to completely refuse vegetables with purple skin.

Table - Permits and prohibitions on eating eggplants

How to freeze eggplants for the winter in the freezer

Eggplant is a special vegetable that requires mandatory heat treatment before freezing. Otherwise, its taste will be similar to the taste of a rubber boot. In other words, raw eggplants are never frozen. And if they freeze it, it’s only out of ignorance. In addition, fruits for freezing should be chosen wisely.

Vegetable casting

Your first task is to organize a casting for the little blue ones. Not everyone deserves to be turned into a blank, but only a select few. The selection criteria are the same as in the case of conservation.

Tail. The stalk must have green color. It is better to eat a vegetable with a dry stalk immediately: a dried tail is evidence that the product has been stored for quite a long time away from the bush.
Uniformity of color. The color of the eggplant should be uniform.
Surface. Glossy finish, devoid of bumps, growths, spots and damage - this is what a vegetable ideal for freezing should look like.
Age. It is desirable that the fruits are young. Large and mature vegetables contain many seeds. They are tougher both inside and out.

The variety of frozen blue can be any, as well as the color.

Process Features

When freezing, it is important to follow the sealing rule. The packaging in which the vegetable pieces are placed must be tightly closed to prevent the eggplant from coming into contact with air in the freezer. This will protect the product from oxidation, as well as from the absorption of foreign odors. You don’t only store blue ones in the freezer, right? This and other “laws” will allow you to properly freeze eggplants, regardless of the method you choose.

Soaking. Due to the refusal to pre-soak, bitterness will remain in the fruits. And you are unlikely to want to eat a bitter product. Therefore, before freezing and mandatory heat treatment, soak the pieces of blueberries in salted water or sprinkle table salt on top. After half an hour, it will be enough to simply rinse the product under running water.
Removing moisture. Before putting them in the freezer, the eggplant slices need to be dried, removing any water that has seeped from their surface or any vegetable oil that has lingered on it. This is easy to do with kitchen paper towels.
Label. A plastic container or bag containing eggplants must be labeled. Once covered with frost in the freezer, all products will look the same. And it will be extremely difficult to distinguish what is contained in which package.

In sealed conditions at a temperature of -12°C, the shelf life of frozen blueberries should not exceed 12 months. More long-term storage negatively affects the taste of the product.

Harvesting methods

Let's start talking about the preparation from the end. Namely, how to pack vegetables hermetically without a vacuum sealer in the house. To do this, you will need a ziplock bag and a regular cocktail straw. Close the bag almost all the way, leaving only a small opening. Insert a plastic tube into it, use your mouth to suck the air out of the bag, and, finding that the polyethylene is stuck to the eggplants, remove the improvised “air suction” by closing the rest of the package. That's all. And now about the main thing - how to freeze fresh eggplants for the winter.

Fried

Wash the blue ones and cut them into round pieces no more than 7 mm wide. Eggplants that are cut too thin will thin out when fried and will become unsuitable for storage in the freezer.
Sprinkle with salt and wait about half an hour until the bitterness comes out. Then rinse under running water.
Place the rounds on a grill grate or other improvised “bed” and leave until completely dry. Vegetables can be helped dry by patting them with a paper towel.
Pour a couple of drops of oil into a heated frying pan and fry the blue pieces on both sides for literally a few minutes. Lightweight golden crust will be a signal that the vegetables need to be removed from the pan.
Place the finished pieces on a wire rack, let cool completely and place in the freezer at a temperature below -12°C.
After an hour and a half, we take out the grill, remove the frozen fried eggplants from it and pack them in bags, sending them back to the conditions of eternal cold until winter.
We stick a sticker on all packages of vegetables, labeling what is in the package, in what form and with what weight.

Cutting into cubes or cubes is acceptable. It all depends on what dishes you intend to prepare from thawed fruits.

Baked

Cut the blue ones into rounds or slices. For example, for preparing rolls in the future, slices will be just right.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and place the eggplants in the heat for 30 minutes, placing them on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil.
To ensure that the blue ones are well browned on both sides in the oven, after 15 minutes we turn them over to the other side.
Next, we do the same as in the case of fried eggplants: leave them to dry, put them in the freezer for half an hour, put them in bags, remove the air, stick them - and back to storage in the “permafrost”.

Stewed

Heat a little vegetable oil in a saucepan.
Add the chopped eggplants and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper are not necessary, but you can if you wish.
Remove from the stove and let cool completely.
Transfer the stewed eggplant caviar into a container or storage bag and put it in the freezer.

Blanched

Boil water in a saucepan, salt it well and add a tablespoon of lemon juice or the juice of half a fresh lemon.
Place chopped vegetables in boiling water and boil for five minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the blue pieces and immediately lower them into a vessel with ice water.
We take it out, dry it and get a product completely ready for freezing.

Boiled

We remove the stalks from the vegetables, pierce the fruits in several places with a toothpick or needle quite deeply, and then place them in saline solution to remove bitterness.
Leave the vegetables in salted water for 45 minutes. IN in this case it takes more time, since the eggplants are not chopped and are processed whole.
Boil water in a saucepan and add the blue ones, freed from bitterness, for 20 minutes.
After cooling, the shriveled fruits can be cut into your preferred method and frozen.

Whole

Without peeling the vegetable, we heat it. This can be stewing entirely in a slow cooker, grilling or boiling, as in the previous option.
After heat treatment, let the vegetable cool and blot it with paper towels to remove moisture from the surface.
We wrap each individual vegetable in several layers of cling film and place it in the freezer.

Whole frozen eggplants can be stored for the winter either with or without the peel. If you are used to eating peeled vegetables, at the stage after heat treatment and cooling, remove the skin from it.

Defrosting according to the rules

Vegetables are a category of foods that can only be frozen once. This means that after the eggplants have thawed, it is prohibited to put them back in the freezer. That’s why it’s so important to package the little blue ones into portioned bags before freezing - so that, if necessary, you can defrost as much product as you need at a particular moment. Then there are two possible scenarios for the development of events.

Defrost at room temperature. Remove the blue ones from the freezer, place them on a wide plate and leave to thaw without using any auxiliary electrical appliances.
Cooking without defrosting. Some frozen eggplant and zucchini dishes do not require pre-defrosting. Therefore, the product can be sent to a frying pan or pan with other ingredients directly from frozen.

Cooking options

There are quite a lot of recipes that involve nightshades turned into ice. But not all of them are successful and tasty. The table offers you the most profitable options preparation of frozen eggplants, indicating which cut vegetables and which heat treatment are most suitable for preparing the dish.

Table - Options for preparing frozen blueberries

Dish	Recipe	Type of frozen product
Vegetable caviar	- Stew eggplants along with other vegetables; - when ready, beat the vegetable mass in a blender at low speed	Any
Cheese towers	- Place a round tomato on each piece of eggplant; - we form multilayer “turrets”; - sprinkle grated cheese on top; - bake in the oven for 15 minutes	Fried or baked rounds
Rolls	- Three cheeses on a grater; - add chopped garlic and herbs; - grease each slice with sauce and wrap it in a roll; - if necessary, secure with a toothpick	Fried or baked slices
Roast in pots	- Lightly fry the potatoes and meat separately in a frying pan; - put food in baking pots; - add sautéed onions and carrots; - place eggplants on top of each pot; - grate with cheese; - grease with sour cream; - put in the oven for an hour and a half	Cubes of any processing

Use taken out freezer eggplants can be done in the same way as fresh vegetables. However, the taste qualities of frozen blueberries are not as pronounced and strong as those of their “brothers” recently picked from the garden. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to purchase fresh, high-quality eggplants in the supermarket, give preference to this option. Well, if not, frozen slices or rounds can easily diversify your winter diet.

Experienced housewives have noticed that mainly late vegetables or overripe fruits are very bitter. This is another argument in favor of freezing eggplants young. And for those who are crazy about vegetable stew, there is a proposal to freeze a colorful “cocktail”, in which the blue ones will coexist with the onions, bell pepper, zucchini, pot and any other fruits from the garden.

How to freeze eggplants for the winter in the freezer at home without spoiling the product, is described in detail in our article. Peculiarity eggplant is that when freezing their taste and structure change significantly. For this reason, it is important to follow certain rules in this process. It should be noted that when freezing fresh eggplant possible to save useful material V more, compared with canned vegetables, which is a definite advantage.

How to choose the right fruits

Selected eggplant according to the same rules that are used for canning:

Pedicel. The color of the fruit's tail should be green. Eggplants, whose stalk has dried up, freeze do not do it. Since this indicates that the vegetable was stored for a long time after being picked from the bush;
Surface quality. Surface eggplant should be glossy, free from bumps, growths, damage and spots - this fruit is most suitable for freezing;
Color. It is necessary to choose fruits that are evenly colored;
Maturity and size. Best for frost young people approach eggplants, since large and ripe fruits contain a large number of seeds. Their skin and flesh are tougher.

Advice! To avoid the production of the toxic substance solanine in eggplants, a significant concentration of which is harmful to the health of the body, they should be protected from light during storage. Even a small amount of This component in the vegetable gives it a bitter taste.

Slicing eggplants, received the popular name - blue, you should pay attention to the color of the cut. Its rapid darkening indicates that the fruit will be bitter, since it contains solanine in large quantities. For frost Vegetables with a light cut are more suitable.

How to freeze eggplants fresh for the winter

Freezing blue, they should be stored airtight. Sliced vegetables are placed in tightly closed packaging, which prevents penetration eggplants air in the refrigerator. This prevents oxidation of the fruits and the penetration of foreign odors from other products stored in the freezer. This advice, as well as those described below, helps to implement the correct freezing eggplants using any of the proposed methods.

It is easy to ensure the tightness of the package using a vacuum sealer, but you can do without it. Wherein, freezing vegetables, use zip bags and regular cocktail straws. After placing the vegetables, the bag is closed almost completely, leaving only a small access for a plastic straw. Having inserted it inside the bag, use your mouth to suck the air out of it until the walls of the package stick to the vegetables. Then the tube is carefully removed and the bag is closed completely.

For freezing eggplants at home you need to perform the following steps:

Pre-soak. This stage of fruit preparation should not be abandoned, otherwise bitterness may remain in them, which will make the product unsuitable for consumption. For this reason, before frost It is recommended, first of all, to soak the sliced for 30 minutes eggplant in a solution of water and salt, after which they must be washed well in clean water;
Remove moisture. Pieces before placing in the freezer eggplant should be dried from any water or excess vegetable oil by blotting with a paper towel;
Sign the packaging. In the freezer plastic containers and bags of vegetables are covered with frost, making all the containers look similar to each other, and determine exactly where they are, for example, eggplant it's not easy.

Reference! Airtight packaging allows you to store frozen eggplants in the freezer (at a temperature of -12°C) for no more than a year. Excess given period storage negatively affects taste characteristics blue ones.

Important! It is better to freeze eggplants in portions, as much as you need at a time. Otherwise, when repeatedly frozen and defrosted, they lose their taste and beneficial elements.

Options for processing eggplants for freezing

Frying

Is it possible to freeze eggplants for the winter? fried? Yes.

Wash eggplants, cut into slices up to 0.7 cm thick. If you cut them thinner, during frying the pieces will become even smaller and will be unsuitable for freezing in the freezer;
To get rid of bitterness, vegetables should be salted and waited for about 30 minutes. Then rinse with clean water;
Place the pieces on the grill, baking sheet or other similar surface and leave to dry. To speed up the process, you can get wet eggplant using a paper towel;
IN hot frying pan add a little vegetable oil and lightly fry the slices eggplant a few minutes on each side. Stop frying the pieces when they have a light golden crust;
Arrange the circles eggplant on a wire rack, cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator compartment to freeze R chills at temperatures below -12˚С;
In 90 minutes eggplant remove from the freezer, remove them from the rack and package them in bags, again placing them in the freezer, where they are stored until use;
Place stickers on bags of eggplants, indicating the name, weight and method used to prepare the product for freezing;
You can cut the blue ones into cubes or bars, depending on your plans for preparing dishes after defrosting the vegetables.

Baking

Slice eggplant into circles or slices, which are great for subsequent preparation of rolls;
Preheat the oven until the temperature reaches 180˚C;
Place the blue ones on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil and put them in the oven for half an hour;
After a quarter of an hour, turn the pieces over so that both sides of the slices are baked. eggplant;
Then repeat the same steps as indicated for fried eggplant: dry, place in the freezer for 30 minutes, pack into packages as much as is needed for 1 time, ensure tightness inside them, stick stickers, and then store in the freezer until use.

Extinguishing

Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the saucepan and heat it;
Lay out the pieces eggplant and, stirring from time to time, simmer the vegetables until tender, you can add salt and pepper to taste;
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature;
Transfer the stewed eggplant in bags or containers and send to freezing into the freezer.

Blanching

Pour water into a saucepan, boil, salt well and add 1 tbsp. spoon of lemon juice (you can squeeze Fresh Juice from half a fruit);
Pieces eggplant boil in boiling water for about 5 minutes;
Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into ice water;
Remove and dry eggplant;
After that the little blue ones can freeze.

Cooking

Cut off the tails of the fruits different parts pierce deeply eggplant needle or toothpick;
Soak vegetables for 45 minutes in the solution table salt, removing bitterness, such a long time is necessary due to the fact that the processing of blueberries is carried out in a whole, uncrushed form;
Pour water into a saucepan, boil, then simmer in it for 20 minutes eggplants, from which the bitterness has previously been removed;
During boiling, vegetables become wrinkled, they should be cooled and chopped using any convenient method, after which the product is ready for use. frozen

Freezing the whole fruit

Eggplant exposed high temperature without peeling. To do this, whole vegetables can be stewed in a slow cooker, baked on the grill, or boiled using the method described above;
Then cool the blue ones and dry the moisture from their surface with a paper towel;
Carefully wrap the vegetables separately in a thick layer of cling film and place in the freezer.

Advice! You can freeze whole eggplant fruits by preserving the skin or peeling the vegetables, depending on the form in which they will be eaten.

Blanks for rolls

Incredibly convenient to prepare rolls from frozen eggplant, using special blanks. For this:

Wash and dry the vegetables without peeling them;
Remove stems, chop eggplant lengthwise into long slices 5-8 mm thick;
Place in a container of suitable size, salting each layer;
Leave for half an hour, then rinse well in clean water and dry;
Post slices from eggplant in one layer on baking paper, which is used to cover a baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 200˚C for about 15 minutes;
Eggplant Be sure to bake in one layer, if necessary in several batches;
Then take out the baking sheet and cool the vegetables;
Spread cling film on a tray, arrange the “tongues” eggplant in one layer, if it is necessary to place many layers, cover each layer on top using film, after which freeze pieces for several hours;
Then take out the blanks and place them in bags or containers, getting rid of the film.

Defrosting rules

Freezing It is recommended to carry out vegetables no more than once. Therefore, repeated freezing eggplants after defrosting is prohibited. For this reason, it is necessary to properly distribute the portions of blueberries in packages before placing them in the freezer. In this case, you can easily use the amount of vegetables that is required in each specific situation. Further there are following methods Product Applications:

To defrost eggplants, you can simply take them out of the freezer, place them on a large plate and leave them to defrost at room temperature without using auxiliary electrical appliances;
To prepare some dishes, you do not need to defrost vegetables; in this case, start frying or boiling eggplant you can immediately after they are taken out of the freezer.

Watch the video! How to properly freeze eggplants for the winter

Frozen Eggplant Recipes

Eggplant caviar

We will need:

1 kg eggplant;
3 onions;
3 carrots;
70 ml sunflower oil;
Salt, pepper, spices to taste.

How to cook:

fry onions and carrots;
add defrosted ones eggplants, cut into cubes, salt, pepper, season with spices;
simmer, when the dish is almost ready, add a little chopped garlic;

Potatoes fried with blueberries

We will need:

0.5 kg eggplant;
2 onions;
0.5 potatoes;
70 ml sunflower oil;
2 cloves of garlic;
Salt, pepper, spices to taste.

How to cook:

on different frying pans fry onions with potatoes and eggplants, cut into cubes or circles;
after that, mix the ingredients and fry a little more, adding a small amount of garlic, spices and herbs.

Eggplant rolls

defrost the blue “tongues”, put the filling on top to taste, place in a baking dish;
grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the pieces eggplant, Bake in the oven until the dish is ready.

Vegetable stew

We will need:

0.5 kg eggplant;
3 onions;
3 carrots;
3 bell peppers;
2 tomatoes;
70 ml sunflower oil;
2 cloves of garlic;
100 g cheese (Dutch, Russian)
Salt, pepper, spices to taste.

How to cook:

defrost and fry eggplants, add chopped vegetables to taste, the dish can be prepared using onions, carrots, bell peppers;
simmer, when the stew is almost ready, you can add an arbitrary amount of chopped tomatoes, garlic, seasonings and herbs, if desired;
grate the cheese, sprinkle it on the dish and let the cheese melt under the lid.

Buckwheat porridge with eggplant

We will need:

500 g buckwheat porridge
0.3 kg eggplant;
2 onions;
50 g butter;
Salt, pepper, spices to taste.

How to cook:

cook buckwheat, 2-3 hard-boiled eggs;
fry onion with eggplants;
add butter, chopped eggs, fried vegetables to the porridge, season with spices and herbs as desired.

Casserole with meat and eggplant

We will need:

250 g of any minced meat (chicken, pork, beef);
500 g eggplant;
50 ml sunflower oil;
salt, pepper, spices to taste.
1 raw egg;
200 ml milk;
2 tomatoes;
150 g cheese (Dutch, Russian);
2 cloves of garlic.

How to cook:

take some minced meat from any meat, a couple of cloves of garlic, a raw egg, salt, season with pepper and other spices, mix all ingredients;
spread the mixture over the baking dish and a little on its sides, put on top eggplants, which must first be thawed and fried;
Place the tomatoes cut into slices on them, beat an egg, add milk to it, pour the mixture into a mold, grate the cheese, sprinkle it on the dish and bake in the oven.

Eggplant paste with nuts

We will need:

500 g eggplant;
50 ml sunflower oil;
salt, pepper, spices to taste.
1 teaspoon vinegar;
3 tbsp. spoons walnuts;
2 cloves of garlic.

How to cook:

defrost vegetables, fry them with vegetable oil, mash with a fork;
add vinegar, some walnuts and garlic, which have previously been chopped;
season with cilantro and other herbs if desired, stir and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Soups or solyankas with the addition of frying with eggplants, there are also many recipes delicious salads with the blue ones.

Useful properties of the product

Eggplants, fresh and frozen, rich in substances beneficial to human health:

vitamins C and group B;
microelements (calcium, phosphorus, potassium);
pectin and fiber.

The vitamins that make up the vegetable are not very diverse, but eggplant Known for their low calorie content and pectin content, which improves the functioning of the digestive system, helps remove bile and excess cholesterol. Potassium rids the body of excess fluid and normalizes the functioning of the cardiovascular system. For these purposes, it is especially useful to consume baked or stewed fruits. Eggplant help prevent diseases such as atherosclerosis, anemia, osteoporosis, osteochondrosis, gout.

Reference! Due to the content of vitamin PP (niacin) in eggplants, they help fight nicotine addiction, alleviating the symptoms of “nicotine starvation.”

Application of frozen eggplant doesn't have fundamental differences from using fresh ones. However, the taste of the latter is more expressive and strong. For this reason, cook delicious dish easier from fresh, high-quality vegetables purchased in a store or market. And if this is not possible, excellent option Frozen foods can add variety to your diet eggplants.

Watch the video! Freezing eggplants for the winter

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