How do I defrost my vegetables which I froze last year without them being soft and mushy?
Question:Last year I had alot of vegetables from my garden and froze them in freezer bags. The problem is when i defrost them they are soft and mushy. I would like to find a way to have them more firm.
Answers:
Freezing breaks down the cell walls of the vegetables, these not much you can do to stop that, Freeze = mush.
you might consider canning them instead, that way you don't have to worry about the power going out and ruining all your work. And the consistency is nicer, firmer
Put the frozen mass in boiling water until hot enough to serve.
Hopefully you "blanched" them first. If not, unfortunately they will probably be soft and mushy. This year, trim veggies, wash them and then immerse them in boiling water for 20 seconds to a minute or so. Then put them in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain them. Seal them immediately after draining in plastic bags and put them in the freezer. When you desire to cook them, do not add more than a quarter cup of water to a pan. Bring it to a boil and "steam" the veggies for about 3 minutes. Optimally, just a steamer would be the best way to cook them after freezing. The frozen water inside them is enough to make them tender crisp.
Thaw them in cold water. ~
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