TOP 10 recipes on how to freeze tomatoes in the freezer for the winter, whole and in pieces

Tomatoes do not lose their value all year round. Although considered a summer vegetable, they are also in demand during the winter. In winter, the taste is not as pronounced as in the summer, so resourceful housewives make supplies of tomatoes from summer to winter. Freezing is a common way of harvesting tomatoes. Every housewife knows how to freeze tomatoes in the freezer for the winter.

Is it possible to freeze tomatoes for the winter

Some people wonder if it is possible to freeze tomatoes at all, if they will not lose their taste. Tomatoes are allowed to be frozen, and even necessary to do this. Yes, when frozen, some nutrients lose their strength, but a frozen vegetable is much healthier for the body than canned tomatoes.

Regular consumption of tomatoes contributes to positive changes in the human body:

• the work of the gastrointestinal tract is normalized;
• the blood is purified;
• the work of the cardiovascular system is stabilized;
• the general condition of the body improves;
• efficiency increases;
• the functioning of the immune system improves;
• hair, nails, teeth are strengthened;
• the risk of oncology is reduced;
• metabolic processes are carried out correctly.

Freezing a vegetable for the winter will always allow you to diversify the dish, making it tastier and healthier.

Features of freezing

Studies have shown that when food is frozen, it loses up to 30% of its nutrients. This happens due to the lack of professional equipment for freezing. Enterprises use shock freezing of products, which allows them to preserve a maximum of nutrients and vitamins.

Most even modern freezers do not provide quick freezing. The process of freezing food is rather slow, which affects the further content of vitamins and minerals in them.

When defrosting, the product loses its original shape, and all microelements leave with water.

In order to somehow preserve the beneficial properties of the vegetable, some features should be taken into account when freezing:

1. Only fresh vegetables should be frozen. The ideal time after the tomatoes have been brought from the garden before freezing is 6 hours.
2. Tomatoes should not be rotten, wrinkled or otherwise damaged.
3. Tomatoes must be thoroughly washed under running water.
4. Tomatoes should be frozen in small batches. One container should contain one serving.
5. The container in which the tomatoes will be frozen must be airtight so that air does not penetrate.
6. It is strictly forbidden to defrost and re-freeze the product. To do this, sign the container where the frozen vegetables will be stored in order to, if necessary, get the desired product from the freezer.

On the shelves of stores, special bags or containers for freezing are sold, ensuring tightness and quality of storage.

Selection and preparation of suitable fruits

In order for the freezing to be of high quality, you must carefully select the fruits. Tomatoes should be fresh, fleshy. Preference should be given to tomatoes of medium ripeness. If they are overripe, they will lose their density, which is needed to freeze the fruit.

Green tomatoes are also not suitable for freezing, since they do not have pronounced taste properties, moreover, they can add a bitter taste to the dish.

Before buying a particular variety of tomatoes, you should choose the way in which the tomatoes will be frozen. For example, the cherry variety is suitable for freezing whole fruit.

High-quality freezing also depends on the careful preparation of vegetables for it. When preparing tomatoes, a number of simple rules should be followed:

• rinse tomato fruits thoroughly under cool water;
• spread the tomatoes on paper towels to dry well;
• choose a freezing method.

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When placing tomatoes in the freezer, place them on top of other foods so that they do not lose their shape.

Preparing the refrigerator

The freezer compartment must maintain the optimum temperature for freezing vegetables. Required first freeze vegetables, spreading them on cling film, then distribute the tomatoes in portioned bags for freezing vegetables and send them to the freezer for long-term storage.

Pre-prepare the place for freezing tomatoes in the freezer. Vegetables should be placed on top of other foods so that they do not lose their shape.

The best ways to freeze tomatoes at home

To prevent tomatoes from becoming shapeless and tasteless when frozen, you need to learn how to store them correctly. There are many different ways to freeze tomatoes at home:

1. Whole fruits.
2. Slices without peel.
3. Pizza circles.
4. In pieces.
5. In the form of frozen tomato puree in molds.
6. Stuffed tomatoes.
7. Freeze tomato and pepper.
8. In the form of tomato juice.

Each housewife has her own way of freezing. It is important to choose the best one for yourself, which will help diversify your favorite dish.

Whole fruits

Freezing whole fruits is quite simple. For this freezing option, varieties of Cherry and Cream tomatoes are suitable.

It is enough to wash the vegetables under cool water, spread them on paper towels to absorb the moisture. You can pre-freeze the tomatoes. Then put the tomatoes in bags specially designed for freezing and put them in the freezer for storage.

Slices without peel

The red vegetable is also frozen without the skin. This method is used because after freezing the peel becomes harder, some do not like it.

To properly freeze peeled tomatoes, do the following:

• wash vegetables thoroughly;
• remove the stalks from vegetables;
• dip the tomatoes in boiling water for half a minute, then rinse them with cold water;
• peel the tomatoes;
• lay vegetables on a film, covering them with cellophane;
• pre-freeze vegetables in the freezer for 24 hours;
• pack frozen tomatoes in portions in bags for freezing, send to the freezer for further freezing.

In the future, frozen vegetables can be used to prepare first courses, salads. And also for stuffing.

Pizza circles

Freezing tomatoes in slices is very useful for making pizza, quick sandwiches. For this freezing option, it is enough to rinse the tomatoes well under cool water and let them dry. Then prepare the slices in thin slices, put on cling film in the freezer. After pre-freezing, place the circles in special bags for long-term storage.

In pieces

For this method of freezing, you must choose fleshy tomatoes with a hard skin. Cutting is done in cubes or thin slices. If you wish, you can peel the tomatoes. The vegetables are immediately distributed in the freezer bags. Frozen tomato slices are added directly to dishes without needing to be defrosted beforehand.

Tomato puree, frozen in molds

For this method of freezing, juicy, even slightly overripe tomatoes are used. Tomatoes are minced in a meat grinder or with a blender. The finished tomato puree is laid out in tins. The molds used are conventional silicone cake or ice molds.

To prevent the tomato from flowing out of the mold, do not pour the puree to the very edge. Tomato puree freezes for 8-10 hours, then it is removed from the molds in the form of frozen pieces and placed in portioned bags.

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Freezing stuffed tomatoes

Fruits of hard varieties are suitable for stuffing. Stuffing tomatoes begins with cutting the core of the fruit. For stuffing, any filling is used, at the request of the hostess. It can be meat, mushroom, vegetable filling.

Stuffed tomatoes are laid out on a board, placed in a freezer, pre-frozen. Then the vegetables are transferred into bags and placed in the freezer for further freezing.

In the freezer with pepper

Tomatoes and peppers will be a very tasty addition to food. They can be stuffed and frozen together for awesome cooking. With pepper, all the same actions are carried out as with tomatoes. It should be thoroughly rinsed, dried, cored, and placed in the freezer. Since peppers are much harder in texture than tomatoes, you don't need to freeze them first.

Before freezing tomatoes with peppers, a number of steps should be taken:

1. Prepare tomato juice.
2. Grind the pepper.
3. Combine pepper with tomato juice.
4. Pour into molds.
5. Place in the freezer for storage.

Tomato juice

Most resourceful housewives immediately turn tomatoes into tomato juice and freeze it. To do this, whole tomatoes are washed well under running water, cut into pieces and chopped with a blender. Ready juice is poured into molds and placed in the freezer.

Tomato juice perfectly diversifies any dish. In liquid form, tomatoes retain vitamins and beneficial properties much more.

How much and how are frozen tomatoes stored

The storage time of vegetables depends entirely on the power of the freezer and the temperature maintained in it. The optimum temperature for long-term storage of tomatoes is 18 degrees below zero. This temperature will allow frozen tomatoes to last for 10-12 months. If the temperature is lower, the shelf life will be reduced to 4-6 months.

Tomatoes are stored in special bags where air access will be limited.

Defrosting frozen fruit

The principle of defrosting tomatoes will depend on which method was used to freeze them.Whole frozen tomatoes are thawed at room temperature. After the tomatoes have melted a little, you can cut them in a convenient way.

If the tomatoes are for salad, they do not need to be thawed. It is enough to cut them into thin slices and add to the salad.

If you want to add peeled tomatoes to the dish, they should be placed in a container of boiling water for a few seconds, then the peel is easy to remove.

A red vegetable frozen by other methods is added to dishes only in frozen form, it is not previously thawed.

What can you cook

The frozen fruits are used to prepare various delicious dishes. Just like fresh tomatoes, freezing vegetables can come in handy for any meal. Frozen whole fruits are added to first courses, vegetable stews, salads and others.

A good cold vegetable snack is obtained from tomato puree, if you add more caviar from zucchini and eggplants to it. Also, tomato puree is used as a sauce or instead of ketchup.

Chopped tomatoes are useful for adding to pizza, scrambled eggs, hot sandwiches, and other tomato-based snacks.

So, tomatoes are suitable for consumption not only fresh, but also frozen. It is important to choose a convenient way to freeze tomatoes for yourself, and then use them for a variety of your favorite dishes. Tomatoes should be prepared for the freezing process, stored properly, thawed, and cooked deliciously.

A tomato is a vegetable that will enrich the body with essential vitamins and decorate any dish!