How to freeze eggplants correctly: ways to freeze eggplants for the winter

Selection of eggplants for freezing and their pre-processing

For freezing, it is better to take ripe, dense fruits with a shiny, elastic skin. It should be taken into account that younger eggplants contain less substances that cause bitterness.

Next, the vegetables need to be washed under running water and dried with a towel.

When cutting eggplants, you should pay attention to the cut of the vegetable. If it has darkened, it means that the eggplant contains a lot of seronine, a substance that causes a bitter taste. If the cut is light, then you can immediately begin heat treatment or freezing.

Methods for freezing eggplant

Method one: freezing raw eggplants

With this method, vegetables are cut into circles or pieces. Next, you need to remove the bitterness from them. To do this, add a few tablespoons of salt to a pan of water and place the slices in it. After a couple of hours, the water is drained and the vegetables are washed under cool water. Then they are thrown into a colander and allowed to drain. It is advisable to then place the eggplants on paper towels to dry thoroughly.

The final stage is to place the vegetables in bags and tie them tightly, releasing excess air.

It is worth mentioning that this is not the best way to freeze this delicate vegetable, since frozen raw eggplants may seem slightly rubbery in consistency after defrosting. Therefore, when freezing eggplants, it is always recommended to heat them.

Method two: how to blanch eggplants for freezing

First you need to decide on the method of slicing the eggplants. This, just like in the previous recipe, can be either circles or cubes.

Salt will help remove bitterness. To do this, generously sprinkle the slices with coarse table salt and let them stand for 30 - 40 minutes. During this time, dark brown juice will drain from the vegetables, which contains all the substances that cause bitterness. Afterwards, the eggplants are washed under running water.

To blanch, the eggplants are immersed in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then taken out and immediately immersed in ice water. It is convenient to do this using a colander, placing chopped vegetables in it in small batches.

Then you should wait until the water has thoroughly drained from the blanched vegetables, or artificially dry the eggplants with paper towels.

Next, the vegetables are placed in containers or portioned bags and placed in the freezer for storage.

Method three: fried eggplants for the winter for freezing

The eggplants are cut into rings and then the bitterness is removed from them. This can be done either by soaking in salt water or by sprinkling with coarse salt. Choose for yourself. Next, the eggplants are dried and placed in a heated frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. The eggplants, fried on both sides, are cooled and placed on a tray or cutting board lined with cellophane. In this form, the eggplants are placed in the freezer for 4 hours, and then the fried rings are poured into freezer bags and put back in the freezer.

Watch the video: Lubov Kriuk will tell you how to freeze fried eggplants

Alternatively, fried eggplant rings can be rolled in flour and then frozen. Lubov Kriuk will tell you about this in detail in his video:

Method four: how to freeze eggplants baked in the oven

With this method, eggplants can be baked whole. To do this, place them on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil and put them in the oven for 30 minutes. After this, the eggplants are peeled and squeezed out of the juice, which may contain bitterness. Peeled whole eggplants are packaged in bags and placed in the freezer.

You can also bake eggplants in plates or rings. Lubov Kriuk will tell you how to do this in his video:

Defrosting eggplants

Defrosting is usually carried out at room temperature or in the main compartment of the refrigerator. However, to prepare most frozen eggplant dishes, pre-thawing is not required.