Hardly anyone needs to be convinced of the benefits of cauliflower. It is rich in protein, mineral salts and vitamins. Today, hundreds of delicious and healthy dishes can be prepared from it. Cauliflower is given as a first food for infants and is recommended for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Only here the season in central Russia of this vegetable is very short, and you can’t keep it fresh at home. Therefore, many are interested in the question of whether cauliflower can be frozen or not?
Yes it is possible. At the same time, it will perfectly retain not only all its useful properties, but will also remain in its original form. But for everything to work out, you need to know a few simple rules on
how to freeze cauliflower for the winter. And you need to start with the selection of suitable heads of cabbage. They should be white, without flaws. Before proceeding to freeze cauliflower, it must be washed and soaked in salted water for 15-20 minutes. This is necessary in order to get rid of unwanted bugs and tracks. And be sure to remove the top leaves from the head.
There are 2 ways to freeze cauliflower for the winter: whole or divided into inflorescences. In the first case, fold the head into a suitable plastic bag, remove all the air and close it tightly. Put in the freezer. It is very important to dry the cauliflower well so that the excess liquid does not remain inside. This can be done by laying it on a sieve or paper towel. On this, all preparations are completed.
But in the second method, after the cabbage is washed and sorted into inflorescences, you can freeze it one way or pre-blanch. To do this, lower the sieve with it in boiling water (add a little citric acid to it) for 5-6 minutes, and then in cold. This will help keep the color and shape of the inflorescences intact. Otherwise, this version of how to freeze cauliflower for the winter is similar to the previous one. Arrange the inflorescences in a tray at a distance from each other and place it in the freezer. Once they freeze, you can transfer them to a suitable container.
To store cauliflower in the freezer, you can use ordinary cellophane or special bags with a zipper for freezing. Disposable plastic containers are also great. They can be bought at any supermarket. It is also important to observe storage conditions. The temperature in the freezer should be from -23 to -18 degrees. Since cauliflower can be frozen for the winter only once and it cannot be re-frozen, it must immediately be divided into the necessary portions. They must be such that they use everything at once. Subject to all these tricks, cauliflower can be stored for up to 12 months.
Freezing not only helps preserve all the vitamins, but also gives you the opportunity to treat yourself to dishes of fresh vegetables, even in winter. And best of all, frozen
cauliflower is suitable for these purposes
. Recipes with her are easy and simple to implement. You can simply steam it or make an omelet with it. It perfectly complements soup, casserole or vegetable stew. For most dishes, it does not even need to be defrosted. And, of course, you can make delicious mashed potatoes for kids from it.