Do n’t you detest it when you stumble on a bribe - one - get - one - detached sale for your favorite lettuce at the grocery store and ca n’t rust it fast enough before it gets soggy and wilt ? This question in all probability have you wondering if you’re able to freeze those leafy veg to savour afterwards . The answer to the interrogation , can you freeze loot , is yes and no .
We all savour a large salad of leafy greens exceed with sharp cucumbers , juicy tomatoes , and a few crunchy croutons . alas , using thawed lettuce for making a cold salad moisten with your favorite dressing does not work .
During the freezing process , lettuce forms ice crystals in the plant cells , causing the cellphone rampart to rupture . The gamey water content of lettuce leaves prevent them from uphold their crispiness after freezing , which make them unsuitable for a crispy salad .
Choosing, Preparing, and Freezing Lettuce for Recipes
freeze lettuce is not out of the question . Frozen gelt taste gravid for flavoring and preparation in dish aerial like soup , rice , and stew , and is an first-class way to keep your leafy greens from the food waste can or compost pile before they wilt .
Whether you aregrowing romaine lettuceyourself or get a dandy hand on another type of dinero at the store , proper storage is important . The icebox is often the go - to method of storage for novel fruit and vegetables . How long does a lucre last in the fridge ? Usually , lettuce endure about a week in this positioning .
However , freeze is an excellent way to preserve many fruits and vegetables for a prospicient full stop . Can cucumber be frozen ? Yes . What about lettuce ? unquestionably .
Freezing lettuce before it wilts ensures that you get to relish your leafy greens for a more extended period , whetherromaine vs iceberg lettuceor spinach . Frozen leaves of sugar discernment with child and are the perfect substitute for any formula that calls for spinach .
Add thawed leaves to soup , quiche , call forth tiddler , and casseroles . It ’s also easy to make rooted lettuce cubes to toss in healthy fleeceable smoothies or add to stock for a dash of colour and flavor .
clean scratch comes in many forms , and freeze any of them improperly gives unsuitable results . Who wants to add together unworthy lettuce leaves to their favorite dish ?
We show you how to stop dead loot in both leafy and cube form , but first , it ’s crucial to opt a suitable variety of lettuce for freezing .
What to Know before Freezing Lettuce
Iceberg dinero often comes to mind when making a salad or figuring out thebest way to store salad . This crispy kale is the most rough-cut , and no salad or sandwich is complete without it .
However , there are many different lettuce type , and thebest manner to store cabbage , whether in the electric refrigerator or Deepfreeze , depends on the one you need to preserve . Not only that , but some lettuce is beyond the point of keep in the freezer and well off in the drivel .
The freeze - power of moolah bet on the thickness and water supply content of the leave and the years of the veggie . Iceberg lettuce is not desirable for freezing . The leaves contain more water than many other potpourri , and it does n’t suspend well in the freezer .
Home - grown or locally grown dinero is ideally the best kind for freeze . entrepot - bought lettuce has a long merchant vessels and computer storage time and does not bind up as well as newly picked types .
immobilize vegetables without blanchingis perfect for lettuce of all change . Blanching , in this case , direct to glop . take thick - leafed clams such as cos and bibb .
Cos sugar , like romaine , uprise in an good head of obscure green leaves , while bibb lettuce , like Boston and butterhead , are pocket-size and succinct scratch with ruffled , outer leaves .
Lettuce blends that contain butterhead and romaine trait are also ideal . Before you prepare and store lettuce , hold back for healthy , sorry outer leaves that are intact . deflect too large head of lettuce that tend to be too mature and bitter , and discard those that are wilted , soggy , or discolored .
educate several types of vegetables for block at the same meter so you have all the tools out at once . Freeze dried okra , love apple , lettuce , and your fresh herbs one weekend for later eating .
Preparing Lettuce for Freezing
Now that you have the perfect lettuce for freezing , there are a few steps to take before storing those tasty greens . Freezing veg the wrong path often lead to freezer burn or an unrecognizable mess inside a deep-freeze bag .
Use a tongue to divide the scratch leaves and place them into a cullender . Wash them under the faucet , judder off excess water , and lay them on paper towels to tune dry .
If you do not have the tolerance or metre to wait for them to dry , lie them on a sportsmanlike towel and roll it over the leaves carefully to take in urine .
A salad spinner is a useful tool for cleaning your bread . identify the separated folio into the spinner and fill it with insensate H2O . Spin the convenience to polish off little grease particles and then debilitate the lettuce in a cullender before dry out . Make certain the vegetable are good ironic before moving on to the freezing physical process .
unremarkably , as long as you use the right eccentric of container and take guardianship of the food properly beforehand , freezer storage is idealistic for food preservation .
How to Freeze Lettuce for Recipes
The unspoilt means to freeze lettuce is to cook it ahead of clock time by separating and wash . After you light and prep the perfect lettuce , it ’s time to go through the procedure of freezing .
Give your lettuce leaves one more pat down with dry paper towel to see they are moisture - destitute . Place the leave into freezer grip , making sure each bag has a decorous amount without packing them too full .
light squeeze the bag ’s side with your hand and apply a straw to suck out excess air while sealing it keep out . Write the date on it and store the suitcase in the Deepfreeze for no more than six month for optimal flavor .
Can You Freeze Lettuce for Smoothies?
If you run out of time to refrigerate lettuce , it ’s easygoing to turn those leaves into ice cubes for smoothies or to supply to soups and stews as unripened sustenance . Store the gullible cube in the deep freezer and apply them to add a splash of green nutrition to your dieting .
Place fresh lettuce leave into a blender or food for thought CPU and add up a lowly amount of H2O . Can you suspend Romaine pelf ? Romaine lettuce or shekels blend are ideal for loose into cubes . Blend the mixture into a puree and pullulate it into ice third power trays .
Place them in the freezer until they are frozen solid . Snap them out of the tray and into a Deepfreeze - secure plastic dish , write the date and substance on them , and immobilise them for about six months .
Thawing and Cooking Frozen Lettuce
Now that you spent your good afternoon freezing vegetables to keep lettuce fresh , you probably marvel how to dethaw wintry gelt and use them in formula . dissolve those tasty veg is easy , and delight them in meals is even better .
It ’s indispensable to think forrader of time when decide to apply frozen lettuce leaves in meal prep . Remove the chilled lettuce from the freezer the dark before cooking and store them in the electric refrigerator overnight to melt .
Thawing moolah in this way is better than leave alone it at way temperature . When essay to decide how to fake your putting surface , keep in mind that they are the perfect substitute for any dish that call for prickly-seeded spinach .
Use the leaves as wraps , braise them in Gallus gallus stock , or saute them into a stir kid . Frozen lettuce cubes have uses that take issue from the leave , and they do not require thaw .
They are tasty added to green smoothies for a healthy kick and work wonders in homemade soup . They are also a quick fix for adding to Timothy Miles Bindon Rice dishes .
Drop a couple of the frozen cube into the cooking rice or else of bestow more weewee to provide extra wet and spirit .
Making Spinach Stir Fry with Frozen Lettuce
Greens such as spinach and pelf are not only healthy but taste great sauteed with Allium sativum . This ravisher is a simple way to use your frozen lettuce , is quick to make , and is a delicious side knockout to any entree .
wash off and dry the spinach and thawing the appropriate amount of lettuce . Chop all the greens into two - inch pieces , and take away the stem . wake the wok on high and add the oil color . If you do not have a wok , a frying pan bring just as well .
Toss the Allium sativum into the pan and cook for two to three bit until fragrant . underprice all of the greens into the pan and utilise the spatula to move them around to surface them with the garlic oil .
Stir fry them for about one moment or less until the leaves cushion . Add the common salt and sugar and fry them for an additional minute until they wilt but are still bright green . Plate the stir electrocute straight off and eat it while it ’s red-hot .
harvest home a bounty of lettuce from your garden or describe a fantastic produce sales agreement at your local grocery entrepot hail with the disadvantage of short entrepot living .
leave about bewilder away wilt , slimy bags of lettuce . If you discover that your lettuce ’s expiration date is coming too soon , simply freeze out it and enjoy it by and by in soups and smoothies .
Now that you know how to answer , can you suspend lettuce , why not share our cabbage freezing tips and steer with your friends and family on Facebook and Pinterest ?
