How to freeze zucchini for the winter: a proven method with a photo. Freezing zucchini for the winter at home: making a vegetable "dough" and options "just reheat

10.09.2019 Fish dishes

Zucchini is one of the most picky fruits. It is harmoniously combined with any food, it can become the basis for both hot spicy dishes and sweets. But when it comes to freezing, then the zucchini "requires" compliance with several rules. Otherwise, the workpiece runs the risk of turning into a hard "shoe" or porridge.

Useful properties of a vegetable

Why do you need to freeze zucchini for the winter at home? After all, this product does not have a pronounced taste, and only a real gourmet can catch a delicate aroma. Nevertheless, it is the zucchini that the body needs during the autumn-winter epidemics and spring vitamin deficiencies. The vegetable is rich in vitamins A, C, group B, PP. It contains minerals essential for health: potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium. The nondescript fruit provides six positive effects.

Normalizes the digestive tract... The product has a mild laxative effect, thereby protecting the digestive system from toxins, preventing the formation of constipation.
Eliminates puffiness... This healthy vegetable provides a slight diuretic effect. As a result, toxins are flushed out of the body, puffiness goes away. However, people who are diagnosed with kidney disease should not get too carried away with squash dishes.
Helps to lose weight... Zucchini, which has a low calorie content (16 kcal per 100 g), is one of the components of the diet. It is recommended to be included in the menu for people suffering from obesity. And, as evidenced by reviews, weight loss is quite successful.
Strengthens the heart... The combination of potassium and magnesium has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle. Thanks to these elements, marrow stimulates the work of the "main motor", prevents the development of heart disease.
Saturates with vitamins, minerals... The rich iron content helps to resist anemia by normalizing hemoglobin levels. And vitamins protect the body from spring vitamin deficiencies.
Strengthens blood vessels... Zucchini ensures the elimination of harmful cholesterol, improves the condition of blood vessels. Such a complex effect prevents the development of atherosclerosis.

The benefits of a nondescript vegetable is also evidenced by the fact that it is squash puree that is recommended to be introduced as one of the first courses for feeding babies.

4 storage rules

For freezing, it is recommended to take young zucchini with a thin, delicate skin. Old, overripe, it is better to leave for cooking caviar. In addition, the selected raw materials should not show any signs of deterioration. To properly freeze zucchini for the winter, follow four guidelines.

Liquid elimination... Zucchini contains a lot of liquid and enzymes (natural enzymes). After freezing, such substances give the product a stiffness and tastelessness, comparable only to the sole of a shoe. That is why, before freezing, vegetables must be deprived of such components. This can be done in several ways: by blanching the product, sprinkling it with salt or boiling it in steam.
Product slicing... Whole squash should not be frozen. In this form, it will take up too much space. And in winter you will have to suffer before you can cook anything from it. Therefore, it is recommended to freeze the sliced food. What kind of slicing should you prefer? Depends on future plans. For lovers of stew and soup, it is better to cut the zucchini into small cubes. For those who want to freeze it on pancakes, it is recommended to grate the pulp. And if the signature dish is fried zucchini, then, accordingly, cut the fruits into circles.
The choice of packaging. You can freeze zucchini in containers or in bags. But the first option is undesirable. A lot of air remains in the container, which does not at all predispose to long-term storage. Therefore, it is better to prefer bags, eliminating the air from them as much as possible. A vacuum suction or a handheld vacuum cleaner will help to cope with this task. Zucchini, devoid of air, can keep fresh for eight to ten months.
Stress freeze... In order to preserve all the useful substances in a valuable product as much as possible, it is recommended to freeze the product in a quick freezing chamber. It is usually called "Fast Freeze" or "Super Freeze". This compartment allows you to instantly freeze food at the lowest possible temperature. Wait one hour and then transfer the frozen items to the regular compartment of the freezer.

Put in one bag exactly as many zucchini as you need to prepare one dish, no more. Vegetables must not be re-frozen as this will result in spoilage.

How to freeze zucchini for the winter in different ways

If you are a lover of stews and soups, you are happy to cook zucchini pancakes, you often spoil your household with fried vegetables, you need to familiarize yourself with all freezing methods. Then you can prepare several different packages "for all cases". To freeze fresh zucchini for the winter, use five algorithms.

Cubes

Peculiarities . This slicing is perfect for cooking stews, soup, casseroles, grilled vegetables. Moreover, the zucchini does not even need to be thawed before placing it in a saucepan or mold.

What to do

Rinse the zucchini, dry it with a paper towel.
If the product is young, with a thin skin, you do not need to peel it. Cut the skin of overripe vegetables, remove the seeds.
Cut the courgettes into small cubes.
Take a large saucepan, pour water into it, filling half the volume, put on fire.
When the water boils, dip the zucchini in it.
Blanch for five minutes.
Then put the vegetables in a colander, let the water drain.
Spread the pieces on a towel, wait until they are completely dry and cool.
Now take a large cutting board and wrap it with cling film.
Put the zucchini on it in one row so that the adjacent pieces do not touch.
In this form, place the workpiece in the freezer.
After about one to two hours, take out the zucchini, which have had time to fairly freeze.
Carefully remove the vegetables from the board and put them in a bag.
Eliminate air as much as possible, cover or tie freeze.

If you have a steamer, use it to blanch the courgettes. The duration of the steaming is five minutes.

Circles

Peculiarities . This freeze is not only suitable for frying zucchini. Beautiful even rings can serve as a basis for baking meat and fish dishes in the oven. They can be used to make complex sandwiches and pizzas.

What to do

Cut the washed and dried zucchini into even rings, the thickness of which varies within 0.7-1 cm.
Spread out on a large platter, sprinkle with salt.
Wait two to three minutes, then turn the courgettes over to the other side.
Now salt the second side.
Leave the vegetables on for 15 minutes so they can get rid of the liquid as much as possible.
Then place the rings on paper towels, blot each circle thoroughly.
Transfer dry vegetables to a plastic-wrapped board and place in the freezer.
After an hour or two, take out the workpiece, put it in bags.

Crushed

Peculiarities . To prepare pancakes, vegetable caviar, mashed soups, it is better to freeze grated zucchini for the winter. For cooking, you can use a regular grater or puree the mass in a blender.

What to do

Grate clean and dried zucchini.
Sprinkle the mass with salt, mix thoroughly.
Wait 12-15 minutes for the mixture to release juice abundantly.
Drain the liquid.
Wrap the squash mass in cheesecloth, squeeze.
Having eliminated the liquid as much as possible, put the chopped zucchini into a bag.
Get rid of the air, close the workpiece.
Place in the freezer for storage.

For baby food

Peculiarities . If you want to freeze zucchini for complementary feeding, the cooking technology changes slightly. Only young vegetables can be used as raw materials for baby food.

What to do

Be sure to peel the zucchini.
Cut them into random cubes.
Blanch the vegetables for ten minutes, then discard in a colander.
Place on a paper towel to ensure that excess liquid is removed.
Dip the pieces into a blender bowl, beat in a gentle puree.
Place the workpiece in portions in special containers for baby food.
Place in the freezer.

Fried

Peculiarities . If you freeze fried zucchini for the winter, then cooking will be reduced to elementary steps. It is necessary to get a portion, defrost it in the microwave. The only drawback of this dish is the lack of a crispy crust.

What to do

Wash young zucchini, dry with a paper towel.
Cut into circles.
Salt and pepper such blanks a little.
Season in flour.
Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Allow the fried items to cool completely.
Place them on a plastic-wrapped cutting board.
Dip the zucchini in the freezer for an hour.
Fold the frozen vegetables in portions into prepared bags, remove the air, and then seal for the winter.

Recipes for semi-finished products

If you are the owner of a sufficiently voluminous freezer that can accommodate many blanks, then why not diversify the winter zucchini menu. You can easily prepare a vegetable stew ensemble, or load an almost ready-made aromatic risotto. If you like this idea, here are three recipes for freezing zucchini for the winter.

With rice and carrots

Peculiarities . This freeze will serve as the basis for making risotto. You can add vegetables or herbs as you like.

Components:

sweet pepper - three pieces;
zucchini - two fruits;
carrots - two pieces;
rice - 180 g;
greens (dill, parsley) - a bunch.

What to do

Initially, cook the rice in a little salted water.
Now tackle the zucchini by cutting it into small chunks, removing excess liquid in any of the above ways.
Cut the carrots into strips or thin circles.
Peel the peppers, chop them into cubes or sticks.
Cook the rice until half cooked.
Discard the contents of the pan in a colander, rinse with cold water, let it drain slightly.
Combine rice with vegetables in a separate bowl, mix thoroughly.
Pour the resulting mixture into bags in portions.
Remove the air, then put it in the freezer.

For pumpkin-squash pancakes

Peculiarities . If you love adding orange pumpkin cubes to your pancakes, you shouldn't deny yourself this in winter.

Components:

zucchini - two fruits;
pumpkin - 400-500 g.

What to do

Grate the zucchini.
Salt the mass, squeeze out the excess liquid.
Grind the pumpkin with a grater.
Connect both blanks.
Pack in bags, freeze.

With minced meat

Peculiarities . This blank is able to save the hostess if guests suddenly appear or there is no desire to bother with the preparation of dinner at all. A hearty, tasty dish is frozen almost ready-made. Before serving, you just need to defrost the semi-finished product, warm it up in the microwave or oven. So, to freeze stuffed zucchini for the winter, use the following recipe.

Components

zucchini - two fruits;
rice - 180 g;
minced meat - 250 g;
onion - one;
carrots - one;
butter - 30 g;
sour cream - 200 ml;
vegetable oil - 40 ml;
salt, spices.

What to do

Rinse the rice thoroughly. Put it to simmer in salted water.
Divide the zucchini into three to four parts to form cylinders approximately 5-7 cm high.
Use a knife to carefully cut the core, but do not cut through the workpiece. You should have a glass-like shape.
Blanch the courgettes for three to five minutes.
Grate the carrots, chop the onion into cubes.
Fry the carrot and onion blank.
Cook the rice until half cooked, then add a piece of butter, stir.
Pour the carrot and onion preparation into the minced meat, add rice, spices.
Stir the mixture.
Fill the zucchini glasses with the rice and meat filling.
Place the resulting "kegs" in a saucepan with high sides.
Apply a spoonful of sour cream to each.
Prepare the sauce by dissolving the remaining sour cream in water, adding spices of your choice.
Pour the stuffed zucchini with it.
Cover the saucepan with a lid, simmer until tender.
Let the food cool on its own.
Select containers that are suitable for the height.
Place the zucchini in a container, pour the prepared sauce on top.
Close the container tightly, put it in the freezer.

Freezing zucchini in the freezer is not only possible, but also necessary. Vegetables are harvested in a variety of ways. If there is no vacuum suction at home, you can eliminate the air with a cocktail straw. Close the bag as much as possible, leaving a small hole for the straw. Press down on the bag on all sides, allowing excess air to escape. Now just pull out the straw, seal the blank completely.

If you are wondering how to freeze zucchini for the winter, then you are well aware of the benefits of frozen vegetables. When frozen, the weight of vitamins is preserved, in contrast to preservation in the usual way in jars. Another significant factor is the availability of zucchini in summer. They are sold at every turn. Although in winter, zucchini is already in every supermarket. But they are much more expensive, and are crammed with all kinds of chemistry. So it's time to start freezing the zucchini.

I advise you to buy young zucchini. Not at the very beginning of the season, but when they are already selling homemade ones, from the garden. What else is good in this method of harvesting for the winter. You are not standing in the kitchen for a day. Do not steam around the stove, sterilizing and rolling up cans. You buy some squash for caviar or pancakes. And throw a couple of them into the freezer. It only takes you ten minutes to get ready. And in winter you will prepare delicious and healthy meals.

In addition, in order to freeze the zucchini correctly, I suggest that you also think in advance what dishes you will cook. And depending on this, choose how you will prepare the zucchini. In addition, I will show you how to freeze zucchini for feeding babies.

What we need:

1 cabbage, preferably young without seeds
greens, bell peppers, carrots - optional
freezer containers or bags

Cooking process:

For any cooking method, first wash the vegetables and dry them. Cut off the ponytail and nose.
The first way is the easiest. Cut the zucchini the way you will cook it in the future. For example, I cut into cubes and then add to soups, stews, cook squash caviar. Then I immediately pack it in small portions in bags or containers. We release air well from the bags and freeze.
Second way. Suitable if you often cook stewed vegetables for a side dish. I cut the cabbage into cubes, a couple of carrots, a couple of sweet peppers. You can freeze right like this. You can add rice boiled until half cooked. So you immediately get a blank, which you simply take out in winter and send it to the pan under the lid. I use a little secret - I blanch vegetables a little, for a couple of minutes in boiling water and immediately pour over with cold water. This will help the vegetables retain their flavor. See the video below for more details.
The third method is suitable for those who like fried zucchini slices. Cut into circles, cover a cutting board or plate with foil. Lay out the zucchini circles and freeze. Then we split it into packages and store it until winter. In winter, we dip such zucchini in flour without directly defrosting and fry. Personally, I sometimes blanch the circles for 1-2 minutes in boiling water and then freeze them. This makes them more delicious in winter.
I grate the squash for caviar or squash pancakes. I put them in bags and freeze the zucchini for the winter.
And one more way. If you have a baby who needs to introduce complementary foods in winter or you want to continue feeding your baby with natural products - no problem. Make the squash puree and freeze. Moreover, if you are only mixing mashed potatoes with vegetables, then freeze them in ice containers. Then I put the cubes in a large container and store them. Very comfortably. For example, I boiled potatoes, pounded them, added a cube or two of not thawed squash puree. Tasty, natural, no need to wait until it cools down! So such a squash puree for children for the winter can be frozen in fairly large quantities.
Below is a selection of videos where housewives share the secrets of freezing zucchini for the winter. Let me remind you again that use young vegetables, without large seeds inside. And you can freeze zucchini in the same way.

Another great recipe

It is quite possible to do without zucchini in the cold season, but do you need to limit yourself? Zucchini can be easily prepared from summer and pamper yourself and your homemade dishes with this summer vegetable. In general, why talk too much, read how to properly freeze zucchini for the winter so that they retain their taste, shape and usefulness.

General tips for freezing zucchini for long-term storage

In order for semi-finished zucchini products for the winter to be successful, it is important to choose suitable vegetables for this. The most ideal option is young, small-sized zucchini with a delicate thin skin and juicy dense pulp. Old courgettes are more suitable for making caviar.
So that the zucchini does not lose its taste and does not become tough, it is necessary to get rid of natural enzymes and excess water in any available way. There are three such methods: steaming, blanching and sprinkling with salt.
There should be no air in the freezer bags when they are sent to the freezer. This allows the vegetable to be stored better and longer.
Extreme freezing is what a zucchini needs to preserve its taste and the lion's share of its usefulness. When placing the workpiece in the chamber, make sure that there is the lowest temperature there.

Harvesting zucchini for the winter for frying in circles

Fried zucchini and even in winter? Fantastic! For freezing vegetables, which will then be fried, light-brown or squash are best suited. They contain much less moisture than zucchini. Naturally, according to the rules, young people are better.

Wash the zucchini well, wipe it with a towel, let it dry in the air.
Cut off the stem and nose. Next, cut into rings, as we usually do for frying.
We take a large bowl or saucepan, fill 1⁄2 with water. Let the water boil on the stove.
Pour the rings into boiling water, cook for 5 minutes.
We discard the vegetables in a colander, let the water drain.
Put the cooled zucchini in bags, drive out excess air, put it in the freezer.

Frozen zucchini cubes

If you are a fan of stews, soups, caviar, zucchini puree, or want to prepare complementary foods for your child, stock up on a few diced zucchini bags.

We wash, dry the vegetables.
We cut them into cubes. It doesn't matter large or medium, the main thing is that you feel comfortable.
Pour the slices into a deep bowl, crush with salt, mix.
After a quarter of an hour, the zucchini will begin to let juice, pour them into a colander. This will allow you to get rid of water that will negatively affect the semi-finished zucchini products for the winter.
When the water drains, we additionally blot the cubes with a paper or cloth towel, distribute them into bags, send them to the freezer.

Grated zucchini for the winter

Even in winter, you can fry zucchini pancakes. To do this, they must be frozen in a grated form. How to do it.

Traditionally, I wash vegetables, cut off the stem and nose.
Three on a grater. Large or medium-sized matter of taste.
Fold in a deep bowl, sprinkle with salt, stir.
After 15 minutes. drain the juice and squeeze the grated mass thoroughly.
We pack the finished product in sachets, freeze.

Freezing fried zucchini for the winter

And you can freeze the zucchini for the winter, ready-made, fried. Agree, fried zucchini for the winter frozen - something new. In this case, they just need to be defrosted, heated and served with sauce.

Wash young zucchini, dry it.
Cut into rings for the usual frying. Salt, pepper, add other spices to taste.
We bread the rings in flour. Fry in the usual way in oil in a pan.
We studio the finished zucchini. We put it in a bag in layers, lay each layer with a film. This will keep the rings from sticking together. Frosty.

Now you know how to keep zucchini in the freezer for the winter following simple rules. And the hostess will always come up with what to cook from frozen zucchini in cubes, rings or grated. So we take and boldly freeze the zucchini for the winter.

It is quite possible to cook tasty and healthy dishes from seasonal vegetables not only in summer, but also in winter. Freezing will help us to bring this to life. And if you have never done such preparations, try to do it right now with us. Moreover, vegetables in the season of natural ripening cost mere pennies and are available for any wallet. Or maybe you have collected a large season of zucchini and do not know what to do with them? In addition to preserving and preparing seasonal summer meals, frozen items can be made.

Some are interested in whether it is possible to freeze zucchini? Zucchini are among those products that perfectly tolerate freezing, do not deteriorate and even retain their beneficial substances as much as possible after freezing. Especially if you are using a modern fast and deep freezer. But we want to tell you that do not store frozen zucchini for too long, over time they will lose some of their nutrients. It is better if by the beginning of April, you have finished all the frozen zucchini supplies. And there it is already not far from the next season.

A big plus of home freezing is also the speed of execution and the moment that you do not need to steam at the stove. In general, we summarize all the advantages and make a blank. Today we will tell you how to freeze zucchini in the freezer for the winter in several versions.

Zucchini, as everyone knows, is a fairly affordable and cheap vegetable, but not everyone knows that it is also very useful. A lot of delicious low-calorie dishes are prepared from it. These are zucchini pancakes, and, and, and tongues from zucchini, and stuffed zucchini-boats and stews and much more.

So we will procure, or rather, freeze!

Taste Info Zucchini for the winter / Home freezing

Ingredients

Young zucchini - unlimited quantity

How to cook correctly zucchini for freezing in the freezer for the winter - several options

The first step is choosing and buying zucchini.

Zucchini for freezing can be grown by yourself (if possible), bought in a store or on the market. Of course, we give priority in buying to the market - there is more choice and the price is usually lower.

We carefully study the offered product and choose young zucchini with a glossy surface and not a sluggish tail. It is these small specimens (15-20 cm) that are perfect for freezing.

Do not buy large zucchini, even if their price will "pleasantly surprise you". When cutting, you will understand that you will have to throw out all the pulp from the middle, since it already consists of some seeds and fibers. And thus you will not gain, but lose!

Therefore, we take fresh, young zucchini and do not experiment!

The second step is preparing the zucchini for freezing

We bought the zucchini, brought it home and try to carve out quite a bit of time so that (without postponing until tomorrow) we can start freezing the zucchini. Everything about everything will take you 15-20 minutes (time depends on the quantity).

And so we proceed. Cut off the thorny tails and wash the zucchini.

The next step is to remove the skin from the zucchini. It is very easy to do this with a housekeeper knife. You can, of course, not do this if you still have the skin or not.

Method one - rings

Nothing complicated, just take a sharp knife and cut the zucchini into slices about 0.5-0.6 cm thick. We can use this version of frozen zucchini in winter for frying in batter, flour, all kinds of vegetable casseroles, etc.

Method two - cubes

We dissolve the zucchini lengthwise into three parts. Then we cut the resulting plates into strips and in the final action turn them into cubes, the side of the cube is about 1 cm.

We use it in vegetable soups, stews, omelets, prepare squash caviar (in pieces).

Method three - grinding with a grater

Everything is very simple here: we take a grater with large holes and rub the zucchini. We use this kind of freezing for cooking zucchini pancakes, mashed soups and just vegetable soups, this type is also suitable for cooking caviar.

A quick tip: all frozen zucchini dishes (except for fritters) do not need to be defrosted first. And one more thing: they cook much faster than fresh ones (although fresh ones are cooked very quickly), take this point into account when preparing dishes.

Use frozen zucchini for cooking not only dishes for adults, but also for children and babies. It is known that baby zucchini puree is very useful for babies and it is better to cook it yourself than to buy it at the store.

For complementary foods, zucchini are thawed at room temperature, other vegetables are added, boiled and chopped in a blender.

The third step is how to freeze zucchini in three types

In order to properly freeze the zucchini in circles, lay them out on a flat surface, covered with a clean towel or napkin, and send them to the freezer. Freeze in this form for two to one and a half hours. Then we put it in a plastic bag and send it back to storage in the freezer.

We also line the diced courgettes in one layer on a towel and freeze them in the freezer. After they freeze (1-2 hours), pour them into a food container, close the lid and store in the freezer.

Grated zucchini must be immediately put in a bag (until they let the juice out) and immediately sent to freeze. Such freezing should be done only in portions, that is, put in the bag as much as is required at one time.

Work is done! We told you how to properly freeze zucchini for the winter and showed you several options.

There is another option for freezing fried zucchini. In this case, the sliced vegetable slices are fried until tender.

Use it to your health!