It is possible to preserve summer aromas and vitamins not only in memory, but also in reality, if you have a modern refrigerator (or freezer) and a little time. Ordinary jam, of course, is wonderful, but still, you must admit, fresh berries are a completely different matter. You can say that nowadays you can buy anything you want in supermarkets, even in winter. This is true. But frozen berries from your own garden turn out to be many times healthier (and tastier!) than fresh strawberries, which we sell in January. Remember, these strawberries don’t even have a smell! So you should definitely try to freeze at least some berries: in winter, your family will appreciate your efforts.

What you need for freezing

To freeze, you don’t need much: berries, clean plastic containers of rectangular or square shape, a flat large tray, tap water, electricity and a good refrigerator. As for berries, you can freeze almost anything that grows in your garden or is sold on the market in the summer. It is best to freeze those berries that you cannot buy in the store: raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, strawberries, mulberries, cherries, sweet cherries, bird cherries. Fans can risk freezing watermelon or melon (in pieces, of course). Before freezing, the berries must be sorted, washed and dried. Select the strongest, whole and ripe berries for freezing. They should be washed with warm water without excessive mechanical impact, so as not to damage them. Opinions are divided regarding the stalks, seeds and twigs: some believe that with all this the berries will be “more alive”. Others remove everything unnecessary, leaving only the berries.

How to freeze

The freezer is set to maximum cold about two hours before the freezing procedure begins. For freezing, it is best to set the temperature to –20° C. Very juicy berries, such as strawberries and raspberries, are placed on a tray and placed in the freezer for two to four hours. During this time, the berries are sufficiently frozen, and they can be safely poured into containers, sent for long-term storage deep into the freezer. By the way, you can store frozen berries for a whole year, until the next harvest. Currants, cherries and gooseberries are not so delicate, and they can be poured into containers immediately and placed in the freezer in this form. Some people use plastic bags to freeze berries, but the berries in them are often damaged, leak juice and freeze into a monolithic conglomerate. When thawed, they lose their shape and juice. Therefore, bags can only be used for berries with strong skin or pre-frozen ones. But in general, containers are more convenient: they are durable, can be of any size, and their square or rectangular shape allows you to use the freezer space with maximum benefit. It is very convenient if the containers are labeled: so you can quickly understand what is frozen in them and when.

You need to defrost the berries in the refrigerator. This method takes the longest, but allows the berries to maintain their excellent appearance. You can use frozen berries for compotes, jelly, cocktails, decorating desserts, and preparing filling for pies.

Let's start with the berries. You can eat them directly, without additional processing, or you can use them as raw materials for making desserts - jellies, mousses, baked goods with filling. The rules for defrosting them depend on the chosen method of use.

If we just want to enjoy the berries, make a salad out of them or mix them with yogurt or kefir, the easiest and most reliable way is to take them out of the freezer the night before, measure the required amount into a plate and place it in one of the upper compartments of the refrigerator. Defrosting in this way will be painless for the structure and vitamin composition of the berries. It is worth mentioning separately that we do not recommend defrosting berries in the microwave; a sharp temperature change will reduce the amount of nutrients in the product, the berries will lose juice, elasticity and integrity. Defrosting at room temperature, for its part, does not harm the beneficial contents, but worsens the appearance of fruits and berries. Thus, defrosting in the refrigerator is the best option.

If we decide to make a berry dessert, then the rules for defrosting depend on the type of dessert we have chosen. To prepare drinks - teas, compotes, fruit drinks, liqueurs - the berries do not need to be defrosted at all, but can be safely sent directly from the freezer to the stove. If you need berries for filling in pies or dumplings, we do the same thing: from the freezer to the dough. But preparing jellies and mousses involves using thawed berries; in this case, it is better to keep them in the refrigerator overnight, as described above, and then proceed according to the recipe.

We defrost fruit according to the same rules: overnight from the freezer to the refrigerator. We make drinks and baking fillings directly from frozen fruit. The only caveat: if fruit additives are made directly into biscuit dough (for example, according to the charlotte principle) or casserole, and you prefer to put a large amount of fruit, then we recommend defrosting the fruit first and draining the resulting liquid. The same goes for very juicy berries such as strawberries or cherries. Tested from my own experience, because, as you know, a biscuit is a very capricious dough and due to excess liquid it may not rise, and a casserole may “float” a little. But if the fruit and berry addition consists of one substrate, feel free to cover the baking sheet with frozen fruits.

So, let's summarize.
You need to defrost berries and fruits:
1) for direct consumption;
2) for making mousses and jellies;
3) for sponge cakes and cottage cheese casseroles with a lot of berries or fruits.

No need to defrost:
1) for preparing drinks;
2) for preparing fillings for pies and dumplings.

Berries rich in vitamins are useful for any child, for women during pregnancy, for those who are on a diet, and indeed for everyone. It is advisable to eat them not only every day during the season, but all year round. An excellent way to preserve all the valuable nutrients of fruits for a long time is to use the deep freezing method.

It seems that freezing berries is very simple. However, delicate fruits require careful handling during harvesting. There are secrets to properly freezing berries and expert advice that you need to follow to achieve your goal.

Recipe for freezing berries

Ingredients

Servings: – + 10

• berries (raspberries, strawberries, strawberries, currants, cherries, gooseberries, etc.) 1 kg

Per serving

Calories: 51 kcal

Proteins: 1.25 g

Fats: 0.42 g

Carbohydrates: 10.02 g

40 min. Video recipe Print

The berries must be properly prepared - sorted, cleared of debris, then washed under low pressure of water. With the exception of raspberries, since they then turn into mush when frozen.

After this, we lay the fruits in one layer on a napkin, paper or cotton towels so that there is a distance between them. Leave for 1.5-2 hours so that they dry completely and not a drop of moisture remains. This step should not be skipped under any circumstances, since the water, turning into ice, increases in volume and can crush the frozen fruits.

In order for the berries to retain their vitamins and nutrients for as long as possible, it is best to cool them a little before freezing. To do this, pour the fruits into a container and put them in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Thanks to pre-cooling, during the freezing process they will remain crumbly and will not turn into porridge.

After 2 hours, distribute the berries into plastic containers or plastic bags and put them in the freezer. Different types of berries can be stored either separately from each other or together. It depends entirely on your preferences.

“Freezing” – benefit or harm?

The question of whether frozen berries are healthy is of increased interest. It has been established that there is no particular difference in their properties compared to fresh ones. This must be taken into account when consuming. The benefits of the prepared product depend on the type of freezing and the type of berries.




For example, raspberries, viburnum, rose hips and black currants in any form are an excellent medicine during the flu and cold season, blueberries are extremely beneficial for vision, and cranberries are recommended for various heart diseases. Lingonberries are used for liver and kidney diseases, neuroses, gastritis with low acidity, and hypertension. It is also used as a component of anti-aging face masks. The only difference between frozen berries in all cases will be the method of preparing medicinal products from them.

Many experts say that out of season it is much healthier to eat frozen berries than those brought from warm countries. The big advantage of the preparations is their low calorie content, in contrast to compotes, jams, and preserves that contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, you can safely decorate the menu with frozen berries for those who dream of losing weight.

As for the harm, if fresh raspberries or, for example, blueberries are contraindicated for someone, then they should not be consumed frozen. Caution is a good idea if you have diabetes. We also must not forget that berries, especially red ones, are quite a strong allergen, and frozen ones are no exception. Therefore, if you are predisposed to allergies, you need to consume them little by little, carefully monitoring the body’s reaction.

Are vitamins stored?

During heat treatment, as is known, any berries and fruits lose some of their beneficial substances. Therefore, many are interested in whether vitamins are preserved in frozen berries? Experts believe that definitely yes. Of course, not in full force, but the losses are small. Freezing makes it possible to preserve the beneficial properties of the product by 90%. The taste also does not suffer.

This is a big plus, since the berries contain many vitamins B, C, A and minerals, which are simply necessary in the winter, when the human body is depleted and suffers from vitamin deficiency.

Recipe for blast freezing berries

Shock freezing allows the berries to retain their appearance, taste, and the entire range of vitamins and minerals closer to their original appearance. This type of preparation is available at home only if there is a quick freezing function on the freezer.




Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Number of servings: 10

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​51.00 kcal;
• proteins – 1.25 g;
• fats – 0.42 g;
• carbohydrates – 10.02 g.

Ingredients

• berries (raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, cherries, gooseberries, black currants, etc.) - the type and quantity is determined individually.

Step-by-step preparation

1. First, wash all the berries. We sort them out from debris, twigs, leaves, stalks, and remove spoiled fruits.
2. It is very important to thoroughly dry all the berries after washing. Although during shock freezing the water does not have time to expand much and spoil the fruit, it is still better if it is not there at all.
3. After this, place the berries on a tray or cutting board (if the fruits will be stored in plastic containers, you can use them immediately, but do not close the lids).
4. Place the tray in the freezer and turn on the fast freezing mode for 20-30 minutes. Then we return to the current mode.
5. If containers were used, you just need to close the lids. If it’s a pallet, then we pack the berries into bags. Now we put them back in the freezer for storage. You can mix assorted berries or store each type separately from each other.

Recipe for dry freezing berries

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Number of servings: 10

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​51.00 kcal;
• proteins – 1.25 g;
• fats – 0.42 g;
• carbohydrates – 10.02 g.

Ingredients

• berries (raspberries, wild strawberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, cherries, blueberries, etc.) – quantity and type are taken individually, depending on availability.

Step-by-step preparation

1. We wash the berries, sort them out, remove spoiled ones, remove debris, twigs, and leaves.
2. Then we dry it. To do this, place the fruits in one layer on napkins or paper towels (cotton ones can be used) and leave until completely dry. When dry freezing, it is very important that after washing there is not a drop of moisture left on them.
3. When the berries are dry, place them on a tray (cutting board or large, but flat container), after wrapping it in cling film. It should be laid out in one layer so that there is space between the fruits.
4. Place the tray in the freezer for about 4 hours.
5. After the required time has passed, we take out the berries and pack them in plastic containers or plastic bags. We close it so that a minimum amount of air remains inside, and put it back in the freezer, where they will be stored.

Recipe for freezing ground berries (in a blender)

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Number of servings: 10

Energy value

• calorie content – ​​108.00 kcal;
• proteins – 1.25 g;
• fats – 0.42 g;
• carbohydrates – 25.40 g.

Ingredients

• berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, currants, etc.). The type and quantity are an individual choice. The only thing is that for puree it is better to select fruits that are most compatible with each other;
• sugar - approximately 3 tbsp. spoons per 500 g of berries (less or more, depending on taste preferences).

Step-by-step preparation

1. Rinse the berries under a gentle stream of cold water. To do this, it is better to use a colander or sieve. We remove debris, twigs, leaves, stalks and spoiled fruits.
2. Leave the berries in a colander to drain all the water.
3. If necessary, remove the seeds. It is not necessary to peel the skin unless it is too hard.
4. Using a blender, grind the berries into a puree. Add sugar and mix.
5. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 hours.
6. Pour the puree into a pre-prepared container. You can use small plastic containers or, for example, silicone molds.
7. We put the resulting product in the freezer. When using molds, transfer the frozen puree into a plastic bag and close tightly.

In winter, all that remains is to defrost the puree and use it for different dishes. You can, for example, make a smoothie or sauce for pancakes or pancakes, or add the mixture to milkshakes.

Freezing secrets

Housewives often think about the question: Do they need to blanch berries before freezing? Vegetables usually go through this stage, but it is not required for tender fruits. The exception is sometimes apricot. But we must remember that during blanching some vitamins are lost.

Only fresh berries are used for freezing; it is advisable to prepare them a few hours after harvesting. This way, maximum vitamins will be preserved. Overripe fruits are not suitable; after defrosting they will turn into “porridge”.

The duration of frozen storage affects the amount of nutrients contained in the product.

It is best to freeze berries (whole or pureed) in small portions for one preparation. If different types of berries will be stored separately from each other, then before putting the preparation in the freezer, it is best to label each container. It is easier to make labels indicating the name of the product, the date and month of freezing. Then in the future it will be easy to find exactly what you need in the freezer.

It is best to defrost any berries gradually, without using a microwave oven or hot water. To begin with, simply transfer the desired container to the refrigerator, overnight. When it thaws, continue defrosting at room temperature. The exception is puree, which can even be heated in the microwave if it is used as a sauce (instead of jam or condensed milk). But when preparing a smoothie, you can put even not completely defrosted berries or puree into a blender; in this way, you can preserve the maximum vitamins during defrosting.

How long can you store

The shelf life of frozen berries is about 8 months. However, after this period they will not deteriorate and will not lose their taste. The only downside is that the fruits begin to lose their beneficial properties over time.

When storing, it is better to avoid direct contact of the berries with the cold air of the freezer. Because of this, they can dry out and also absorb foreign odors.

In what container should I store it?

The most common packaging for freezing berries is plastic containers and plastic bags. But you can also use, for example, disposable cups. The absence of lids is not a problem; they are simply wrapped in cling film. This method is convenient in small portions. You can defrost one or more cups, depending on the amount of product required. Repeated freezing of berries is extremely undesirable, so it is better to use the entire thawed portion immediately.

If you don't have anything on hand, you can freeze fruits in glass jars and even bottles. Many people fear that such containers will burst in the freezer or when thawed. If you do not fill this dish to the top and do not close the lid tightly, then everything will be fine.

On our website there are many videos, photos, pictures with step-by-step descriptions of recipes - thanks to them you can make healthy preparations and delicious dishes.

Frozen berries are considered one of the best sources of all kinds of vitamins in winter. The freezing process is very fast and not labor-intensive. But what a result! After all, there are a lot of recipes for preparing various dishes and drinks from such berry semi-finished products. Compotes, smoothies, pies and puff pastries, all kinds of desserts - all this perfectly diversifies the winter diet. And the taste of your favorite berries will remind you of a hot sunny summer over and over again.

Unlike perishable fresh berries, frozen ones retain their aroma and taste for 3 years. They help housewives a lot in winter, when they really want juicy and bright pastries and summer desserts. We will tell you whether you need to defrost berries when preparing different dishes and how to do it correctly.

If you defrost the berries correctly, they will not lose their appetizing appearance.

Where are frozen berries used?

At any time of the year, frozen vegetables and fruits can be purchased at the supermarket. In industrial conditions, berries are harvested using shock freezing. If stored properly in the store, the fruits do not lose their shape and have the same color and taste as fresh ones.

If you wish, you can prepare berries for future use using the freezer yourself. The most popular among housewives are strawberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, and raspberries.

Berries frozen at sub-zero temperatures (–18–23 degrees) are suitable for consumption for 8–12 months. At temperatures from 0 to –8 degrees – no more than 3 months.

You can make jelly, fruit drinks and compotes from frozen berries. They are used as a component of dairy and alcoholic drinks, smoothies. They serve as the basis for creating berry creams, sauces, mousses, and jellies.

Frozen berries are ideal for ice cream and sorbet. They can be used to stuff dumplings, pancakes, muffins, pies, pies, and cottage cheese casseroles. However, thawed fruits are not suitable for decorating cakes and desserts. They don't look appetizing in fruit salads either.

How to defrost berries in different ways

Without defrosting, the fruits are placed in compotes and porridges during cooking. When semi-thawed, they can be ground in a blender for smoothies, fruit drinks or cocktails. You can prepare jelly only from melted products, otherwise it will not harden.

Should I defrost berries before baking? If you put the fruits in the pie as is, there is a high probability that they will leak a lot. On the other hand, defrosted berries in baked goods lack juiciness. You can get out of this situation by mixing frozen fruits with two tablespoons of starch. During baking, the thickener will absorb all the excess berry juice and prevent it from leaking out of the pie.

There is no need to defrost the berries before baking if you add a little starch to them

For the purpose of defrosting berries, you can.