How to freeze fresh tomatoes for the winter in the freezer? TOP 5 recipes with photos of harvesting tomatoes in different ways. Culinary advice. Video recipes.
Many people mistakenly think that watery vegetables should not be frozen. Since they contain a lot of liquid, which will turn into ice and the vegetable will change its structure. It's time to debunk this stereotype and learn how to freeze tomatoes for the winter. Many people will think why frozen tomatoes are needed, because they are now sold in the supermarket all year round. However, in winter, such delicious, fleshy and healthy fruits, which are sold in the markets in autumn, simply cannot be bought. They are fragrant, with a rich taste, at the same time with sourness and sweetness. It is impossible to buy such real tomatoes in winter. They are beautiful, as in the picture, but tight and dense, herbaceous taste and no aroma at all. In addition, buying tomatoes out of season is expensive for the family budget, and now ground tomatoes are very cheap. And it is worth recalling that when frozen, products retain their beneficial properties best of all than any other option for blanks for future use. But in order to properly freeze tomatoes, you need to know some secrets.
How to Freeze Tomatoes - Tips from Experienced Chefs
- All varieties of tomatoes are frozen: red, green and yellow.
- Only fresh, fully ripe and fleshy fruits are suitable for freezing, but not too dense, juicy, and not despised. The skin may not show damage, abrasions, dents and signs of decay.
- Before freezing, the tomatoes must be washed as they are frozen vegetables cannot be washed. It is also important to dry them well before putting them in the freezer, otherwise wet food in the freezer will simply stick together into one lump.
- Cut vegetables with a sharp knife, preferably with notches on the blade, so as not to damage them and flow out like less juice.
- Always cut off "butts" and "tails", regardless of the method of freezing.
- It is convenient to freeze tomatoes by laying them in one layer on a flat surface covered with polyethylene so that they do not touch each other. Then the frozen fruits will be easily removed. The main thing is that the tray is included in the freezer.
- When the tomatoes are completely frozen, place them in one storage container. Pack them very tightly. The tighter they are packed, the less moisture will evaporate from them during storage.
- Containers with food must be tightly closed, otherwise the workpiece will deteriorate. Ideal if you have a vacuum bag.
- For freezing, use a regular or special sealed plastic bag, a plastic container with a lid, or any other convenient container that expels all the air.
- It is better to freeze tomatoes not in one large bag, but in small batches in small portions. Since, after defrosting, the products are not re-frozen.
- If your refrigerator is equipped with a shock freeze or super freeze function, turn it on. This will help the products cool quickly and retain their benefits and appearance.
- Frozen tomatoes in the freezer are stored for one year at a temperature of –18 degrees, for about three months - at a temperature of –8 degrees.
- Frozen tomatoes, depending on the type of freezing (whole, sliced or twisted), are added to many dishes. These are pizza, pie, salads, borscht, soup, scrambled eggs, omelet, stew, sauce, gravy, goulash, vegetable sauté, stewed cabbage, pasta, fried meat, etc.
How to freeze tomatoes in rings for the winter
Ring-frozen tomatoes are great for pizza, sandwich and pie. You do not need to defrost the workpiece beforehand. Place the frozen pieces directly on the dough, they will melt and bake well in the oven.
See also how to cook pickled tomatoes for the winter.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 20 kcal.
- Servings - Any Amount
- Cooking time - 10 minutes
Cooking frozen tomatoes in rings for the winter:
- Ripe tomatoes, wash, dry and cut into slices to the thickness you prefer. I do not advise cutting very thinly, because when slicing, a lot of liquid will stand out, and the one that remains will quickly evaporate when baked. In order for some of the liquid to remain after heat treatment, the thickness of the piece filled with pulp must be at least 5 mm.
- Place the sliced tomatoes on a kitchen board in one layer separately from each other.
- Place them in the freezer for a few hours to freeze.
- Pour the frozen fruits into a bag for further storage and send them to the freezer.
How to freeze tomato juice
Frozen tomatoes in the form of tomato juice are suitable for stewing stews, sautés, roasts, cabbage, goulash. They can be added to borscht, soup and cook meat. The main thing is to freeze mashed potatoes in convenient portioned molds. For example, silicone muffin or ice molds are ideal. In addition, this is the only way to freeze tomatoes where any fruit can be used: hard, soft, crumpled … The main thing is to remove all bad places.
Preparation of frozen tomato juice:
- The first step is to remove the skins from the tomatoes. To do this, make a shallow cruciform cut in the circle of the tomato. It is enough just to cut the skin.
- Place the tomatoes in a saucepan and pour boiling water over them.
- After 2-3 minutes, drain the hot water and quickly place the fruits in ice water, where leave for 2-3 minutes.
- When the skin is slightly curled at the cuts, remove the tomatoes and peel them off. This is done very easily.
- Transfer the fruits to a blender bowl and chop to a puree consistency. To do this, you can use a meat grinder.
- Fill silicone or other handy molds with tomato and place in the freezer.
- When they are completely frozen, remove the frozen tomatoes from the molds. This is very easy to do. If you have frozen tomatoes in disposable plastic cups, immerse them in hot water for 2-3 seconds and puree will come out of them. Or just cut with a knife if you don't plan on using it anymore.
- Place the frozen tomato cubes in a bag and let the air out.
- Tie the bag tightly and send it to the freezer for storage.
How to freeze whole fresh tomatoes
For the preparation of frozen fresh tomatoes, exclusively high-quality and dense fruits are selected as a whole. they will have to be stored for almost the entire year. It is most convenient to use cherry or small tomatoes for this freezing method. Then add the whole fruit to soups, borscht, salads. Either just defrost in the fridge and make snacks, or use for stuffing. Their taste after defrosting is almost as good as fresh tomatoes.
Cooking whole frozen fresh tomatoes:
- Wash the tomatoes under running water and place on a paper towel.
- Place another towel on top and dry well to remove most of the water.
- Do not cut or prune anything from the tomatoes, just remove the green stem.
- Place the tomatoes in a freezer bag. Pack them in small portions, about 10 pcs.
- Send the tomatoes to the freezer. If the tomatoes have been well dried, they will not stick together.
Frozen tomato recipe for stuffed dishes
Tomatoes for stuffing, like sweet peppers, will be a real boon in winter, when prices for fresh vegetables are sky-high. The only drawback of such a blank is the volume, because tomatoes will take up a lot of space in the freezer. Tomatoes are stuffed with the filling while still frozen or slightly thawed. Because if the fruits melt completely, they will become soft and it will not be convenient to stuff them.
Cooking frozen tomatoes for stuffed dishes:
- Wash the tomatoes and pat dry with a towel.
- Then decide how you want to harvest the tomatoes. They can be prepared for stuffing in the form of a basket with a lid, cut in the form of a flower or in halves.
- Depending on the method you choose, carefully cut the tomatoes.
- Then, with a teaspoon, remove the insides with the seeds, leaving only the walls of the vegetables.
- Turn the tomatoes over and place them on a plate to drain all the juice.
- Blot the inside of the tomatoes with a paper towel to dry them completely.
- Put prepared tomatoes in one layer on a tray and send them to freeze in the freezer.
- When the "cups" have hardened, after about 30-40 minutes, put them in bags and send them to the freezer for further storage.
How to freeze tomatoes with herbs in the freezer
For this freezing method, the fruits can be cut into cubes and used in salads, frying, lagman, stews, soups. Or cut into wedges for pizza, pies and sandwiches. Take any herbs for the recipe to taste. For pizza, cilantro, parsley or basil are suitable, and for the first and second courses - dill, parsley or assorted.
Cooking frozen tomatoes with herbs in the freezer:
- Wash and dry the tomatoes with a towel.
- Depending on how you want to use them in the future, choose a cutting method: rings or cubes.
- If you plan to freeze tomatoes in rings, leave the leaves of greenery intact, finely chop them into cubes.
- Place the sliced tomatoes in rings on a plastic wrap-wrapped plank so that they do not touch each other. On top of each ring, place a few leaves of greenery and press down so that they stick to the surface of the tomatoes. Send the baking sheet to the freezer, and when the tomatoes are frozen, remove them, put them in a bag and continue to store in the freezer.
- Place the diced tomatoes in a saucepan and mix gently with the herbs so that the tomatoes crease as little as possible. Divide the mixture into the compartments of the silicone mold used to bake regular muffins and place in the freezer. After 2-3 hours, take out the frozen mixture and put the resulting briquettes in a plastic bag. Let the air out, tie tightly and place in the freezer until winter.
