TOP 4 step-by-step recipes for freezing corn for the winter. How to properly freeze corn on the cob and in grains, raw and blanched. Helpful hints. Video recipe.
Sweet and juicy, fragrant and bright yellow corn is a favorite treat for both adults and children. Delicate grains go great with many foods, so they are added to almost any treat. Salads and snacks with corn will decorate any festive table. But this product is appreciated not only for its taste. Corn is also very useful. It contains a large amount of vitamins and amino acids necessary for the human body.
But, corn, like most healthy fruits and vegetables, is a seasonal plant, and has a fairly short fresh consumption period. Therefore, storing young heads of cabbage for a long time will not work. In order to extend the period of consumption of ears until next summer, they should be prepared for future use. Then it can be used in salads, side dishes, or boiled, like fresh. In this review, we will learn how to properly freeze corn for the winter in grains and on the cob in order to preserve as much of its beneficial properties as possible.
Frozen Corn - Helpful Tips
- Buy good quality cobs. The surface should be free of damage, rotten formations and diseases.
- Choose the variety of corn for freezing to your taste, but the sweeter it is, the better.
- The younger the cob, the tastier the corn. But if you take corn that is not yet ripe, the taste will be worse. Choose an overripe fruit, the grains will lose some of their juiciness.
- Freeze only plucked ears, as if stored for a long time, the taste of corn will deteriorate. The sugar in the grains will turn into a starchy substance.
- For any method of freezing, the leaves and hairs should be removed from the heads, washed well and dried with a paper towel.
- Frozen corn, whether it has been pre-blanched or not, whether on the cob or in grains, has a shelf life of no more than 8 months in the freezer.
- It is strongly not recommended to re-freeze a previously thawed product. Therefore, it should be packaged so that the entire package can be used at a time.
- To store food in the freezer, keep the temperature below -15 ° C.
Freezing raw corn on the cob
Freezing corn on the cob for the winter without preliminary heat treatment is the easiest and fastest way of harvesting.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 205 kcal.
- Servings - Any Amount
- Cooking time - 10 minutes
Ingredients:
any quantity
Cooking frozen raw corn on the cob:
- Remove leaves from heads of cabbage, cut off stems and remove all hairs. Wash them dry well.
- If desired, cut the ears into 2-4 pieces, depending on the size, or leave whole.
- Fold the ears in special plastic bags (most conveniently with a zipper) or wrap each ear tightly with cling film.
- Send corn to the freezer for freezing and storage.
Note
: When you want to eat corn, put the frozen ears in boiling salted water and boil for 20-25 minutes. You can also pre-put the cobs in the microwave for a few minutes so that they thaw a little, and then send them to the cooking pot.
Freezing corn on the cob with blanching
Blanching is a more time-consuming method, but it allows you to use the product immediately after defrosting. The blanching method allows you to maximize the health, taste and appetizing appearance.
Cooking frozen corn on the cob with blanching:
- As in the previous recipe, peel the heads of cabbage from the leaves, cut off the stems, remove the hairs and wash.
- Then immerse the corn cobs in boiled salted water and cook over medium heat until soft for 7-10 minutes.
- Transfer the heads of cabbage quickly to a container of ice water for 3 minutes. You can add ice cubes to keep the water as cold as possible.
- While the corn is in boiling water and cold water, it is important that the fruits are completely submerged in the water so that the cooking and cooling process takes place evenly.
- After that, dry the heads of cabbage well with a paper towel, place in plastic bags and send to the freezer.
Note
: after removing frozen corn from the freezer, it does not need long heat treatment. These cobs are suitable for eating them whole, adding to hot dishes and salads.
Freezing raw corn kernels
The main advantage of freezing corn in grains is that space in the freezer is saved, which allows you to harvest corn in a much larger volume than on the cob. The disadvantage of this method is a longer preparatory work process before freezing.
Cooking frozen raw corn kernels:
- To freeze the beans without pretreatment, free the ears from leaves, stems and hair.
- Wash the heads of cabbage and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Using a knife, carefully cut off the grain from the head of cabbage, starting from the top and going down the cob.
- Transfer the beans to a special bag or plastic freezer container. Do not tamp them too tightly to avoid damaging them.
- Even out the grains in one layer, release all the air and seal well.
- Send corn to the freezer for freezing and storage.
See also recipe for boiled corn salad.
Freezing blanched corn kernels
Freezing grains with blanching is considered the longest option. But the advantage of this method is that the grains can be immediately used for dishes without preliminary heat treatment.
Cooking frozen blanched corn kernels:
- To freeze the grains, first blanch and cool the peeled ears as for freezing whole corn heads (the technology is described above in the previous section).
- Then also cut the grains as in the previous recipe.
- Put the cut seeds in bags and send them to the freezer.
Note
: You can freeze ready-made corn not only pre-blanched. The ears can be baked in the oven in foil alone or with spices. Cool and place in the freezer.