How to freeze eggplants for the winter. Frozen eggplants for the winter: baked, fried, blanched

Diets and healthy eating 16.08.2017

Dear readers, now is a wonderful time - summer. We see vegetables and fruits in abundance. Some people grow them themselves in their summer cottages. And some people buy in markets or stores. Surely many of you are making the most of the summer season, but we must not forget about the coming winter. How nice it is to pamper your family with homemade preparations, right? But are all our preparations healthy? Not everyone. And one of the most useful ways to prepare food for future use is freezing. Today we will talk about how to properly freeze eggplants for the winter.

Thanks to deep freezing, eggplants retain their taste, original appearance and vitamin composition. The only thing you need to do is follow certain rules when freezing eggplants, since this process is slightly different from freezing other vegetables. Natalya Groznova will share with us the secrets and subtleties of preparing this vegetable for future use. I give her the floor.

Good afternoon dear blog readers. As Irina already said, freezing is the best way to preserve eggplants for a long time. Low temperatures allow them not to spoil for months, preserving most of the vitamins and microelements. Therefore, this method is used by many housewives.

However, not everyone decides to harvest eggplants, fearing complex manipulations. Of course, the vegetable requires more attention than zucchini or bell peppers, but the process itself is completely simple, as we will now see.

Is it even possible to freeze eggplants?

My first experience of freezing eggplants was not successful. I just cut them up and put them in a bag, thinking that deep freezing would destroy the bitterness. But this did not happen - the eggplants remained bitter, and I had to get rid of them.

A year later, I soaked the eggplants in a saline solution and only then froze them. Yes, the bitterness is gone. However, after defrosting, they turned into a puree-like substance, which is also unacceptable.

Now, before freezing, I remove bitterness and excess moisture from them and heat-treat them, after which the enzymes in the eggplants that lead to their spoilage are destroyed.

Remember that, unlike other vegetables, eggplants cannot be frozen raw, as the taste after defrosting will resemble bitter rubber. Therefore, they need to be processed: fried, baked, blanched, stewed.

Features of freezing eggplants

To avoid unexpected surprises after defrosting, you need to choose the right eggplants. However, the rules are the same as when choosing eggplants for canning or daily cooking - the vegetables must be clean, smooth, without spots, with shiny and elastic skin. The tail is fresh, green, not dried out. A dry stalk indicates that the vegetable has been stored for a long time. Any variety is suitable: dark purple, pink, white, striped. Buy young vegetables - they have a minimum of seeds, bitterness and harmful substances.

You should also follow the following rules:

You cannot freeze vegetables without first soaking them. Soaking is done in salt water, which removes the bitterness. You can also sprinkle the slices with salt and then rinse them with running water. The soaking time depends on the size of the pieces - the larger they are, the longer the soaking process;
Before laying for freezing, remove remaining moisture and oil from the workpieces with a paper towel;
Sealing is required for storage. The eggplants should be wrapped tightly to trap any air. Then oxidation will not occur, and the vegetable will not absorb the odors of other foods in the freezer. The packaging must be reliable: a thick plastic bag or plastic container with a lid;
when placed in the chamber, the packaging is signed, since during winter storage all packages become indistinguishable;
the product is stored in sealed packaging at a temperature of at least -12°C;
In order to preserve the taste as much as possible, the shelf life should not exceed one year.

Recipes for freezing eggplants for the winter

Now let's look at the different freezing methods.

How to freeze fried eggplants for the winter

What you will need:

eggplants – any amount;
salt – 1 tsp. for 0.5 kg of vegetables;
vegetable oil - for frying.

Preparation

Wash raw eggplants. Cut into circles 5-7 mm thick. If you cut them thinly, then when frying the skin will separate from the pulp, which will damage the integrity. I don't cut the peel, but you can remove it if you wish.

Cutting can be different: cubes 2 x 2 cm, bars 1.5 x 5 cm, straws 1 x 3 cm, thin long plates. It depends on what dish the vegetable is used for after thawing.

Place the sliced eggplants in a bowl, adding salt to each slice.

Leave for half an hour and wait until droplets of moisture appear on their surface. They indicate that the bitterness has left. You can also dip the vegetables in salt water and leave for an hour. To do this, dissolve 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. l. salt.

Eggplants contain a small amount of bitterness - solanine, a poison that in large quantities harms the body. It is produced even more if the vegetable is exposed to light for a long time. Therefore, keep eggplants in a dark place. When cutting a vegetable, pay attention to the cut - if it immediately darkens, it means that the vegetable contains a lot of solanine, which gives a bitter taste. Light cut - feel free to cook eggplants.

Wash the eggplants thoroughly under running water and dry with a paper towel. Leave them on a wire rack to dry thoroughly.

Next, we subject them to heat treatment, in this case frying. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat well. Place several eggplant rings and fry over medium heat on both sides until golden brown. Salt is possible, but not necessary.

Transfer the slices to a wire rack in a single layer and leave to cool slightly. If desired, blot with a paper towel to remove excess fat. Then, on the same wire rack or on a cutting board wrapped in cling film, place a batch of eggplants in the freezer for 1-1.5 hours. The temperature should not be higher than -12°C.

We pack the frozen eggplants in sealed bags, removing the air, and send them for storage in the chamber. It is better to place them in several small portion bags so as not to expose the vegetables to air the next time you need to take them out for cooking.

For convenience, weigh the packages. Label them with the weight, cut shape, date, and cooking method. Vegetables can also be compactly folded into a plastic container.

How to get air out of a bag? Insert the cocktail straw into the slightly opened bag and suck in the air. When the plastic sticks tightly to the vegetables, quickly remove it and close the bag.

I have been using this freezing method for many years. In my opinion, it is the most successful. But there are other options that may suit you better.

How to freeze baked eggplants for the winter

Grease a baking tray or other convenient form with vegetable oil and place the vegetables in one layer. Heat the oven to 180°C and bake the vegetables for half an hour. If necessary, turn them over to the other side so that they brown evenly.

How to freeze stewed eggplants for the winter

Place vegetables in a saucepan or frying pan with heated vegetable oil. Add salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown. Let cool completely and freeze.

How to freeze blanched eggplants for the winter

Place the vegetable pieces into a saucepan with boiling salted water and lemon juice (1 tablespoon). Boil for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in ice water. Cool completely and dry. Vegetables are ready to be frozen.

How to freeze boiled eggplants for the winter

To remove bitterness, pierce the vegetables deeply with a toothpick and place them entirely in salted water. We increase the holding time by 3 times, since the vegetable is large and this process will require more time.

The whole eggplant is cooked. To do this, place it in a pan of boiling, lightly salted water and cook for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove the vegetables from the boiling water and leave to cool. After cooking with their skins on, they become “wrinkled.” We cut them in the desired way and dry the pieces well with a towel. We send vegetables for freezing.

How to freeze whole eggplants for the winter

Whole eggplants are frozen in the same way as sliced ones. The prepared (washed, without bitterness) vegetable with peel and stalk is fried in a frying pan, boiled, baked in the oven or grilled until soft. When frying and baking, do not forget to turn over. Place the finished fruits on a plate, cool to room temperature and wrap each eggplant separately in cling film. If desired, remove the peel first. Place in the freezer for the winter. All!

We also bring to your attention a video that shows three ways to freeze eggplants for the winter.

How to defrost eggplants

Place a portion of frozen eggplants in the refrigerator for several hours to gradually melt. Bring to room temperature until completely defrosted. I do not recommend using a microwave oven. However, most often eggplants are used in dishes without defrosting. They cannot be re-frozen.

What to cook from frozen eggplants?

I am sharing my recipes that are very loved in my family:

caviar - for its preparation, fruits are used with any heat treatment and cut into any pieces, since vegetables are still crushed into puree;
towers of eggplants and tomatoes with cheese - they require eggplants cut into slices. Before cooking, they are completely defrosted and placed with tomato slices, sprinkled with cheese;
rolls - fried or baked eggplant tongues are defrosted and a cheese mixture with garlic and herbs is wrapped in them;
pot roast – frozen eggplant cubes are placed in pots with meat and other ingredients and put in the oven.

In principle, you can cook thawed eggplants in the same way as fresh ones. But in fairness, it should be noted that in terms of taste, frozen vegetables are still inferior to fresh ones. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to buy fresh eggplants in winter, then do just that. If not, then use my advice. Well, if you have your own useful tips that you did not find in the article on how to freeze eggplants for the winter and what to cook from them later, then write in the comments. I think everyone will be interested!

By freezing eggplants for the winter, you can enjoy the taste of your favorite dishes in the cool season. Thanks to the low temperature, they retain their original appearance and taste for a long time.

The only thing is that, unlike the vegetables we are used to, eggplants require a little processing before freezing. But, despite this point, absolutely the entire vitamin composition in them will be completely preserved.

Is it possible to freeze eggplants and is it worth it?

Today, freezing eggplants is news for many housewives. Not so long ago they began to practice it in cooking and it should be noted that every year it is gaining more and more popularity.

Eggplant is a vegetable that has a special taste and is completely odorless. But at the same time, like a sponge, he is able to absorb the odors of the products around him. If the freezing process is incorrect, it can completely lose its taste.

When frozen, eggplants must be stored in a separate hermetically sealed container, and then nothing can harm their taste.

You will ask yourself the question: is it worth freezing them at all? Here we can say with confidence that it is worth it. Just imagine what a delicacy dishes prepared in winter from fresh vegetables will seem to you.

We do everything right

How to freeze fresh eggplants for the winter - now we’ll figure it out. So, as we have already noted, vegetables must be prepared before freezing. There are three options for freezing fresh fruits. They can be soaked, blanched or fried (baked).

To ensure successful freezing, follow these tips:

Method for preparing fried blueberries for the winter in the freezer

And now about how to freeze fried eggplants for the winter in the freezer. Freezing such eggplants is one of the most basic and fastest options. To ensure tasty vegetables, follow these guidelines:

Recipe for preparing frozen baked eggplants for the winter

This freezing option is also quite simple, the only thing that takes a lot of time is the preparation process itself. To freeze baked blueberries for the winter you need:

In addition to this baking option, you can also prepare the eggplants as a whole. To do this, before placing whole vegetables in the oven, poke several holes in them with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes.

After the fruits have cooled, you can remove the skins from them. In the same way, we pack them in bags and freeze them in the freezer.

How to defrost a product correctly

To ensure that the eggplant does not lose all its properties, it must be properly defrosted. You can use the microwave by turning on the defrost mode.

A second option would be to defrost in the main compartment of your refrigerator. Also, some housewives practice frying vegetables that are not completely defrosted.

The most important thing is to never defrost food using water. In such conditions, the vegetables will lose all their vitamins, and the pulp will become tasteless.

I have my own way of freezing eggplants for the winter. Or rather, three options for freezing eggplants. I freeze some eggplants baked, some fried, and some raw. Each of these types of freezing eggplants in winter has a use. I have already written that we love . In order to be able to prepare this salad at any time, I began to wonder whether it was possible to freeze eggplants for the winter. But none of the recipes worked, and I thought - why not try freezing baked eggplants the same way I prepare them for salad? Bake over a fire, peel and chop with a knife. Pack into bags and place in the freezer.

The decision turned out to be successful, and for several years now we have been preparing our favorite baked eggplant salad all year round. For other dishes, there are two more ways to freeze eggplants for the winter: freezing eggplants for the winter, fried and raw. Fried eggplants can be added to vegetable caviar, sauces for spaghetti and rice, vegetable stew, and raw ones can be used to prepare various snacks, marinated with vinegar and spices, made eggplant caviar, salads, stewed with vegetables. In general, if only there were eggplants, they would have a use in winter!

How to freeze eggplants for the winter - recipe with photos

Eggplants for each type of freezing must be selected carefully. For baking, it is better to take medium-sized, pot-bellied eggplants that are not very hard. Long eggplants are suitable for frying and freezing raw, preferably young ones with few seeds.

To freeze eggplants for the winter we will need:

Eggplant;
Ziploc bags or thick plastic bags;
flame divider (we will place it on the burner);
vegetable oil for frying eggplants;
coarse table salt;
a heavy knife with a wide blade (it’s convenient for chopping baked eggplants).

How to freeze baked eggplants for the winter

Wash plump, medium-sized eggplants thoroughly and wipe dry. We pierce it with a knife or fork in several places (otherwise it will burst). We place a flame divider on the burner (you can see it in the photo, it’s a metal circle with small holes). Three medium eggplants or two large or four small ones are placed on the divider. We turn on high heat and the kitchen hood (or open the window), otherwise all the smoke will go into the apartment. We bake the eggplants until they turn black and a burnt crust appears. There will be a smell of burnt eggplant, but that's how it should be. Turn over and bake on all sides. In general, one batch will take about 15 minutes; eggplants bake quickly. You can bake it in the oven, it is not so troublesome, but there will be no specific taste and aroma of the fire, you will get ordinary baked eggplants. If you don’t have a divider, you can use a grate for this purpose and cover the surface of the stove with foil so that you don’t have to wash off caked eggplant juice.

Remove the baked eggplants. Leave to cool for 4-5 minutes, no longer. Hold the tail with one hand and remove the burnt peel with the other. We cut the peeled eggplants along the entire length, unfold them and place one next to the other in a deep bowl or colander for half an hour. The bitter juice will gradually drain.

Chop the eggplants into a pulp with a heavy knife. Not necessarily homogeneous, with pieces of pulp it’s even tastier.

Place the chopped eggplants in bags. I make a batch of three eggplants, which is just enough to make a salad with baked eggplants and tomatoes. We wrap the bags and put them in the freezer. That's it, the baked eggplants are frozen for the winter. In winter, you can make vegetable caviar from them, add them to sauces, gravies and make delicious salads, caviar with mayonnaise or with fried vegetables.

How to freeze fried eggplants for the winter

For frying, select medium-sized eggplants, preferably young ones. Cut into cubes measuring 2.5 x 2.5 cm (or so). Sprinkle with salt and leave for half an hour. Bitter juice will be released, it needs to be drained. Then rinse with cold water and lightly squeeze out the moisture. Dry on a towel.

Heat the oil in a frying pan (a little, 2 tablespoons of oil is enough for two eggplants). Add the eggplants and fry over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until a light golden crust appears.

Transfer the eggplants to a plate (if you need to remove the oil, then onto a napkin) and cool. In this way, fry all the prepared eggplants. When cool, pack into bags, putting the amount you need into each bag.

How to freeze eggplants fresh for the winter

There is an opinion that it is not recommended to freeze fresh eggplants, as they supposedly turn bitter and become rubbery. I don’t know about the rubber ones, I didn’t notice anything like that. And I remove the bitterness very simply: I cut the eggplants into cubes and sprinkle them with coarse salt.

I leave it in a colander for 25-30 minutes, the bitterness drains off (I put a plate under the colander), the taste of the eggplant becomes softer. I rinse off the salt (required!), squeeze it out lightly and lay it out on a plate covered with plastic in one layer. I put it in the freezer. I put frozen eggplants in a bag and use them as needed in winter. It turns out very tasty. It just requires fresh (or frozen fresh) eggplants, try it - the salad is tasty, simple and quick to prepare.

I hope my tips on how to freeze eggplants for the winter will be useful to you. And if you have your own way of freezing eggplants for the winter or have questions, write in the comments to the recipe.

Homemade preparations allow you to enjoy the taste of seasonal vegetables during the cold season. They can be consumed separately or added to a dish. While almost everyone has jars of cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers at home, only skilled housewives prepare eggplants for the winter. Recipes for this product vary depending on the type and personal preference.

Is it possible to freeze eggplants?

Rich in vitamins such as potassium and phosphorus, these vegetables are called blue because of their color. In order for the valuable substances to remain inside the eggplant and allow the body to be nourished in winter during vitamin deficiency, they must be properly preserved. Fresh nightshade will not last long, and it is not suitable for pickling. A way that is gentle on beneficial elements is to preserve vegetables in conditions with low temperatures. To the question of whether it is possible to freeze eggplants for the winter, there is only one correct answer - it’s not possible, but it’s necessary!

How to properly freeze eggplants for the winter

Every housewife has her own secrets for preparing delicious food for the winter. Most of them agree that before freezing the blue ones must be subjected to some kind of heat treatment: the product can be baked, boiled or fried. A significantly smaller number of cooks suggest that fresh vegetables can also be frozen. There is no correct way to freeze eggplants for the winter: everyone is guided by their own taste preferences. It is important that the vegetables are freed from excess moisture, which will turn into ice when frozen.

Fried in a frying pan

To get a delicious, healthy winter snack, you need to freeze it in the summer or fall. If you are a connoisseur of thermally processed eggplants, then this recipe is perfect. The list of ingredients is incredibly simple:

eggplant;
vegetable oil;
salt.

The step-by-step algorithm for the preparation looks like this:

Wash the blue ones with running water and dry them with a towel.
You can cut the eggplants at your discretion: into circles or cubes.
Prepare a small frying pan by adding just a little oil.
While the pan is heating, carefully salt the eggplant pieces.
Fry nightshade until light golden brown, cool.
Place a plastic bag on the bottom of a shallow container, then a vegetable layer. Each of the tiers of eggplants must be separated with bags or film.
The snack should spend the next day in the freezer, after which they can be placed inside a more convenient container.
You need to defrost it by steaming or in a frying pan.

Freezing baked eggplants in the oven

It is possible to preserve the blue ones by pre-baking them. This method will allow you to do without any oil or with less of it than when frying. For preparation you need to use the following products:

eggplant;
milk;
salt;
vegetable oil.

You need to prepare it like this:

To rid the blue fruits of the bitter taste, you need to soak them in milk. To do this, chopped vegetable slices or cubes are immersed in a fermented milk product for half an hour.
Salt the milk-dried pieces well. Place them on a paper towel to drain excess moisture.
Grease a baking sheet with a small amount of oil, spread out the nightshades and place in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for three quarters of an hour.
Cool the eggplants by placing them again on a towel.
Divide the pieces into freezer containers.
Place the container in the freezer, where the product will be stored for the next few months.

How to freeze raw eggplants

If you decide to use blue nightshades as the main ingredient for winter preparations, but you don’t want to waste time on frying or baking, then you don’t have to do this, but leave the vegetables fresh. The best way to defrost cold pieces of fruit is to use a microwave. Never put the slices in water, as you risk washing away all the valuable substances. There are only two ingredients for this recipe:

eggplant;
salt.

You can freeze fresh eggplants for the winter as follows:

The fruits must be thoroughly rinsed with water and dried with a towel. If you don't like the bitter taste, you can peel the nightshades. Please note that this may affect their appearance.
Remove the stems and cut the blue ones into medium-sized slices. Cutting into cubes is only suitable if you plan to use them in salads or other dishes that require fine chopping.
Salt each piece on both sides.
Spread several layers of paper towels and place salted circles on them. Excess moisture, which risks becoming ice when frozen, must be released.
Place the pieces in bags as loosely as possible to prevent them from freezing.
Place packaged vegetables in the freezer until ready to eat.

1 year ago

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I advise everyone who loves eggplants to at least store some of them in the freezer for the winter. In winter, not everyone has the opportunity to buy this delicious vegetable fresh, but sometimes you just want to make delicious eggplant rolls with garlic or add eggplant to vegetable stew for variety. And stuffed eggplants are just incredibly delicious - or

We also love it very much, which I also make sure to prepare for the winter. Today I want to tell and show how to properly freeze eggplants for the winter - 3 options - fried plates, blanched cut eggplants and whole ones for stuffing.

Freezing eggplants at home involves pre-heating them. If you freeze fresh eggplants, after defrosting they will be watery and tasteless.

Freezing eggplants for the winter recipes

Recipe 1 - Fried Eggplant Plates

I cut whole eggplants into plates approximately 3-4 mm thick.

Fry on both sides in vegetable oil. I don’t pour oil into the frying pan, since eggplants absorb fat very much, but I simply coat the bottom of the frying pan with oil with a pastry brush. I lay out a portion of eggplant and grease the eggplants themselves on top. Then I turn it over.

After frying, the eggplants need to be cooled completely.

To freeze eggplants, I use cling film and containers with lids. But you can only use cling film or plastic bags. This is at your discretion.

I cover the bottom of the container with cling film, leaving long enough edges on both sides so that I can then cover the layer of laid out eggplants. For one such serving I put about 25-30 fried eggplant slices. This is enough to make a batch of eggplant rolls in winter.

On the first packed layer I again lay cling film in the same way with long edges. I'm posting the next portion. So I fill the entire container. I close the lid and put it in the freezer.

In winter, I take one serving of fried eggplant out of the container, put it in the refrigerator and leave it for several hours or overnight. The next day I make the spring rolls.

Recipe 2 - eggplants for vegetable stew

I cut the eggplants into large cubes. Place in a colander or sieve and blanch in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes. !!! Since eggplants float, you need to submerge them in water using a spoon or slotted spoon.

I place the blanched eggplants in a large colander or sieve, cover with a plate and place a small weight. This is necessary to remove excess water. I leave it until it cools completely.

For freezing, I take smaller containers - one container for one serving. I fill the container loosely with blanched eggplants, close the lids and put them in the freezer. I also defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.

Recipe 3 - whole eggplants

For this freezing I take small eggplants. I prick each eggplant in several places with a toothpick (or with a knife or fork) so that they do not burst when heated in the oven. I place it on a wire rack, which I place on a baking sheet. Place in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Ready eggplants are soft and easy to pierce with a match or toothpick. I cool the eggplants a little, then cut off the tail and cut a “pocket”.

Place the cut eggplants in a large colander or sieve. cut down. I cover with a plate and place a small weight to remove excess liquid. I leave it until it cools completely.

I take containers of a suitable size so that I can place the eggplants across the container. Just like in the first recipe, I cover it with cling film so that the edges hang down. I lay out the eggplants in one row and cover with film. And I form the next layer-portion.

Defrosting also takes place overnight in the refrigerator. I stuff these eggplants whole or make stuffed “boats”.