How to freeze strawberries in the freezer. How to freeze strawberries correctly: proven methods
Fragrant and juicy strawberries are a rather picky berry in terms of freezing. Trying to save it for the winter, with the help of a freezer, the housewives are faced with a problem - the berry loses its shape and original taste. Today I will talk about ways to properly freeze strawberries and share secrets that will help preserve the taste, aroma and shape of fresh berries.
You need to choose ripe, dense, not very large berries for freezing, without traces of rot and damage.
For most strawberry freezing recipes, the strawberries should be rinsed in cool water and dried thoroughly on a towel. It is better to wash strawberries in a large saucepan, carefully catching the berries with your hands, and laying them on a plastic sieve.
Secret #1: A sieve or colander must be made of plastic. The lattice of the metal sieve reacts with the berries, they oxidize and lose their color - they darken.
It is necessary to dry the berries on a towel for no more than an hour so that they do not have time to release the juice.
Ways to freeze strawberries at home
Freezing whole berries without sugar
For this method of freezing, it is not necessary to wash the berry and remove the sepals. The berry must be absolutely dry. It is better to use small strawberries, they will freeze faster and, as a result, will look better when defrosted.
Secret #2: When freezing whole strawberries without adding sugar, you should not wash and clean the green tails! When interacting with water, the berry quickly becomes sour, and the air that gets inside the peeled berry kills vitamin C.
The berries are laid out on flat surfaces and cleaned in the freezer for a day. Then they are poured into bags and, having removed as much air as possible, they are sent back.
How to freeze strawberries with sugar
There are two freezing methods:
- with the addition of sugar before freezing;
- with the addition of powdered sugar after pre-freezing.
In any case, green tails must be removed from the berries. And, if necessary, wash and dry.
Secret #3: Remove the sepals with your hands or a ceramic knife. Interacting with metal objects, the berry oxidizes and changes color.
With the first method of freezing, clean berries are placed in a container in layers, sprinkling them with sugar (200 grams of sugar per 1 kilogram of berries). Then the containers are stored in the freezer for long-term storage.
In the second method, the peeled berries are pre-frozen on a cutting board, and then, already frozen, they are transferred to a container and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Watch the video: Irina Belaja will tell you how to freeze strawberries in sugar
How to freeze strawberries in sugar syrup
Here you can use both whole berries and cut in half.
Pure berries are laid out in containers, and then poured with sugar syrup. To cook syrup, you need 1 liter of water and 250 grams of sugar. Before pouring the berries, the syrup is cooled.
Secret #4: To save space in the freezer, a clean plastic bag is inserted into the container before placing the berries and syrup there. After the workpiece is thoroughly frozen, the bag is removed from the container, tied and put into the freezer in the form of a briquette.
Freezing berries in the form of puree
Pure berries, not very strong, are pierced with a blender. You can, if desired, immediately add granulated sugar, or you can do this after the berries are thawed.
Strawberry puree is transferred to small containers or plastic containers for freezing, and stored in the freezer.
See the video from the channel "TheVkusnoetv" - Frozen strawberry puree
How to make strawberry ice cubes
You can freeze strawberries using ice cube trays. Berries are laid out in molds and filled with water. After freezing, strawberry ice cubes are removed and transferred to one bag and container.
Whole strawberries in strawberry puree
This method is convenient to use if some of the berries are not very strong and have already partially given juice. The densest berries should be selected from the entire volume. The rest - grind to a puree state with a blender or potato masher.
Put whole berries in containers and pour over their puree. Pack the containers and send them to the freezer for storage.
Shelf life of frozen strawberries
Subject to the temperature regime of the freezer -18 ° C, frozen strawberries are stored for no more than 6 months.
If you manage to properly freeze fresh strawberries at home for the winter, then all year round you can enjoy dishes prepared from it. And even whip up jam to replace the finished dessert. A little summer won't hurt in winter, so we roll up our sleeves and learn how to freeze berries, preserving all their qualities.
Can you freeze strawberries? Not only possible, but necessary. Doctors have found that in a properly frozen berry, vitamins are not only well preserved, but also exaggerated. This was confidently proved by experiments with freezing. But the calorie content, on the contrary, is reduced. Compare: 32 kcal., in a berry from the freezer, and 41 kcal. at fresh.
What to cook? Then you can cook whatever your heart desires - grind with sugar, make jelly from frozen berries. Cook compote and jelly, put it on baking - bake a cake in haste, decorate the cake. Yes, little.
Fresh strawberries can be frozen in several ways. Most often, whole berries are harvested without sugar. Prudent housewives first grind strawberries with sugar, then freeze them.
The best containers for harvesting are containers, this will save space in the freezer.
How to freeze whole strawberries in the refrigerator
The best recipe for freezing fresh berries for the winter.
- Prepare the strawberries for work, lay them on a tray, laying a cling film, so that later the berries can be easily separated. Suitable wide flat plates, cutting boards, low containers. Try to lay out so that the berries do not touch.
- Set the refrigerator to fast freeze mode.
- Put the tray in the freezer.
- For ease of use, after the process is completed, spread the workpiece into bags and containers and leave it in the freezer.
Tip: after putting the fruit in the bag, shake it several times. Between the berries, the layer of air will decrease, and it will become more compact.
Freezing without sugar
In the season of preparations, when there is a struggle for every centimeter in the refrigerator, freezing pre-ground fresh strawberries is the best way out. Compact stacked bags and containers save space.
To make a blank, chop clean strawberries with a blender or in a meat grinder. Then arrange in containers and place tightly in the freezer drawer.
Freezer fresh strawberries with sugar
Strawberries are a delicate berry, sometimes they have not deteriorated, but they have lost their appearance. Another argument in favor of freezing strawberries with sugar is that they are not always sweet. Picking time, rainy summer, unsuitable variety - all this affects the taste of strawberries. In addition, when using frozen strawberries in baking, you will have to put sugar anyway. I propose to prepare a ready-to-work concentrate for this case.
Tip: If you are freezing fruit in bulk, label the containers. This will help you accurately navigate the supplies. Indicate the name of the fruit and the date, since the shelf life of the frozen berry is no more than a year.
Easy Freeze Recipe
- Take: per kilogram of berries 200 gr. granulated sugar.
How to freeze:
- Send the berries to the blender bowl, or pass through a meat grinder.
- Add sweetness and again work with a blender.
- When the sugar dissolves in strawberry juice, transfer the mass into bags, containers and send to freeze.
Freezing berries with briquettes
The method will allow you not to take up extra space in the freezer and lay the workpiece compactly.
You will need:
- For 1 kg. berries - ½ cup sugar.
- Food wrap and rectangular container.
How to cook:
- Wash, dry strawberries and cut into pieces.
- Sprinkle with sugar and let stand for a day so that juice appears.
- Drain the juice. It can be frozen separately or immediately used for another purpose.
- Grind the berries with a blender.
- Line the container with cling film, leaving fairly long hanging edges. Their length should be enough to completely wrap the briquette. To prevent the film from freezing, the inside of the container must be dry.
- Fold the grated mass, send to freeze.
- When the workpiece freezes, pull the briquette out of the container and wrap the edges. It remains to return the workpiece back to the refrigerator and lay it tightly.
The task is simple - to freeze strawberries quickly, minimizing the loss of vitamins and other delights of the berry. To do this, remember a few rules:
- Excess moisture will slow down the freezing process. Therefore, the first rule - first, wash the berries, be sure to dry them, laying them out on the table. Only then do we remove the tails. By the way, they are not allowed to be removed at all, especially if the crop is from your own garden.
- When sorting through the berries, proceed carefully, trying not to crush. Discard damaged, wrinkled and overripe.
- The best frozen strawberries are medium and small. Use large specimens to make jam.
- Make the workpiece in small portions that are used at a time. Strawberries will not tolerate repeated freezing - they will lose everything valuable, especially taste.
How to defrost berries
Depending on the purpose of use, strawberries can be thawed or cooked frozen.
Put berries directly from the freezer in compotes and jelly.
Try not to defrost strawberries in the microwave without special need, they will lose some of the benefits. It is better to put the workpiece on the top shelf of the refrigerator - a slow process will preserve the quality of the workpiece.
In the piggy bank of strawberry recipes:
Video recipe for freezing strawberries in a plastic bottle. Meet and repeat after the hostess. Happy freezing!
The easiest way to long-term storage of berries harvested in the summer is freezing. In addition, the loss of useful properties is only 10%, in contrast to heat treatment. I will tell you how to freeze strawberries for the winter in the refrigerator and introduce three cooling technologies.
Rules for preparing and freezing berries at home
You can get the maximum benefit from a vitamin product if you follow certain rules and follow the technology. Follow these simple tips on how to freeze strawberries the right way:
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Rule 1: choose only a quality product. Berries suitable for freezing:
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Rule 2: prepare the berries.
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Rule 3: choose a container.
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Rule 4: ensure optimal temperature conditions. In the freezer, strawberries can be stored for up to a year at a temperature of 18-20 ° C. The greatest amount of nutrients will provide a quick deep freeze.
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Rule 4: Do not store strawberry blanks next to meat and fish. Plastic absorbs odors, so set aside a separate shelf for frozen fruit. |
Freezing Options
I offer options on how to freeze berries in the refrigerator:
- ripe selected fruits - leave whole;
- overripe - keep in the form of mashed potatoes, blanks for compote or in natural juice.
Now in detail about these technologies.
Technology 1: individual berries
You can freeze strawberries for the winter with whole fruits. Harvest in portions so that you do not have to defrost the entire stock at once, or break off a frozen product, damaging the fruits:
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Step 1: Prepare serving containers. Small plastic molds that can be hermetically sealed will do. |
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Step 2: Select ripe firm berries. Overripe and soft fruits are best left for mashing. |
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Step 3: After washing, be sure to dry the berries. When harvesting fresh strawberries, it is important to dry them. So ice crystals will not spoil the shape of the fruit. Arrange the berries in a single layer on a towel. |
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Step 4: Primary Freeze. To prevent the fruits from sticking together, freeze them before filling them in a container. Place on a cutting board and freeze for an hour. |
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Step 5: Pour frozen berries into containers.
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Defrost a portion on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. And at room temperature, five minutes is enough - and you can enjoy strawberries "from the garden."
- Place berries in ice cube trays.
- Fill with water.
- Send to freeze in the refrigerator.
- After an hour, wrap the mold with a plastic bag or cling film to ensure the sealing of the product.
Technology 2: for compotes and kissels
The easiest way to freeze is to place the washed berries in a container.
The fruits from which you will cook compotes can not be pre-frozen on cutting boards. I offer two ways to freeze berries in the refrigerator:
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Method 1 Prepare strawberries for the winter in bags with fasteners:
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Method 2 Freeze Strawberry Puree:
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Technology 3: with sugar
Berries rolled in sugar or mashed - a ready-made dessert and a delicious treat! And its price is minimal. I offer 4 options for freezing strawberries with sugar:
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Option 1: sugared strawberries Sugar will keep the juice in the berries and their shape:
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Option 2: berries in syrup Strawberries for the winter in the refrigerator can be prepared in sugar syrup:
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Option 3: Puree frozen with powdered sugar How to store strawberries as a puree:
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Option 4: strawberries with juice
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Conclusion
Now, knowing how to freeze strawberries for the winter in the refrigerator, you can enjoy them until the next harvest. Visual explanations with the video in this article and my recommendations will help preserve all the benefits and freshness of these fruits. If you have any questions - write in the comments.
Strawberries are rightfully one of the most beloved berries. It has many advantages: juicy, tasty, fragrant, rich in vitamins, micro and macro elements. Strawberries support immunity (especially useful for children and the elderly). A small amount of calories makes this berry attractive for dietary nutrition. Unfortunately, the strawberry season is fleeting, and vitamins are needed all year round. Proper harvesting of strawberries for the winter (freezing) will allow you to extend this season and enjoy tasty and healthy berries until the new harvest.
Did you know? The berry, which we all used to call strawberries from childhood, is actually garden strawberries (pineapple). Pineapple strawberry (Fragária ananássa), with its usual taste and smell, is a hybrid that was obtained in Holland in the middle of the 18th century as a result of crossing virgin strawberries and Chilean strawberries. The word "strawberry" (from the old Slavic "club" - "ball", "round") has been traced in Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian lands since the XYII-XYIII centuries. This was the name of the wild plant Fragaria moscháta. When pineapple strawberries appeared in these parts (in the middle of the 19th century), it replaced the smaller and more sour predecessor, and the people began to call it “strawberries”.
Benefits of frozen strawberries
If we consider the question of how frozen strawberries are useful, then it should be recalled that when fruits and vegetables are frozen, more vitamins and nutrients are preserved than when cooked, sterilized, dried, etc. Properly frozen berries contain the same vitamin composition, the same caloric content as and fresh. After thawing, strawberries are used in the same way as unfrozen ones: you can simply eat the berries, you can add them to other dishes and drinks, use them as a filling for pies, make cosmetic face masks, etc. Vitamins in frozen strawberries retain all their properties. 
100 g of strawberries contain a daily dose of vitamin C. According to the content of vitamin B9, strawberries surpass grapes, raspberries and other fruits. Fresh strawberries have a beneficial effect because they have:
- anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties (helps well with colds and inflammation of the nasopharynx, with cholelithiasis, joint diseases, etc.);
- the ability to regulate blood sugar;
- high iodine content (useful for the treatment of the thyroid gland);
- high iron content (used to treat anemia);
Important! When freezing (especially fast), the vitamins in fresh strawberries are practically not destroyed. Frozen products should be stored for no more than 10-12 months (after a year of storage, some of the vitamins are lost during defrosting).
Choice of strawberries to freeze
For freezing, it is important to select the right berries. It does not matter how you are going to freeze strawberries for the winter (whole, in the form of strawberry puree, with sugar, etc.), whether you buy strawberries in the market or pick them in your garden, there are general rules that should not be neglected. costs. They guarantee you that frozen strawberries will be delicious and the benefits of it will be maximum. 
For freezing, strawberries should be selected:
- ripe, but not overripe and without spoilage (overripe strawberries will spread when defrosted, can give a “drunk” taste. Alternatively, overripe strawberries (but without rottenness) are suitable for making and freezing strawberry puree);
- dense and dry (less water - less ice, which will dilute the strawberry juice when defrosted, affect the taste);
- medium size (faster and better freezes through);
- fragrant and sweet (after defrosting, you will get both aroma and sweetness). It is not difficult to determine this - you need to smell and try;
- fresh. Freshness is indicated by the firmness of the berries, the shine, the green tails on the berries and the strawberry aroma. Owners of summer cottages and gardens are advised to pick strawberries early in the morning (before the dew has fallen) or in the evening, at sunset.
Important! Frozen strawberries are quite vulnerable (improper defrosting can cause great harm to vitamins and beneficial properties of strawberries), so you should know how to defrost them correctly. It is strictly forbidden to defrost strawberries in the microwave (destroys molecules and kills vitamins) or in hot water (vitamin C will suffer). Proper defrosting is gradual, first in the refrigerator (on the top shelf), then at room temperature.
Preparing strawberries for freezing
Before freezing strawberries, prepare:
overripe, rotten and damaged berries to choose. The rest are washed. Some gardeners advise not to wash strawberries grown on their own plots, but to blow them with a hairdryer so as not to damage the protective film on the berries that protect strawberries from bacteria. However, the fact is that it is not bacteria that pose a great danger, but helminth eggs, which can be in the ground and fall on the berries during irrigation or during rain. Strawberries should be washed in stagnant water, in a large bowl (washing in a colander under the tap is undesirable - the berries will be damaged, the juice will leave) in small portions (so as not to crush each other). During washing, the stalks should be removed. If you plan to freeze whole berries, then it is better to leave them - strawberries will keep their shape well and will not lose juice.
Washed berries are best laid out carefully on a flannel / paper towel or plywood sheet to dry (it is better to put cling film on paper or wood).
Selection and preparation of dishes for freezing strawberries
For freezing strawberries, plastic dishes are most suitable (a huge range of such dishes of various shapes and sizes is on sale). Cellophane or polyethylene are also suitable, but they tear easily from frost. The main requirement for dishes:
- without foreign odors;
- clean;
- dry.
Methods for Freezing Strawberries
Freezing strawberries- it's not as easy as it seems: put the strawberries in a bag and put them in the freezer. Of course, it is possible to freeze in this way, but the result will not be the same as we would like. There are different ways of freezing strawberries, with the help of which the berries retain their shape, their unique properties, aroma and taste.
Did you know? There are thousands of varieties of strawberries in the world (200 years of tireless work of breeders were not in vain). All these varieties are derived from one hybrid plant - pineapple strawberries.
Freezing whole strawberries
The most correct would be to use pre-freeze: prepared dried berries are laid out in one layer on a tray or plate (they should not touch each other). Then the tray is placed for 2-3 hours in the freezer in the quick freezing mode ("Super Freeze").
After that, the berries can be transferred to bags or containers and put in the freezer for further freezing and storage. Such berries will not lose their shape.
If you want to decorate a glass of champagne or sparkling wine, you can freeze a whole berry in ice. Prepared berries must be put in ice molds, pour clean water and freeze. 
Strawberries with sugar
Before freezing strawberries with sugar, you need to choose the option that will be acceptable to you (in terms of time, labor intensity, amount of sugar):
- freezing whole berries with sugar. For a kilogram of berries, you will need 300 g of sugar (slightly crushed in a blender or coffee grinder) or powder. Prepared berries (without stalks) must be laid out in layers on the bottom of the container, sprinkling with powdered sugar. Keep for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator and transfer the strawberries to another container, pouring the released syrup into the same. After that, close the container and send it to the freezer in the freezer;
- the same version, but without syrup. Pour the berries with powder and immediately send to freeze;
- freezing grated strawberries with sugar. The ratio of strawberries and sugar is 1 x 1. Prepared strawberries (overripe berries are also suitable for this recipe) are sprinkled with sugar and chopped with a blender.
The mixture is placed in containers (plastic cups, ice molds) and frozen. It should be borne in mind that the nutritional value of strawberries frozen in this way rises to 96-100 kcal. 
How to freeze strawberries for the winter and why is it needed? The advantages of freezing fresh berries are obvious - when defrosted, they retain their color and aroma, as well as minerals and vitamins. The taste also does not suffer, becoming only a little more sour. And you won’t need to buy lids, wash jars and spend long summer evenings in the kitchen during the cooking process, you won’t need to sterilize and twist strawberry compote, and then feverishly wonder if it will blow up or not?
Having studied the methods of freezing berries for the winter, any housewife will be able to cope with the harvest of strawberries, as they say, with one hand.
Here I will jump ahead a little and list the dishes that can be prepared from frozen strawberries:
- porridge - Guryevskaya, oatmeal;
- grated pie - berries with sugar are added to the filling;
- milkshakes with frozen strawberries are also very tasty;
- puddings, crumbles, soufflés;
- dumplings are prepared with both fresh and frozen strawberries;
- frozen berries can be a smoothie component;
- as well as filling or decorating pastries.
In general, the main thing in this business is creativity, so don’t be afraid of anything and freeze strawberries. What to make of it, think up later. Let me remind you: fresh berries are stored for a very short time, if they are not processed, they can rot in a few hours.
And there are ways to freeze.
Dry frozen whole berries
This method is considered the simplest and fastest - dry freezing of whole berries. This method of preserving strawberries is most suitable for rural residents or summer residents, because it is necessary to use freshly picked berries, mostly of the same size. The sorted, clean and dry berries are laid out in one layer on a tray covered with cling film and placed in the freezer. Only after the strawberries are thoroughly frozen, they are laid out in bags that are tightly tied, after removing all the air from them. Subsequently, the packages are stored in the freezer.
If you want to use the freezer area more compactly, many people store fragrant berries by laying them out in 2-3 layers in any plastic container - ice cream boxes, cookies, dried fruits. Only in this case, the strawberries must be laid out with their tails up. Tightly closing the boxes, they are placed in storage in the freezer.
Freeze with sugar
The second way to preserve strawberries is freezing with sugar. With this method, it is not necessary to dry the strawberries and pick up berries of the same size. The main thing is that the original product is of high quality, not overripe, and even more so not rotten.
Whole berry with sugar
The berries are placed in a plastic container, sprinkled with sugar, and the sugar is allowed to dissolve a little. Filled containers are sent to the freezer. Such strawberries will be a wonderful decoration for a glass of champagne or ice cream on New Year's Eve. And the juice that appears after defrosting the berries is perfect for flavoring tea or cocktails.
Frozen strawberries in sugar syrup
You can freeze strawberries with sugar in a different way. It all depends on the taste preferences of each person. Many people like to eat this wonderful berry frozen in syrup. The berries remain whole and acquire an attractive rich bright color. If desired, large strawberries can be cut into neat slices.
Preparing the syrup is very simple: you need to bring a liter of water to a boil, then dilute 300 grams of granulated sugar and 5 grams of citric acid in it. You can use a tablespoon of freshly made lemon juice. The syrup is cooled, poured over berries and put in the freezer.
Frozen strawberry puree
There is another option for preserving this wonderful berry - frozen strawberry puree. For creams, jelly, sweet sauces, fillings for pies, this puree is just perfect. You just need to chop strawberries in a blender and mix with sugar. After that, the yummy is poured into plastic containers or bags and placed in the freezer. On cold winter evenings, you can cut off a piece of fruit mass with a knife and enjoy pleasant memories of the past summer. Such strawberries can be added to porridge or cottage cheese, served with tea.
How do you freeze strawberries? What advice would you give to those who are doing this for the first time? I look forward to your comments, dear friends!
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