Frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen broccoli… If you don’t have time to buy vegetables often, you may wish to keep some frozen vegetables at home, which are sometimes no less advantageous than fresh vegetables.
First, some frozen vegetables may be more nutritious than fresh. The loss of nutrients from vegetables begins from the moment they are picked. During transportation and sale, vitamins and antioxidants are slowly lost. However, if the picked vegetables are immediately frozen, it is equivalent to stopping their respiration, not only can microorganisms barely grow and reproduce, but also better lock in nutrients and freshness. Studies have shown that although the quick-freezing process will lose a little water-soluble vitamin C and B vitamins, the damage to dietary fiber, minerals, carotenoids, and vitamin E in vegetables is not great, and some polyphenolic antioxidants may increase in storage. For example, a British study found that after freezing, vitamins and antioxidants with anti-cancer effects in many fruits and vegetables from broccoli, carrots to blueberries are almost as good as newly picked fruits and vegetables, and more nutritious than fruits and vegetables left in the supermarket for 3 days.
Second, it is convenient to cook. Frozen vegetables do not need to be washed, quickly blanched with boiling water, you can cook directly, which is very convenient. Or directly add some water to the microwave oven to thaw, and stir-fry in the next pot to be delicious; You can also steam it directly and drizzle with spices, and the taste is also good. It should be noted that frozen vegetables are generally processed from fresh vegetables in season, frozen immediately after blanching and heating, and stored at minus 18 °C, so that the treatment can “lock” the original bright color of the vegetables themselves, so there is no need to use colorants.
Third, long storage time. Oxygen can oxidize and deteriorate many components of food, such as natural pigment oxidation will become dull, vitamins and phytochemicals and other components are oxidized to cause nutrient loss. However, under freezing conditions, the oxidation rate will be greatly reduced, as long as the seal is intact, frozen vegetables can usually be stored for months or even more than a year. However, when storing, it should be noted that the air should be exhausted as much as possible so that the vegetables are close to the food bag to avoid dehydration and poor taste.
Post time: Dec-01-2022