Broccoli is a great vegetable to have on hand, thanks to its nutritional benefits, versatility and quick cooking time. But if you accidentally overbought or simply want to stock up for future meals, freezing is a great option (especially if you need to freeze up space in that crisper drawer). Follow these simple steps to have vibrant, crisp-tender broccoli whenever you want it.
The first step is to thoroughly wash and trim your broccoli. To do this, cut the crowns into uniform-size florets. Submerge the florets in a large bowl of cold water, agitating them to dislodge any dirt or debris, then drain well. To avoid wasting the stems, trim the ends and peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler. Slice into uniform pieces to cook and freeze along with the florets.
Freeze Fresh Broccoli
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For blanching, fill a large bowl with ice water and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add the trimmed broccoli to the boiling water and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. This shocks the broccoli, preserving its color and doneness level. Once completely cool, drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
For steaming, you'll need a large pot with a steamer basket insert. Put a few inches of water in the bottom of the pot, then add the basket. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the trimmed broccoli, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Shock the broccoli in a large bowl of ice water, then pat dry once completely cool.
Once your broccoli is cooked and dry, it can be packaged for freezing. Lay the broccoli in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray or plate. Place in the freezer until completely solid, 1 to 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic container or resealable freezer bag. The broccoli should stay fresh-tasting and free of freezer burn for 6 to 8 months.
As summer winds to a close, gardeners everywhere are left with an abundance of fresh produce that they want to preserve. While canning, dehydrating, and freezing are all great ways to preserve your harvest, only one of these works for broccoli.
Blanching is a way to help preserve the texture, flavor, and nutrients in vegetables before you freeze them. The purpose of blanching is to stop enzyme reactions that could break down the quality of your frozen vegetables.
Pretty much any recipe that requires fresh broccoli can be made with frozen broccoli. It works well in soups, stews, casseroles, and stir-fries, or as a yummy side dish. To avoid soggy broccoli, do not thaw it before cooking. You can roast it in the oven with some olive oil and spices, boil it in water, steam it in a steamer basket, or toss it in the microwave for three to four minutes. Remember that blanching partially cooks the broccoli ahead of time, so shorten the cooking time by a few minutes when cooking with frozen broccoli.
Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture and taste of broccoli will deteriorate into a mushy, grey and unpleasant shadow of its former self, with the goodness leeching away. So, do make sure you blanch it to preserve its colour, flavour and nutrients.
Put frozen broccoli in a microwave-safe dish with a splash of water (about 50ml). Cover with cling film (or use a microwave-safe lid), pierce the cling film all over a few times, and cook on high for 5 mins until the broccoli is tender and cooked through.
Whip up a healthy bowlful of our warming broccoli & pea soup with minty ricotta for a satisfying lunch or a simple starter. Top with silky smooth ricotta and toasted pine nuts for a touch of indulgence that still manages to pack in three of your five-a-day.
Having plenty of prepared broccoli in the freezer makes it easy to grab a handful to use in recipes. You can add frozen broccoli to soups, stir-fries, and casseroles. Learn how to freeze broccoli to preserve it for future meals.
Broccoli is a great vegetable to have on hand for nutrition, flavor, versatility, and quick cooking time. The part of the broccoli we eat is actually the flower head that is harvested just before it blooms.
Growing broccoli is a test of patients. Most varieties need 70 to 100 days to reach maturity when started from seed under lights indoors and transplanted to the garden. If you are growing a number of plants, they can mature at different times, or be ready to harvest all at once.
The stalks have a woody outer layer, but the center of the stems can be exposed with a little trimming. Use a vegetable peeler to slice off the outer fibrous skin, and then cut the stems into chunks and blanch and freeze separately, or right along with the florets.
The leaves can be used the same way you would enjoy kale or cabbage, such as raw in salads, briefly cooked, or chopped and added to a soup or stir-fry. You can also toss the leaves and stems in a vegetable scrap freezer bag to make homemade stock later.
Harvest mature broccoli once the heads have sized up, are still tight, and before flower buds open. Pick broccoli in the early morning when the plants are hydrated and cool from the night air. Use a sharp knife or clean pruning shears to cut the main head off the plant along with several inches of the stalk. The plant will continue to produce side shoots with smaller heads of broccoli for a later harvest.
If you are picking up broccoli to preserve, choose broccoli crowns that look fresh, feel firm, and have a deep green color. Avoid crowns that are loose, yellow, or brown. Also skip the ones with shriveled leaves and dried out stems. These are signs that the broccoli has been hanging around for a while and may not be the best quality to preserve.
Prepare the broccoli by removing the leaves and trimming off the bottom woody stems. Divide the broccoli crown into pieces that are about 2-inches in size, place them in the salt water, and soak for about 30 minutes. Swirl the pieces around to dislodge debris. Drain and rinse well under running water before blanching.
Save the leaves and stems for another use, or if you wish to freeze the stems, peel off the woody outer layer with a vegetable peeler, cut into 2-inch pieces, and blanch and freeze separately or right along with the broccoli florets.
Blanching in boiling water partially cooks the broccoli. This helps slow the enzymes that cause lost flavor, color and texture. Blanching also washes off any microorganisms that might be on the surface.
Place the frozen broccoli into freezer bags, remove the air, and seal the bag. Label, date, and store in the freezer until you are ready to use in your favorite recipes. Properly blanched, packaged, and frozen broccoli will last for up to 12 months.
Frozen broccoli can be used the same way as fresh broccoli in any cooked meal, such as oven roasted, steamed, or sautéed. Frozen florets can be added by the handful to soups, casseroles, and stir-fries. When boiling pasta, add frozen broccoli to the pot the last few minutes and toss with your favorite sauce.
Hello,The freezing was the easy part. However, how can you cook frozen broccoli? I put mine in the oven to roast, but they steamed and got mushy. I did not defrost them because that also produces lots of water. Any help would be great.Thank you.
When purchasing or harvesting broccoli, look for heads that are tight and firm. If individual buds are showing even a hint of opening, avoid that head for freezing. You'll get the tastiest result when you freeze the ripest, freshest heads.
Loopers, small caterpillars, also love to feast on fresh broccoli. The blanching process should kill them, but they may remain wedged inside the tight florets. If the idea of unknowingly consuming a worm is too much for you to stomach, separate heads into easy-to-handle sections and soak in a brine solution of four teaspoons salt to one gallon of water for 30 minutes. Rinse heads after brining. Split broccoli sections into florets that are no bigger than 1.5 inches across. Remove the thicker stems, but save them; you can also freeze these for use in soups and stews.
Cool broccoli in ice water for the same amount of time you heated it. Dry the broccoli as best as you can before freezing. A salad spinner works well to force water out of each tiny floret joint. Alternately, you can drain the broccoli with a colander and then spread it on a towel and blot dry. Work quickly, though. It's best to shift broccoli as quickly as you can from ice water to freezer.
You can individually quick freeze broccoli on a parchment-lined tray and then package into air-tight freezer bags. This method works best if the broccoli is thoroughly dry. Otherwise, package broccoli in freezer bags in portion-size amounts. This is important because if there's any water left on the broccoli prior to freezing, it will freeze into a large mass, which you won't be able to separate to serve just a part. After bagging broccoli, gently shift the florets in the bag to get it as flat as possible for fastest freezing.
To freeze stems, slice off the tough outer layers. Chop the soft inner layers into bite-size pieces. Blanch and chill using the same times as for florets. Freeze separately from florets, since you'll most likely prepare them in different dishes. Individually quick freeze stems on a parchment-lined tray before placing in freezer bags, and you'll be able to grab a handful of stems to add to stews or soups.
To serve frozen broccoli florets, steam or boil for no more than 60 to 90 seconds. You can also toss frozen florets directly into stir fries, quiche, pasta, or soup. Frozen broccoli lacks the firm crunch of the fresh stuff, but it isn't mushy. For best flavor, use frozen broccoli within a year.
Frozen broccoli works well in cooked recipes of all kinds. However, make sure to cook the broccoli slightly less than the recipe indicates for fresh broccoli, since the blanching and freezing process shortcuts a few minutes of cook time. Here are some broccoli recipes that work well with frozen broccoli: 2ff7e9595c
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