Summer pleases with an abundance of fresh herbs, which are rich in nutrients and give dishes a special taste. Housewives often wonder whether it is possible to freeze green onions in the refrigerator for the winter in order to preserve their benefits and taste. This is not only possible, but also necessary to add a special touch of freshness and exquisite aroma to winter dishes. However, to preserve onions, it is important to follow some guidelines for freezing them. All useful tips and little tricks are presented in our article.
The best way to preserve green onions for the winter is to freeze them. This storage method will help preserve the taste, aroma and beneficial properties of the product.
Is it possible to freeze green onions?
Green onions, like any greens, can be safely frozen . In winter, such a preparation will come in handy, because a bunch of green feathers on the market costs much more than in summer, and brings practically no benefit.
Points for and against
Not all housewives prepare green onions by freezing.
There are arguments against this method:
- After prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures, greens lose their taste and vitamins. However, if you follow the basic principles of freezing, nothing like this will happen.
- Not everyone knows how healthy this vegetable is and what dishes to add it to.
- After defrosting, the feathers lose their elasticity and stick together. This occurs exclusively when freezing rules are not followed or defrosting is improper.
There are many more arguments in favor of this method:
- The preparation process is completely simple and accessible to everyone.
- Frozen green onions keep better than dried or pickled ones.
- Ready-made chopped greens greatly simplify and speed up the cooking process.
- You don’t have to buy green onions at the market, which means you save money and time.
- The vegetable contains many vitamins and phytoncides, which will improve health and boost immunity in the winter.
Loss of beneficial properties
The common belief that greens lose vitamins and other beneficial components after freezing is refuted by science . In fact, vitamins are destroyed not by freezing, but by exposure to light, air (oxidation), and high temperatures. Freezing, on the contrary, is considered the most optimal harvesting method for preserving the maximum amount of useful substances.
Taste and consistency after defrosting
If the technology is followed, the taste of green onions remains unchanged . It only deteriorates when stored for too long and re-frozen after defrosting.
The consistency of onion feathers changes slightly - they become somewhat softer than fresh ones . This depends on the freezing method and storage conditions. If you follow the recommendations and tips for properly freezing greens, their consistency will remain virtually unchanged.
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Compound
Is it possible to freeze green onions? Of course you can. Moreover, such processing does not affect the properties of the product in any way. After defrosting, all the same vitamins remain in it as before freezing:
- B vitamins, which are extremely beneficial for the nervous system and brain activity. In particular, vitamin B1 controls the acidity of the human body and helps normalize cholesterol levels, and vitamin B5 improves the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- Vitamin A is an active participant in redox processes. It is also necessary to stimulate the growth of new cells and metabolism.
- Vitamin C takes part in all processes occurring in the body.
- Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that has a beneficial effect on human reproductive function. This element also improves the condition of skin, hair and nails.
Features of freezing
To get the most benefits and preserve the taste of green onions, consider some simple but important tips :
- Before you start chopping your greens, rinse them well with running water . Chopped onions should not be washed - this will lead to loss of taste and aroma.
- The white part of the onion can also be frozen , but it is better to do this in a separate container. Cut off the white “legs” from the greens only after washing, so that water does not get on the cut, otherwise the feathers will stick together.
- Be sure to drain the washed greens in a colander and dry with napkins or paper towels. Feathers must be completely dry. Then they will tolerate freezing well and will not stick together.
- It is better to pack greens in portions so as not to take them out of the freezer many times. Otherwise, green onions will quickly lose their taste and beneficial properties.
Choose elastic feathers of a rich green color . Remove all withered, limp and dry ones.
Sprouted greens
If you don't want to freeze your greens, try growing them. Fill a small jar with water and place the onion there. Immerse it in water up to half or a little higher, but do not “drown”. Place the jar on a sunny windowsill. Within a week you can sprinkle your sandwiches with aromatic herbs.
For sprouting, choose homemade onions that are firm and juicy. Stores often trim the ends of the bulbs to prevent roots from growing. It is impossible to germinate such a product.
Don't expect much. Winter greens grown on windowsills are pale and watery. It is inferior in both taste and aroma to juicy summer feathers. There are also fewer vitamins in sprouted onions - they simply have nowhere to come from. Summer onions grow in the garden, with fertile soil and unlimited sunlight at their disposal. It is impossible to create the same conditions on the windowsill, no matter how hard you try. Even frozen summer greens are healthier than sprouted ones.
Freezing methods
There are many ways to prepare green onions in the freezer . We have collected the most accessible and interesting of them.
In various containers
There are several options for preparing green onions in different containers:
- The easiest and fastest way is to freeze the greens in a bag. To do this, it is cut into rings and packaged in portions into small bags. Before tying the bag, be sure to run your hand over it and release excess air. Some housewives use zip bags and a regular juice straw. The bag is not closed all the way, a tube is inserted near the edge, the air is released, the tube is quickly removed and the bag is zipped completely.
- Freezing in a container is one of the most common methods. Finely chopped greens are laid out in a thin layer on cutting boards or trays and placed in the freezer for several hours. To prevent onion rings from sticking to the surface of the trays, they are covered with cling film. After the greens have dried in the freezer, they are scattered into containers.
- There is another interesting way of freezing - in a bottle . To do this, the greens must also be well dried, otherwise it will be impossible to get them. It is better to use small bottles – no more than 1 liter in volume.
- Housewives also practice portion freezing in ice trays for cupcakes and muffins. The greens are prepared as for freezing in a container and laid out in containers.
In various forms
Onions can be stored either chopped or whole.
The following freezing options are available::
- In crushed form . It is either simply scattered into bags or containers, or added to molds of water and cubes of greens are prepared with ice.
- A very original way for gourmets is freezing in butter. It must lie at room temperature for one hour. Use oil with a high fat content, preferably homemade. Chopped herbs and spices are added to it to taste. Then the mixture is laid out in molds or wrapped in cling film into a sausage. When the cubes are frozen, they are transferred to bags. Another option is to roll out the mixture in a bag into a thin layer and break off pieces when cooking.
- To keep them intact, feathers are wrapped in foil or cling film. This method is suitable for those who cannot spend time on chopping, but want to prepare green onions for the winter. You just have to take into account that after defrosting at room temperature, the feathers lose their appearance and become soft.
- Another harvesting method is blanching greens . Place it in a colander and lower it into boiling water for one minute. After this, the onions are cooled and all the liquid is filtered out. Blanched greens are placed in plastic containers and placed in the freezer.
Useful tips
To make the product tasty and healthy, never wash already chopped onions. This will destroy most of the vitamins.
For packaging, use small bags designed for 1 serving of greens. Frozen foods do not tolerate heat. If you constantly take a large container of onions out of the freezer, thick frost will soon appear on the greens, they will become watery and tasteless.
If you don't have a vacuum sealer, use regular zip bags and a cocktail straw:
- Fill the bag with herbs, insert a straw into it and zip it as tightly as possible.
- Then run your hand over the packaging, squeezing out any excess air. It will go out through the hole in the tube.
- Quickly pull out the tube and close the bag completely.
For the healthiest possible meal, use frozen onions at the very end of cooking. It is better to sprinkle herbs not on hot, but on warm food, and do this immediately before serving. Of course, the feathers must first be thawed at room temperature.
You can make a “cocktail” from greens. Prepare not only onions, but also dill, parsley, cilantro, and basil according to the scheme described above. There are no restrictions - use whatever greens you like. Mix the cuts thoroughly and pack the assortment into zip-lock bags.
Shelf life
Frozen greens can be stored for 2 months to six months. However, it is important to take into account the nuances on which the preservation time of the beneficial properties of the vegetable depends.
A few recommendations:
- Shelf life depends on the freezing method and freezer temperature . The lower it is, the longer you can keep the greens. If the freezer maintains a temperature of -18°C, long-term storage of greens is allowed for six months or even more.
- The optimal shelf life of green onions is 3 months . This is how long it contains the maximum amount of useful substances.
- Green onions with oil spoil faster , so it is better to use them within 1-2 months. Such cubes cannot be re-frozen; in case of forced defrosting (the power went out, the refrigerator broke), they are immediately used in dishes.
At first, onions will emit a strong odor in the freezer , so wrap them in cling film and put them on a separate shelf so that the aroma does not transfer to other products.
Preparing the refrigerator before starting the process
Before freezing a product in freezers, you must empty one of the drawers of unnecessary products, wash and dry it.
Place the bags or container of onions tightly in a well-dried box. If the refrigerator has a “Quick Freeze” function, set it for two hours. Freezing will go faster and the vitamins will be better preserved. If the refrigerator does not have such a function, then the product is frozen at -10 - 15 degrees. This is the optimal temperature.
How to defrost correctly
Green onions do not need to be defrosted in all cases . To prepare hot dishes, casseroles and pies, you do not need to defrost the greens. This is only necessary for whole feathers or adding chopped herbs to cold dishes.
It is recommended to defrost at room temperature or in the refrigerator . In the first case, it will be faster, but the consistency of the greens will become softer and more slippery. Defrosting will not affect the taste and aroma. In the refrigerator, the greens will retain their elasticity; this method is ideal for whole onions.
Do not use a microwave or hot water for defrosting . So the greens will not only lose their taste, but will also become completely sour.
Dried seasoning
Many people dry onions. To do this, the prepared feathers are finely chopped and stored in a dry, warm place with good ventilation. Make sure that the greens are not exposed to sunlight: they destroy vitamins. You can dry onion feathers under a canopy on the balcony or in the attic. After 3-4 days you will receive a fragrant seasoning. True, the aroma will change, and the spicy spiciness will disappear, but some people even like it.
It is better not to use dryers. At high temperatures and aggressive ventilation, the greens will dry out quickly, but will lose all their vitamins.
So, freezing green onions for the winter is a great idea. It will retain most of the nutrients and even after defrosting it will taste better than a feather grown on a windowsill in the cold season.
Freezing green onions for the winter is the best way to preserve their taste and aroma. Greens prepared in this way are suitable for preparing many dishes and will be a good help in the winter. We offer several ways to freeze onions at home.
Where to apply
Fragrant green onions are suitable for preparing first and second courses, casseroles, meatballs, omelettes, savory pies and pancakes, and sauces.
Depending on the freezing method, green onions are added as a dressing to many dishes.:
- cubes with water for hot first courses.
- Greens with butter go well with potatoes, meat and fish, and go well with sandwiches.
- Chopped greens from bags and containers are added to main courses, casseroles, pancakes, pancakes, and pies.
- Blanched onions are good in soups and main courses.
- For salads, it is better to use carefully thawed feathers .
Fragrance oil
Some housewives prepare fragrant butter for the winter, mixing it with herbs and spices in advance.
- butter – soft, plastic, but not melted;
- green onions;
- any aromatic herbs to taste;
- spices - also to taste;
- a little salt.
Mix onions, herbs and oil, add spices and add a little salt so that the seasoning is not bland. Pack the product into bags or forms for freezing. If you are using ramekins, then remove the butter cubes and place in a vacuum sealed container.
The preparation can be added to soups and side dishes instead of regular oil. It’s very tasty to put pieces of this frozen food into cutlets or meat rolls - the dish turns out unusually juicy and aromatic.
Reviews
Many housewives who have tested the method of freezing green onions from their own experience were satisfied with the result. Here are some reviews on this topic.
Anastasia, Moscow : “I liked the method. Last year I froze a lot of these preparations, the onions tasted like fresh ones. I added a little to soups and egg pies.”
Valentina, Kazan : “I froze the greens in cubes with water and butter. What you need for potatoes is butter and onions at once. Thanks to water, the taste and aroma are perfectly preserved. I prepare all the excess greens this way.”
Lyudmila, St. Petersburg : “I have been using frozen onions in winter for soups and pies for a long time. I love greens both dried and frozen. The taste is preserved well. The family loves it!”
