Interest for frozen fruits and vegetables

In winter, it is not always easy to vary the vegetables. Also, canned and frozen foods allow us to put a little variety in our menus .. 
 Today we are going to talk about frozen foods. 
Small precision: concerned only raw frozen fruits and vegetables without any seasoning.

What is deep freezing?

Freezing is an industrial process that involves cooling a food at -35 ° C in a very short time. The microbes or the bacteria are killed. The water it contains crystallizes finely which avoids the modification of the cells and the deterioration of the food during thawing. On the other hand, freezing is a  method that allows food to be stored from -18 ° C to -20 ° C. It does not destroy bacteria, it only stops their development.

The benefits of frozen fruits and vegetables:

Nutritional and taste values

Contrary to what many may think frozen fruits and vegetables have a nutritional value in minerals and vitamins identical or higher than those who are fresh. because They are picked, washed and frozen within harvest hours . They are harvested at full maturity, when their taste and nutritional virtues are optimal. Freezing thus allows conservation without artificial preservatives and without additives, because the cold temperatur slows the process of degradation of minerals and vitamins. Vegetables are usually blanched. This involves dipping them in water between 80 and 100 degrees for a few seconds, which destroys a large part of the bacteria and stops the action of enzymes that could degrade them. They retain their color, appearance and taste qualities. These advantages are especially valid when compared to the costs that have been stored for a long time. In fact, fresh products can lose a large part of their nutrients if they are not consumed shortly after harvest. 
An example: fresh spinach can lose 50% of their vitamin C in 3 days.

save time and facilitate use

 No need to peel them, wash them, take out a lot of utensils that will have to be washed later. 

Just open the package, read the cooking time . Also, this allows you to put them on your menus even if you have little time to cook. They avoid waste because you use only what you need and there is no waste.

The variety

in winter, it's not easy to reach the goal of 5 fruits and vegetables a day if you only want to buy fresh produce. 
 Frozen foods allow you to put color and variety in your menus ,it's a pleasure to feast red fruits in winter! This does not preclude buying fresh and local seasonal products. 
The fresh seasonal vegetables will allow you to eat raw which is not the case of frozen foods that must be cooked.

 The price

 the prices of summer vegetables are not exorbitant in winter which is far from the case if you want to buy green beans at Christmas for example. Making this purchase is also a behavior against lasting development where we should respect the seasons and the harvest time, not to mention their price. The purchase price of frozen fruits and vegetables is not necessarily more expensive than their counterpart costs because they are already peeled so we do not pay the waste as is the case of fees.

The disadvantages of frozen foods

Personally, I see very few. The only disadvantages are:

 the cost of storage since they must be kept in electrical devices.

the price of the freezer required for this storage

Things to know

Before any purchase, check the expiration date on the packaging. Fruits and vegetables are generally kept for 24 months in the freezer. Beyond, it is possible to keep them but their organoleptic quality can be altered.

Also check the condition of the packaging. If the inside forms a block or there is a lot of ice on the outside packaging wich mean that the cold chain has been broken. In this case, avoid buying the product because it could be dangerous for your health. It has been thawed and refrozen.

To know how to cook them is important. The vegetables will be cooked still frozen.  

not thaw them to get a good result. Read the instructions of use.