Spring and early fall are the ideal season for carrots to flourish. In some areas with mild temperatures, carrots can be grown almost the whole year. Carrots have a crunchy texture with a naturally sweet taste, hence being used in numerous dishes.
There are so many ways of using carrots in your meals; soup, salads, or even roasted vegetable garnishing. You can put them inside the freezer to enjoy their fresh ballads year-round. By freezing carrot sticks or whole carrots, the nutrient value will remain intact as well as its satisfactory flavor.
Can You Freeze Carrots?
Carrots can be stored in the freezer. It helps to preserve their freshness and quality for a longer time. The frozen carrots can remain fresh for 10 to 12 months. However, with a proper freezing procedure that amount of time can be extended even further.
During seasonal months, carrots come in abundance. Practically, it is not possible to consume all those produced carrots. So, to prevent the carrots from being wasted or thrown away, just put these into a freezer where they will stay until you want to use them in your recipes.
Why Freeze Carrots?
If you can't use fresh carrots immediately, freezing is a great way to handle the fresh carrots. It will give you the chance to retain their quality and enjoy it during another time of the year when the peak growing period will be long over.
Let's get into the reasons for freezing carrots one by one:
Preservation of Nutrients
After you buy fresh carrots and don't plan to use them anytime soon, freeze them. If we don't freeze them then if might lead to the loss of their essential nutrients. This happens due to prolonged exposure to room temperature and air.
So, it is crucial to preserve the carrots right after you get back home to retain their nutrients for a longer period of time. This way you can enjoy fresh and nutritious carrots whenever you want.
Extending Shelf Life
Carrots need to be stored in an icebox to enlarge their shelf life. They become stale if left outside room temperature for long periods. The exposure to air and warmth speeds the decay process therefore resulting in waste.
So, keep your carrots frozen so they remain fresh and bright too. A low temperature environment will slow down the growth of bacteria making it possible to elongate their shelf life considerably.
Convenience
Freezing carrots is a good option due to its ease. This means that one can always find frozen peas in the house and use them anytime they want without having to go shopping regularly. They can also be easily put into soups, stews, stir-fries, etc. thus saving cooking time.
Cost-efficient
You can save some bucks by freezing carrots when they are enormously available in the season. Carrots are usually cheaper during harvesting seasons than other periods when they are scarce or costlier.
So by freezing them, you save yourself from paying hefty prices when there are not available ones anymore and these too become pricier ones.
Maintaining Flavor
As carrots grow older, they tend to lose their crispness and flavor. You can still have that taste months later after harvesting them because freezing helps to conserve their original sweetness and crispness.
Minimize Waste
When you don’t freeze carrots, you have a considerable wastage issue. Such things do not go well with some people as they have spent time or money buying or planting them. For those people freezing ensures that you can enjoy carrots over a long period without the thought of wastage or throwing away.
How To Freeze Carrots?
Proper freezing is crucial to preserve the freshness and quality of the carrots. Whereas failing to do so leads the fruits to spoil. The reason for spoilage could be bacterial growth due to fluctuation in the temperature and cross-contamination with external factors.
Thus, to avoid such issues, you can follow the given steps while freezing carrots:
1. Pick Fresh Carrots
It is important to choose fresh carrots for freezing. Older ones might have already started losing their nutrients or contain harmful bacteria. They will spoil quickly even after freezing thus affecting other frozen carrots kept with them.
Always pick those that are firm, and bright orange without blemishes or cracks when you go shopping for carrot. Do not buy any carrot plants showing limpness, soft patches, or rot.
The next step in preparing frozen carrot slices includes cleaning them properly. To do this place them under cold running water and scrub off dirt particles from surfaces until clean. Post-wash, use a peeler to remove outer skin which can sometimes be tough and bitter tasting.
Also peeling helps lock in flavor so that they can freeze cleanly without losing out on nutrients during the freezing process.
3. Cut The Carrots
After washing and peeling them, it’s time to cut them up into desired sizes according to one's preferences for use later on. Depending on how you intend to use them later, you could slice round-shaped pieces.
You can create sticks like those found in French fries or even cut them into chunks like they are often served at restaurants such as delis.
Blanching is very important before freezing. That you boil in a pan some water and prepare in a bowl some ice water. It takes 2-3 minutes for the chopped carrots to get into the boiling water to then be placed in ice water to avoid stacking.
Freezing carrots through blanching helps their preservation through high temperatures thus avoiding mushy food later.
5. Flash Freeze Carrots
Before freezing, flash freezing is important for the carrot. To do this, spread the blanched and cooled carrots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they aren’t touching each other.
Place the tray in the freezer for about 1-2 hours or until completely frozen. Flash freezing prevents carrots from sticking together so that you can take out only what you really need at a later date.
Once you have flash frozen your carrots, put them into a freezer bag or an airtight container making sure that no air gets inside and would cause spoilage or freezer burn.
Here, you need to ensure not to overcrowd when packing containers/bags. If needed also several bags instead of one large one.
Once the carrots are packed, place the bag in the freezer. Select the most freezing end of the freezer, never putting it near the freezer door, as frequent opening and closing can affect the temperature and quality of the carrots.
8. Maintain The Temperature
Lastly, make sure to maintain the temperature at 0°F (-18°C) or lower until you decide to use the carrots. This is the ideal temperature to retain the freshness and quality of the carrots for up to 10-12 months.
You can use the frozen carrots anytime when you're in need and turn them into your favorite smoothie or sauce.
The choice between whole freezing carrots or sliced carrots totally depends on your preference. Since both kinds of carrots can be used for the same purpose.
At first, lets talk about why you might choose to slice the carrots. Sliced carrots are comparatively easier to use in soups, stews, or any dish of you choice. Therefore, slicing before freezing saves from the struggle of chopping the whole frozen ones.
This is because the whole frozen carrots are hard that makes cutting them more difficult. Besides that, sliced carrots are quickly thawed for reuse.
On the other hand, whole carrots take a slightly longer time to freeze and thaw due to their thickness. These carrots can be incorporated in soups or roasted, but they may take slightly longer to cook or prepare than sliced ones.
As frozen whole carrots are hard, you will have to pay extra attention while cutting them into slices or quarters so as not to mess up the fruit.
Therefore, the choice is all yours. You can choose to cut the carrots into slices or store them as a whole. The primary difference lies in the convenience of using them in your favorite dishes.
How To Thaw Frozen Carrots?
Once you know how to freeze carrots, it becomes equally important to learn how to thaw carrots. This is because a lack of such knowledge may alter the texture and flavor of carrots. This directly reduces their freshness and quality.
To avoid this problem, here are some ways you can use to thaw frozen carrots:
Thawing in Refrigerator
Refrigerator thawing is one of the most common and mildest ways of refreezing frozen carrots. For this purpose, take out the required amounts of frozen carrots from the bag and put them in a bowl or plate.
Then keep the bowl inside the refrigerator overnight. The method allows gradual thawing in such manner that they retain their taste as well as texture without losing quality.
Thawed carrots can be added to a variety of dishes including soups, and stews, or served as side dishes.
Another popular way to thaw frozen carrots is by putting them in cold water. A large bowl filled with cold water and a plastic bag containing frozen carrots should be placed inside it for some time. Let it stay there for 1- 2 hours depending on the size and amount at hand whereby during this period.
You may also want to change the water every 30 minutes after a start to allow circulation around them and gradually lower down temperature more than that used at the beginning stage. This helps to maintain a consistent cold temperature, preventing the carrots from becoming too soft or mushy.
Thawing in the Microwave
Microwave thawing is the best option to go with if you need to thaw the frozen carrots quickly. To do so, you need to set the microwave to its defrost mode. Arrange them in a shallow dish making sure there is no overlap.
After that, simply place it inside the microwave and defrost for about 30 to 60 seconds depending on the amount and size of carrots being used. When it comes to sliced carrots, defrosting should not take more than 20-30 seconds at best.
However, pay attention not to leave the carrots in there for too long as that would result in little heating which may lead to cooking and therefore change their texture.
What To Make With Frozen Carrots
There are various options in which frozen carrots can be included as one of the main ingredients in many desserts and sweet dishes. Some of the options are smoothies, mashed carrots, casseroles, roasted vegetables, stir-fries, soups and stews, and many more.
Let's explore some ways to turn frozen carrots into sweet and delightful dishes:
Frozen carrots make for a great option for smoothies. This recipe is simple and fast. You take some frozen carrots and use them along with other fruits like oranges, pineapples, and bananas.
You then pour in the milk or another dairy-free alternative, putting in a spoonful of yogurt for creaminess. Blend these ingredients well until you see a smooth and consistent mixture.
The sweet smoothie that is good for you is ready to be served. With the health benefits it offers, this drink should be consumed as part of your breakfast. Carrots are vitamin-packed foods that contain beta-carotene and boost energy levels while also promoting eye health.
2. Soups and Stews
Frozen carrots are truly magical in terms of soups and stews because their natural sweetness and hearty texture blend perfectly with other ingredients. To make these warm and comforting meals you need only put them into a pot along with some onions, garlic, potatoes, and meat or legumes of your choice.
Whether it’s chicken soup that tastes like homemade, beef stew or vigorous vegetarian vegetable soup packed with vitamins. Frozen carrots serve as an easy as well as tasty addition that can enhance both the taste and health benefits of your plate.
3. Carrot Cake or Muffins
Carrot cakes or muffins are another option to incorporate frozen carrots. Whether it's a birthday party or any special occasion, bake some carrot cakes to serve as a dessert.
To make these, thaw the frozen carrots and finely grate them before mixing them into your batter along with classic baking ingredients like flour, sweetness, and moisture. Carrot cake or muffins are a wonderful way to enjoy the overall nutritional benefits of carrots in a dessert, offering a delicious balance of sweet flavors.
