Freezing green beans.. How?

I want to freeze a lot of green beans and have them crunchy when thawed out. Any way to do this? If I blanch them then freeze them will they be soft?

Thanks, Jimmy

Reply to
Jimmy
Loading thread data ...

I have done this numerous times by dropping the beans into boiling water for a few minutes, then taking them out, and letting them cool. Finally put them into plastic containers - not jammed full

- and into the freezer - and that's it.

Reply to
JJ

sometime in the recent past Jimmy posted this:

You blanch to destroy the enzymes that would turn sugars into starches and essentially continue the growing sequence of the fruit. Blanching green beans for 3 minutes and then immersing them in ice water to stop the cooking. Spin in a salad spinner to dry them a bit before a quick pat down on a clean towel and freeze. This will keep the beans the freshest they can be.

My great-grandmother recalls threading beans and hanging them in the attic to dry out and then later hydrated as needed. Sorry, I can't guess at how they tasted, but anything is better than nothing in mid-winter.

Reply to
Wilson

So far this season, I've frozen nearly 25# of green beans; it's been an unusually great year. This is my system:

Wash the beans very well by immersing them & changing the water until it is clear. Cut off the stem ends and any bad spots. I cut mine in 2-3" lengths because it's easier to get more on a tray.

Blanch them, in maximum 1 - 1.25# portions, in rapidly boiling water for no more than 3 minutes. Start timing as soon as the beans hit the water. Use a minimum 8 qt pot with a deep pasta insert so you can just lift the whole shebang out of the water (carefully).

Remove them to a small colander sitting in a large bowl filled with ice water (use lots of ice) for no more than 3 minutes (you don't want to make them soggy). Swoosh them around in the ice water a few times to ensure that they get cooled rapidly.

Drain them in a colander and shake out excess water. Spread them out on the middle section of a decent size terry cloth kitchen towel and roll them up for at least five minutes. Spread them out on a large sheet or jellyroll pan that has been oiled with the slightest amount of olive or other oil. Put the pan flat in a 0 degree F freezer. The lower the better. If your freezer is self-defrosting, be sure to get the beans out as soon as they are frozen or they will be dried out. A non-self- defrosting freezer is better for this kind of freezing. (I use a similar method for freezing broccoli, whole roasted peppers and a few other things) I can get four trays in my freezer so I usually do 5-6 pounds of beans at a time.

When the beans are hard frozen, vacuum-seal them in a bag with Food-Saver or similar device. I use a narrow bench scraper to scrape them out of the pan. You have to do only one pan at a time and move quickly so they don't start to thaw. You don't want your vacuum sealer (should you have one) sucking water into it's innards). I usually wipe the edge of the bag after I fill it to ensure there are no little drops of water.

No frozen bean is ever as good as fresh but I find this process is pretty darn good. The key is working fast with no interruptions. My step mom used to freeze beans in boxes and they were always a solid block of ice, soggy when thawed and horrible. Good luck.

Isabella

Reply to
Isabella Woodhouse

sometime in the recent past Isabella Woodhouse posted this:

All good. Just wanted to mention that I fold over the mouth of the FS bag (sometimes twice) so that it isn't directly in the way while you fill them. Only have to wipe the water from those that any water might suck out of (although not a real problem with vegetables, but a concern with meat products.)

Reply to
Wilson

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.