Yes, you can freeze cabbage and have it even beyond its harvesting season by following the given set of steps.
Consumed raw, cooked, steamed, pickled, stewed and sautéed. Cabbage is a versatile vegetable grown, cooked and eaten by many people all over the world. Many vegetable-based recipes call for cabbage because its wonderful taste and appearance add more flavour and beauty to the dishes.
Even though cabbage is used in many cuisines, this nutritious vegetable has a short season. It is harvested only once a year. During this season of the year, cabbage is sold at discounted prices in supermarkets. This is when cabbage lovers would question whether they can freeze cabbage so that they can have it throughout the year. This review will guide you through all the necessary information you need to know about freezing cabbage.
Health Benefits of Eating Cabbage
Cabbage is a highly nutritious vegetable loaded with vitamins and minerals. It also contains a very low amount of calories. Thus would be a healthy addition for the meals of people with dietary restrictions. Packed with vitamin C cabbage is good to maintain your skin health. To ensure the proper functioning of bones and muscles in your body. Vitamin C in cabbage also helps to strengthen your immunity system. As this vegetable is rich in fibre, it contributes to the good health of the digestive system by regulating your bowel movements. Cabbage also keeps your heart healthy and reduces the cholesterol level.
How to Freeze Cabbage?
Freezing cabbage is not a very difficult task, but you have to follow certain steps to get optimal results. Whether it is a home grown cabbage or a store-bought cabbage, first, its thick outer leaves should be removed and the cabbage should be washed thoroughly.
It is better if you can let your cabbage rest in cold water for about 30 minutes to expel any worms from the cabbage. Then, you should let it dry and remove the excess moisture. Cabbage can be cut in different ways and frozen.
It can be either shredded or cut into wedges before freezing. You can also freeze cabbage leaves. It is recommended to cut cabbage into wedges and freeze because it gives you the opportunity to cut it into any shape you want once the cabbage is thawed.
The next step is blanching the cabbage. For this, you should boil a pot of water first and add cabbage wedges, shredded cabbage or cabbage leaves to it and blanch for around 1 ½ minutes. Blanching is done in order to remove any bacteria from cabbage and make it freezer-ready.
Then, place the cabbage in a container of cold water in order to halt the process of further cooking. Once the cabbage is cooled and dried, lay them on a baking tray and freeze for a while. After the cabbage is frozen well, transfer to freezer-safe bags, squeeze out any air, seal the bags properly, label them mentioning the date and place in the freezer again.
Cabbage blanched and frozen in this manner can be kept fresh inside the freezer for about nine months. Cabbage can be also frozen without blanching them. But, frozen raw cabbage can’t be kept good for a long period.
How to Defrost Frozen Cabbage?
Frozen cabbage can be thawed by letting it stay in the refrigerator for some time. This should be done only when you plan to use frozen cabbage for salads, coleslaw, cabbage rolls or some dish similar to these. If you are preparing soup, stew, casseroles or anything of that sort, you can add frozen cabbage directly to the cooking pot.
Can You Freeze Cabbage after Cooking It?
Yes, there is nothing wrong in freezing cooked cabbage. You can keep cooked cabbage in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. But, if you want to extend that period even more, you can freeze it. The only precautionary step you should follow is to store them in airtight containers or Ziploc bags to prevent any air from entering and spoil the cabbage. You can keep cooked cabbage fresh in the freezer for about a year. Cooked and frozen cabbage can be thawed in the fridge, in the microwave oven or by placing it in a container of cool water.
Can You Freeze Cabbage Soup?
Cabbage soup can be frozen. First, you have to let the cooked soup cool down. Cooling the soup is crucial because if you put a hot soup inside the freezer, it can increase the inner temperature and thaw frozen food inside. Next, you can divide the soup into several Ziploc bags or airtight containers to ensure the convenience of consuming it later. Leave some extra room for cabbage soup to expand as it freezes. When thawing cabbage soup, let it sit in the fridge overnight. Then you can microwave or heat the soup on a stove and it’s ready to be enjoyed!
Conclusion
Cabbage is a nutritious vegetable indispensable for many cooking styles all over the world. It is widely used when making salads, casseroles, coleslaw, soups, pickles and stews.
As this vegetable is harvested only once a year, people who adore cabbage tend to freeze and use it all year long. Freezing cabbage involves several steps. You can either freeze raw cabbage or blanched cabbage.
But, blanching cabbage before freezing is highly recommended to extend the freezer life of cabbage. Thawing of frozen cabbage is very easy and depends on the way you plan to use frozen cabbage.
If you intend to make a salad or coleslaw, you can let frozen cabbage thaw in the fridge overnight whereas if you plan to use cabbage for a soup or a stew, you can just add frozen cabbage directly into the cooking pot. You can also freeze cabbage soup and save it for later use. This article describes everything you need to know about freezing cabbage.
