How to freeze tomatoes for the winter: useful tips

Tomatoes are a source of ascorbic acid and other vitamins that evaporate during heat treatment. Pickled or canned tomatoes, prepared for the winter, do not bring the body any benefit. To preserve most of the vitamin C in the fruit, they are recommended to be frozen and stored in the refrigerator. Which way to choose? Depends on the quality of the tomatoes and the purpose of the harvest.

Tomatoes for salads and casseroles

The main stage is the selection of vegetables. Do not use green or overripe varieties. Tomatoes should be mature and dense, with a thick skin. Too soft tomatoes give off a lot of juice, and when thawed, they lose their shape and turn into porridge.

Looking for whole fruits for salads or baking? You should buy tomatoes without damage and rot. Rinse the vegetables under cold water, after removing the green ponytails. Put wet tomatoes on a towel or paper towel so that the glass is excess liquid. Freeze only dry fruits, otherwise an ice crust will form on them, which will ruin the taste and texture of the tomatoes.

If you need a preparation for stuffing, remove the core with seeds, leaving the peel and dense pulp. Cut the hard top and get the juicy center of the tomato with a teaspoon or knife. Fruits for salads are not processed in any way, leaving the vegetables whole.

Tomatoes are laid out on a plastic tray in one layer, leaving a small distance between the workpieces. You can sort the tomatoes into plastic bags of 3-4 pieces, and then put them in the freezer for 36–48 hours. Turn on the refrigerator to the maximum and try not to open it until the right time elapses. Transfer the hardened fruits into containers or bags, remove to the far corner of the freezer.

How to use a blank
Remove a serving of tomatoes from the refrigerator, place on a plate or tray

• Wait until they soften
• Rinse under cool water
• Stuff the billet for stuffing and put in the oven
• Tomatoes for salads are poured with boiling water to separate the pulp from the peel. Cut fruits into cubes or slices, put in a dish and mix with other ingredients.

Frozen tomatoes retain a pleasant aroma and taste, practically do not differ from fresh fruits. They recommend choosing medium or small specimens, for example, cherry. Large fruits harden longer and often turn into a liquid paste, unsuitable for consumption.

Pizza and Stew Ingredients

Fans of Italian or vegetarian cuisine can prepare tomato slices or slices. The fruits must be washed, set aside spoiled and beaten vegetables. You can use slightly unripe tomatoes, preferably cream or a similar variety.

Tomato wedges
Slices are suitable for cooking stews, pasta or rice with vegetables. Need a blank without a peel? Immerse washed tomatoes in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, gently catch and make cross-shaped incisions near the “buttocks”. Remove the peel, which should be easily separated from the pulp, divide the fruits in half. Remove the hard top, cut into 4 or 8 slices, depending on the size of the tomato.

Cover the tray or tray with parchment paper, which absorbs excess juice and does not allow the tomatoes to freeze to the dishes. Put slices in a thin even layer and put in the freezer for 1-2 days. When the tomatoes become hard, divide them into portions and pour them into bags. It can also be stored in small plastic containers that take up a minimum of space.

Tomatoes in circles
Frozen tomato slices are good for pizza.Ingredients are harvested in a similar way, like slices, only leave the peel. The shell does not allow the pulp to fall apart after defrosting. In washed tomatoes, the tail is cut off along with the top. Residues are discarded or used to make pasta.

Cut the prepared vegetables into circles 1–1.5 cm thick. If the rings are too thin, after defrosting, the peel and a little pasty pulp will remain from the workpiece, which does not look very appetizing.

Put circles on a cutting board or tray. The base must be covered with parchment to make it easier to separate the finished tomatoes. Sliced ​​tomatoes can be laid out in several layers. Cover the lower circles with cling film so that the workpiece does not stick together when freezing. There should be no more than 3 layers, otherwise soft tomatoes will remain in the middle, which can deteriorate during storage.

It will take 24–48 hours for the workpiece to harden. It remains to shift the vegetables into a container or bag and hide in the freezer. The workpiece must be pulled 3-4 hours before use so that it is slightly softened. Put circles on pizza and immediately send to the oven. Tomatoes will let the juice soak into the dish and make it fragrant and mouth-watering.

Mashed potatoes for sauces and gravy

Rejected fruits with rot, wormholes and broken sides can be turned into a paste that is tastier and healthier than purchased dressings and canned juice. Frozen tomato puree is added to sauces and soups, borscht and stew.

How to make pasta

1. Rinse the fruits under the tap, rinse with boiling water and peel.
2. Cut wormholes and damaged parts.
3. Grind the selected fruits to get a dense, uniform mass.
4. The pasta can be mixed with herbs, slices of hot pepper or grated beets, add salt and some spices.
5. Pour the mashed potatoes into muffins or other small containers. You can use containers to make ice.
6. Put the paste in the freezer, and after hardening, remove from the molds, wrap with cling film and store in a bag or vacuum packaging.

Cubes or briquettes do not need to be thawed, they are immediately added to the pan or to the pan. Homemade pasta is more natural and tastier than store pasta, it contains many vitamins and is inexpensive.

Freezing tomatoes is faster and more profitable than canning. No need to buy cans, lids and spices, spend hours boiling and cooking brine. Tomatoes from the freezer are dietary and healthy, preserve the aroma and taste of fresh fruits. Dishes from such blanks can delight loved ones and surprise guests who are sure to try to find out the little secret of the hostess.

Video: how to freeze tomatoes for the winter