Alexander Gushchin

I can’t vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Content

Weather conditions in our country do not allow us to grow fruits and vegetables all year round. In the summer, we can eat an unlimited amount of fresh fruits, saturating our body with essential vitamins and minerals, but in the winter, most people suffer from a lack of nutrients in the body. Many housewives try to preserve nature's summer gifts by canning or freezing. It is important to note that frozen fruits and vegetables, such as bell pepper practically do not lose their vitamin qualities.

Sweet peppers are a storehouse of useful substances: minerals, carotenoids, vitamins, bioflavonoids. Thanks to its rich taste and multi-colored colors (green, yellow, red, orange), it makes dishes colorful, bright, piquant and tasty. Frozen bell peppers are an ideal winter preparation that can be quickly defrosted and used to prepare side dishes for soups, goulash, baked goods or main dishes. We’ll talk further about whether it’s possible to freeze bell peppers and how to do it correctly at home.

How to choose bell peppers for harvesting for the winter

So that the vegetable is stored for a long time and does not lose beneficial features, you need to know which fruits to choose for freezing, to do this, use the following recommendations:

  1. The peel of the vegetable should be smooth, without dents, wrinkles, scratches, or cracks. Flaws on the fruit indicate improper care or long-term storage in unsuitable conditions.
  2. Pay attention to the stalk of the vegetable; in freshly picked sweet pepper it has a juicy green color.
  3. White or brown spots on pepper indicate a detrimental effect on it. The vitamin composition of this fruit is very low.
  4. Fresh, juicy fruits weigh more than stale ones.
  5. The fruit pulp should be strong and thick.
  6. Black spots on pepper indicate diseases of the vegetable during growth.
  7. When buying a vegetable in supermarkets, pay attention to how it is packaged, whether there is moisture or drops of water inside the package. These fruits do not like moisture and spoil quickly.
  8. The color of bell pepper indicates its positive properties:

  • Red pepper varieties have the greatest amount of vitamins and carotene. The red vegetable is the sweetest.
  • Yellow varieties- useful for people with problems of cardio-vascular system. This yellow vegetable is good for children; it contains a lot of phosphorus, which promotes proper bone formation.
  • Green is the lowest in calories; it contains vitamin K, which increases blood clotting and improves its composition.

9. For stuffed peppers, select medium-sized, elongated fruits.

10. For stews, salads and stews, prepare peppers of different colors so that later you can saturate the dish with bright sunny colors.

11. Green peppers are used only for fresh consumption; after heat treatment they begin to taste slightly bitter.

12. To prepare small pieces, use large-sized fruits; their walls are thick, and after thawing they will retain their integrity and vitamin properties.

What utensils will you need?

For freezing, prepare the following equipment:

  • If you have removable trays of different depths in your freezer, set aside the middle one for the peppers.
  • If your freezer only has standard built-in shelves, provide a plastic tray, pan, or flat container that will not freeze to the sides of the freezer.
  • Pre-line all pepper dishes with a clean cotton cloth.
  • Already completely frozen vegetables are placed in tight bags.

Recipes with photos

Freezing sweet peppers is an alternative to canned vegetables. After all, when frozen, the maximum amount of nutrients is preserved, and the consistency, color, and taste of the thawed product are no different from fresh ones. There are several ways to freeze sweet peppers - whole, in pieces, with herbs. Let's talk about them further.

Pieces

An excellent addition to stews and salads winter season will become multi-colored frozen pieces of bell pepper. Storage duration is from 4 to 6 months. To prepare we will need:

  • Sweet pepper (different colors) – 2-3 kg.
  • Water.

Cooking method.

  1. Choose good ripe fruits without damage. Sort them out, rinse them in running water, cut out the stalk with a knife, and remove the seeds.
  2. Cut each peppercorn as you like - into halves, quarters, rings, half rings, cubes, strips.
  3. Cover the tray with a clean cotton cloth and place the peeled pieces of vegetable on it.
  4. Place the tray with the slices in the freezer for 48 hours.
  5. After time has passed, place the hardened sweet peppers in thick plastic bags and close tightly. Place in the freezer.

Freeze whole for stuffing

In Soviet times, stuffed peppers were considered a festive dish and were prepared for a special occasion. To and in winter time pamper your loved ones with delicious, hearty stuffed peppers; they were pickled in three-liter jars. But the amount of pickled vegetables in a jar was often not enough for a huge family, or vice versa, it was in excess and something else had to be prepared, and the taste of such peppers is significantly different from fresh ones. We invite you to use a modern, rational method of preparing whole peppers for stuffing.

Ingredients:

  • small long bell pepper – 23 kg;
  • water.

Cooking method No. 1:

  1. Wash the fruits, dry them with a paper towel, remove the stem and seeds.
  2. Place the fruits on a pre-prepared tray covered with a cloth.
  3. Place in the freezer of the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
  4. Then, for compactness and convenience, pack portions of the frozen product into bags and pack tightly. Place in the freezer.

Cooking method No. 2:

  1. This option requires more time to prepare, but the pepper turns out as fresh. Wash the vegetables, cut out the caps with a knife and set aside, remove the seeds.
  2. Place a pan of water on the fire and bring to a boil.
  3. Dip all the peppers into boiling water for half a minute. Thanks to this heat treatment, vegetables will retain all their vitamin properties and will not lose their shape when frozen.
  4. We put the processed peppers into each other and pack them in bags. Add the caps of the peppers to them.
  5. We put everything in the freezer.

Freeze with dill and parsley

The greens will give the pepper a special rich aroma. For harvesting, you need to take young, only picked parsley and dill. To prepare we need:

  • Bell pepper – 2-3 kg;
  • Dill – 150-200 g;
  • Parsley – 150-200 g;
  • Salt - half a teaspoon.

Cooking method:

  1. Leave the well-washed greens to soak for 5-10 minutes in a large bowl with cold water.
  2. Then carefully drain the water and add new water for another 10-15 minutes.
  3. Afterwards, remove the dill and parsley from the water and shake. Dry the greens, but make sure they don’t start to wilt, then chop them.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the peppers. Wash it, remove the seeds, stem, cut it as you require (cubes, strips, etc.).
  5. Separately, place peppers in a thin layer on a medium-depth tray, and chopped herbs on a flat tray. Place in the freezer to freeze for a day.
  6. After the time has passed, remove the trays with vegetables and herbs.
  7. Mix pepper, dill, parsley evenly, pack into bags, seal tightly.
  8. Freeze until winter.

Semi-finished peppers stuffed with meat and rice

In winter, it’s nice to pamper your family with summer dishes, but you need to take care of preparing them in advance. , prepares quickly and easily. If you have a freezer at home, use the following recipe for a hearty semi-finished product. Necessary ingredients for a family of three:

  • Sweet pepper – 9-10 pcs.;
  • Minced meat – 500 g;
  • Round rice – 100 g;
  • Onion – 1 pc.;
  • Carrots – 1 pc.;
  • Salt, seasonings - to taste.
  • Vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

  1. Remove cap and seeds from pre-washed peppers.
  2. Peel carrots and onions, chop finely, lightly fry in sunflower oil until golden brown.
  3. Boil the rice until half cooked, rinse with cold water.
  4. In a bowl with minced meat add frying, half-cooked rice, season, salt. Mix everything thoroughly.
  5. Stuff the peppers with the filling.
  6. Place the stuffed vegetables in bags and pack well. Store in the freezer.

Freezing baked sweet peppers

Baked frozen peppers are very tasty. In winter, such vegetables are simply defrosted and watered vegetable oil, seasoned with garlic, spices and served as a ready-made dish. To prepare we need:

  • Pepper – as much as required, without proportions;

Cooking method.

  1. The peppers, previously washed and cleared of seeds and stalks, are placed on a baking sheet.
  2. Place the vegetables in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
  3. Then put the finished peppers in a saucepan and leave to steep for half an hour.
  4. Afterwards, remove the skin from them, put them in plastic containers, and seal them with lids. We send it to freeze until winter.

Video

Among modern housewives it is very popular to freeze vegetables. Unlike canning or pickling, the vitamin composition of frozen fruits is not destroyed, and the freezing procedure does not take much time or effort, and does not require special knowledge. Anyone can cope with this task at home, but for clear example We recommend watching the following video.

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Discuss

How to freeze bell peppers for the winter

Bell pepper is considered one of the most healthy products daily diet. In terms of the amount of nutrients, no vegetable can compete with it. Dishes prepared with fresh bell peppers are especially tasty and aromatic. The red color of the vegetable gives a festive look to any salad. For such a special product all year round brought benefits and pleased with its taste, it is worth learning how to properly store and freeze it at home.

How to freeze bell peppers for the winter

The main type of storage of vegetables with great content juice is considered to be frozen. This process ensures the preservation of nutrients, color and shape of the product. The main difference in the types of freezing bell peppers is the method of their preliminary preparation. When choosing, first of all, they start from dishes that will later be prepared on the basis of semi-finished products. It is also worth considering the volume of the freezer and its shape.

There are three types of freezing peppers:

  1. in pieces
  2. entirely
  3. in the form of a complete semi-finished product

The first type is used for further preparation of soups, stews and salads. Its main advantage is significant space savings in the freezer. Densely compacted pieces allow you to prepare a large amount of pepper for the winter. In this case, the product will not interfere when opening the door and will not create additional inconvenience.

The second type is suitable for stuffing and decorating holiday dishes. Once thawed, whole peppers can be sliced ​​and garnished on salads and other appetizers. The cavity inside can be filled with minced meat, cheese or fried vegetables. In any case, everything depends on the imagination and skills of the cook. This type of storage makes it difficult to prepare large quantities of product and requires a larger storage chamber.

The third type is suitable for long-term storage and helps to significantly save time, which will later be spent on cooking. After processing and drying the whole sweet pepper, minced meat, fried vegetables and rice are placed inside. You can fill the preparation with boiled carrots and spices. Peppers stuffed in this way are completely ready for further processing. It can be prepared in any way: boiled, stewed or fried. Next, the semi-finished product is packaged and sent to the freezer. Such preparations will require a lot of space, but using the method can significantly speed up and facilitate the culinary process.

How to properly freeze bell peppers? Freezing instructions

The process begins with selecting fresh and large fruits without damage. Any damaged parts must be cut off during preparation. It is important to choose high-quality peppers with the thickest walls. Such vegetables freeze better and retain a large amount of nutrients. Priority should be given to fruits from your own garden. Store-bought bell peppers are most often waxed and processed chemical compounds for better storage.

Next comes the turn for cleansing. Required in mandatory Rinse each fruit thoroughly. After this, they begin cleaning: the partitions and seeds are removed, and the legs are carefully cut off. To remove the insides of the pepper and not damage its juicy walls, everything is done by hand. At this stage, it is worth making sure that there are no seeds left inside. To do this, the workpieces are additionally rinsed in water.

The next step is drying and getting rid of any signs of moisture. You need to properly place all the vegetables on a dry towel and wait until they dry completely. You can speed up the process using napkins and a towel, but it is recommended to let the pepper dry in the open air for at least an hour. After this, start cutting into pieces or slices. The type chosen depends on which housewife liked the recipe.

After thorough preparation, the peppers are placed on a towel or kitchen napkin made of fabric, which is spread to the bottom of the freezing chamber. You can use a special plastic tray. Whole peppers are placed one inside the other in a pyramid shape. This will save space and prevent the edges from getting damaged. It is advisable to cover the stacked vegetables with a cloth so that air does not enter them when the freezer is opened. The preparations are left in the freezer for two days, after which the frozen peppers are taken out and packaged in thick plastic bags or special containers for frozen vegetables. This storage method will provide vitamins throughout the winter and is perfect for enriching a variety of recipes.

The optimal temperature for quick freezing of fresh bell peppers is considered to be 20 degrees below zero. With this mode, the products do not lose nutrients and remain more elastic during subsequent defrosting. The shelf life of such stocks can range from six months to 10 months. It all depends on the initial condition of the fruit and compliance with all harvesting rules.

Secrets of cooking dishes based on frozen bell peppers

To prepare first courses, semi-finished products are added to hot water immediately after they were taken out of the freezer. This way the vegetables give off all their flavor and do not lose their bright, rich color. It is important not to keep them in boiling water for a long time, so that all the beneficial substances remaining in them are preserved in sufficient quantities. Frozen peppers are best suited for making vegetable puree soup. At the same time, the consistency of the dish is complemented by an aromatic and bright taste.

A side dish of frozen vegetables goes well with sour cream and spices added to taste. There is no need to defrost the workpieces first; just lower them onto the hot bottom of the frying pan. There is also no need to add water; the amount released during thawing is enough. This method of stewing will provide the vegetables with an elastic shape and will not allow them to lose their original appearance.

Freezing bell peppers is an easy and simple process that will provide many benefits in the future. Peeled and chopped vegetables will be useful to any housewife. This will speed up the cooking process and reward the efforts spent in the summer with a beautiful look and taste of the dishes. And the main advantage will be vitamin recipes, which can now be prepared at any time, with pleasure and quickly.

How to freeze bell peppers whole and in pieces for the winter correctly so that it does not lose its beneficial properties and can be prepared in various dishes, we'll talk about it in this article. Someone argues that it is necessary to preserve for the winter whole pepper so that they remain in it necessary vitamins. But there are several ways to freeze, or rather, types of preparing this vegetable for freezing.

How to choose bell peppers for freezing

Fruits must be chosen correctly so that they are stored for a long time in winter and do not lose their beneficial properties. Here are some tips to help you determine good vegetables:

  • The peel should not have any blemishes, scratches, wrinkles or dents. The presence of these defects indicates that the plant was improperly cared for and stored in unsuitable conditions.
  • The stalk of a sweet pepper that has been recently harvested will be a juicy and rich green color.
  • If there are white or brown spots on the fruit, this means that it was improper care with the use of chemicals, or it was stored incorrectly. These vegetables are very low in vitamins.
  • You should pay attention to the weight of the pepper; it is greater in freshly picked fruits, which have strong and dense flesh.
  • Diseases during fetal growth can leave black spots; such peppers are unsuitable for freezing.
  • When buying a packaged vegetable in a supermarket, you need to look to see if there are drops of water inside the package. Bell peppers deteriorate when exposed to moisture.

The positive properties of pepper depend on its color:

  • Red fruits are the sweetest and healthiest. In their composition greatest number vitamins and carotene.
  • Yellow fruits will benefit children due to their high phosphorus content, which helps to properly form bones. The yellow vegetable is recommended for those who have heart and vascular diseases.
  • The green vegetable helps improve blood clotting and contains vitamin K. This type is also the lowest in calories.

In order to stuff peppers, the fruits are selected that are elongated and not large.

You can prepare peppers of different colors for salads, stews and stews to add bright colors to the dish.

Green varieties of pepper are suitable for food only in their raw form, because they become bitter after heat treatment.

If you plan to harvest peppers in small pieces, it is better to take large fruits with thick walls. After thawing, they will retain their integrity and beneficial properties.

Selection of cookware

Here's what you'll need to freeze food:

Recipes with photo

Alternative way Preparing sweet peppers for the winter means freezing. With this type of storage, the beneficial properties, as well as the taste, consistency and color of the vegetable, are preserved. There are several options for freezing peppers:

  • in pieces;
  • whole;
  • with greens.

Pieces

Stews and salads in winter will perfectly complement bright pieces of pepper. They can be stored for up to 6 months. Water and 2-3 kg of peppers of different colors.

Technology:

Is it possible to freeze whole bell peppers?? Can.

Whole for stuffing

First way:

  • Select the fruits, wash them, remove seeds and stems.
  • Place on a tray covered with cloth and freeze for 1-2 days.
  • When the pepper is well frozen, it is necessary to pack it into bags in portions and close tightly.

Second way:

Interesting! Peppers prepared this way taste just like fresh ones, although they take a little longer.

Semi-finished product of stuffed peppers stuffed with meat and rice

In winter, it is especially pleasant to delight your household with summer dishes. Such preparations must be made in advance.

To prepare you need:

Prepare like this:

  1. Wash the pepper, remove seeds, remove the cap.
  2. Peel the onions and carrots, chop finely and fry in oil until crusty.
  3. Boil the rice until half cooked.
  4. Mix minced meat, boiled rice, fry, add salt and spices.
  5. Mix the whole mixture and stuff the peppers.
  6. Pack into bags and place in the freezer.

Freezing baked sweet peppers

Frozen baked peppers are very tasty. They will need to be defrosted, add oil, garlic and spices, and serve.

For cooking you only need pepper, as much as you like.

It is prepared like this:

  1. The pepper is washed, cleared of seeds and stalks.
  2. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees.
  3. Leave the prepared vegetables in a saucepan for 30 minutes to steep.
  4. Remove the skin, place in a plastic container, seal tightly and place in the freezer.

Watch the video! Preparing for future use - freezing baked bell peppers

Bell pepper is a delicious vegetable, which, moreover, has special beneficial properties. Its fruits can be used for cooking a large number of dishes: WITH

  • Salads;
  • Soups;
  • Borscht;
  • Stew;
  • Sauté.

Stuffed peppers are especially popular - there are many recipes for preparing this dish. To be able to enjoy stuffed peppers in winter, you need to first prepare their fruits during the vegetable harvesting season.

Frozen stuffed peppers for the winter:

What is the convenience?

Frozen bell peppers are very convenient to use for stuffing in winter:

  • Frozen bell peppers retain all nutrients and vitamins;
  • Properly prepared fruits can be used within 6-9 months;
  • In winter, a tasty vegetable is quite expensive - using a frozen semi-finished product will save you a lot of money;
  • To prepare stuffed peppers, just defrost the pieces and fill them with the filling.

And finally, you will be sure that the bell pepper has not been defrosted and frozen several times, as may be the case if you purchase a semi-finished product in supermarkets.

Freezing example:

Stuffed peppers: preparation and selection

Before freezing sweet peppers, you must carefully select the fruits:

  • For stuffing, use only late varieties;
  • Choose large, fleshy vegetables with dense walls - they are the ones that best retain their shape when frozen;
  • The pepper must be completely intact on the outside: without dark spots or damage by insect pests;
  • Green tails of the fruit indicate the maturity and juiciness of the fruit.

After selecting fruits suitable for freezing, we begin their preparation:

  • The pods need to be washed in water;
  • Dry thoroughly with a cloth or paper towel;
  • Carefully remove the stem;
  • Remove seeds from the inside of the pepper.

REFERENCE: No special container is required to store sweet peppers - they are perfectly preserved in ordinary plastic bags.

After preparing the vegetable, decide on the storage location. Ideal option it will become spacious chest freezer. In it, the peppers will not come into contact with each other - which means they will not lose their shape and will not break.

Temperature

The temperature range of a regular freezer is ideal for storing whole bell peppers. At temperatures from -18°C, the vegetable will be preserved for a year.

Freezing methods

Once you have prepared the bell peppers, you can start freezing them. There are several ways to prepare whole vegetables.

1 way

IMPORTANT: With this method of freezing the peppers will not stick together.

Option for freezing bell peppers with whole fruits:

  • Place the prepared pods on a large board, tray or other flat surface;
  • Place the workpiece in the freezer for 10-15 minutes;
  • Remove the peppers, place them in plastic bags and place them back in the freezer for further storage.

Method 2

The process of freezing sweet peppers is as follows:

  • Pour water into a large saucepan and boil it;
  • Place the fruits in boiling water for half a minute;
  • Take out the bell peppers and fold them into a pyramid;
  • Place vegetable cones in plastic bags and freeze immediately.

IMPORTANT: When processed with boiling water, all vitamins and minerals are retained in sweet peppers.

This method is based on heat treatment, which allows you to keep the fruits fresh for a long time.

Shelf life

With freezing you can for a long time store as easy as possible Bell pepper, and stuffed. Shelf life is about 12 months.

In addition, using a frozen semi-finished product significantly saves your time - just take the bell pepper out of the freezer and you can immediately start stuffing it.

Pepper after freezing:

Hello dear readers. Every year we wait for the onset of that very season of fresh vegetables and fruits, and not only in order to have time to get enough of vitamins, but also to prepare them for the winter. During this period, it is important to gather strength and begin preparing various preserves. Of course, some of us are overcome by laziness, and in winter we simply buy store-bought canned goods, from which you are unlikely to get any sufficient quantity vitamins. It’s hardly possible to replace home-canned food with anything, so it’s better not to be lazy and preserve the vitamins of your favorite vegetables in a tightly closed jar. This option is most suitable for preparing various sweets in the form of jam, or salad with the addition of many healthy vegetables. If the goal is to preserve all the vitamins contained in a particular vegetable in full, then the best way It will still be frozen.

After all, during the preparation of any kind of preservation, vegetables are subjected to heat treatment, which means that a significant part of their vitamins will be lost.

Today we will talk about how to freeze bell peppers for the winter correctly, in order to preserve its beneficial properties.

Many are sure that peppers must be frozen in their whole form so that their vitamins do not somehow get out of them. But there are several ways to freeze, or rather, types of preparing peppers for freezing.

What benefits will we get from freezing fresh peppers?

First of all, it must be said that freezing any vegetable implies preserving all its beneficial substances, which you definitely won’t find on supermarket shelves in winter.

And even if you manage to find the right product, it is unlikely to be fresh or natural.

Most likely, you will be “lucky” to find a limp pepper stuffed with chemicals, and besides, you will definitely not be happy with the price.

Advantages of preparing frozen bell peppers:

Thanks to direct freezing, our pepper retains all its beneficial properties.

The thing is that by freezing a fresh product, we avoid heat treatment, which kills most of the vitamins of the vegetable.

“Winter” pepper, which you can find in a supermarket during the cold season, has a fairly high price, and it is unlikely to be justified by at least one of its properties.

The pepper we prepare at home will have beneficial qualities, which we can be sure will be preserved.

One of the stages of preparing pepper for freezing involves peeling the vegetable from seeds and tail, not to mention cutting it.

This way, when preparing a dish in winter, you can save some time that you could spend on the same cleaning.

We can be sure that our vegetable was frozen only once, which means it still contains all the vitamins we need.

After all, ready-made frozen vegetables that we can find in the store most often do not differ in quality.

You cannot be sure that only fresh vegetables were used for freezing; moreover, they can be frozen more than once.

Which pepper is suitable for home freezing?

You need to choose only fresh vegetables, and they should be of high density.

Only dense peppers can contain a large amount of juice, in which most of the vitamins will be concentrated.

Did you buy a couple of kilograms of pepper? Don't delay, and immediately start freezing it while it's still suitable for freezing.

Of course, no one says that slightly wilted peppers cannot be frozen, but we want to eat fresh product in winter, right?

But if it so happens that you started looking for fresh vegetables late, and only slightly limp peppers are left on the market, then this is also not a problem.

Such a product has simply lost some of its moisture, but this does not mean that its vitamins have left the vegetable along with it.

Therefore, immediately after purchasing or collecting your pepper, you need to start preparing it for freezing, especially since it will not take too much time, like, for example, canning.

How should the process of freezing peppers proceed?

Well, there is no secret or secret ingredient that will help our peppers “overwinter.”

There are two ways to prepare such a vegetable, which differ only in the presence or absence of slicing.

You can freeze peppers either whole or in small pieces. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which we will definitely look into.

How to freeze bell peppers in pieces for the winter

All housewives like this method, as it allows them to save time during the preparation of a particular dish.

This way, you will simply need to take the already chopped pepper out of the freezer and just give it a little time to come to its senses.

After which you can safely add it to a salad or serve it as a side dish to the main dish.

How to properly prepare peppers for freezing

Well, everything is quite simple here. Our main task is to select high-quality peppers, without lethargy and the presence of any signs indicating the process of rotting.

Having chosen suitable peppers, we need to rinse them with cold water and then give them time to dry.

It is important to remember that the peppers should not be wet before freezing, as the presence of excess water can cause the peppers to stick together into one layer, which will ruin their natural shape.

This way it will be much easier to get rid of all the seeds, but you will have to remove them all. After all, for the most part, it is the seeds that contain the main bitterness (this only applies to bell peppers).

And who would like to find pepper seeds in a salad that are sure to get on your teeth, right?

By the way, if you freeze the pepper in pieces, then the process of removing the seeds will seem much simpler if you cut the pepper lengthwise and remove all the seeds without any obstacles.

The first stage is common to both freezing methods. Next, each of us chooses what method the freezing will be done, each of which we will now consider.

How to freeze bell peppers for the winter correctly - freezing methods

Any of the methods will be correct, here everything depends only on the purpose of this workpiece.

If you plan to treat yourself to fresh salads during the cold season, then pre-chopped pepper is more suitable for you.

But if your favorite dish- stuffed peppers, then you can get by with the method of cutting off the cap.

In general, if you set out to eat healthy and tasty all winter, then it’s better to play it safe and prepare both types of peppers. Who knows what you'll want tomorrow?

Maybe today you are determined to maintain your figure by eating light salads, and tomorrow you will spit on this idea with the words “Walk, just walk.” And it’s unlikely that you can make stuffed peppers from finely chopped peppers.

So, let's return to our methods of freezing peppers, with the help of which we can get vitamins regardless of the time of year.

  • Cut the already seeded pepper into rings. This operation can be done using special graters that cut vegetables into even circles with the same thickness. You can, in fact, do all this manually, depending on how you calculate your strength, of course.

It is better to freeze such pieces immediately, and during the freezing process, you must ensure that the rings do not turn into one continuous layer.

This will be quite simple, since the pieces themselves are quite large, which means that their gluing to each other can be detected immediately.

  • Cut the peeled pepper into half rings. This is also convenient to use.
  • Cut the peppers into small cubes. In general, this method differs from the previous one only in the cutting method. It is exclusively for gourmets who like finely chopped vegetables.

We lay out the chopped vegetables in a thin layer on a flat, level surface in order to control the possible gluing of the pieces. Therefore, from time to time it is necessary to check the condition of our peppers.

After this, place the already frozen pieces of pepper in pre-prepared containers that can be tightly closed.

This will protect your pepper from extraneous odors from other products, and the smell of pepper in this way will not be able to spread throughout the refrigerator.

Choosing containers for storing pepper preparations

You can freeze bell peppers for the winter in pieces, cubes, rings, half rings, whole or even stuffed. But the choice of containers for freezing is also very important.

  1. Plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid.
  2. Cellophane bags.
  3. Bags made of dense polyethylene.
  4. Zip closure bags.

You can store frozen vegetables either in simple plastic bags or in tightly closed containers.

If you are a fan of pepper and decide to thoroughly prepare it, then in this case you will need containers that will also close tightly.

Of course, you can use regular thin bags, but this method is not the most practical.

The problem is that when frozen, the peppers may stick to the bag, and separating them from each other can be a bit of a hassle.

If the operation is carried out incorrectly, pieces of polyethylene will remain along with the pepper, which is unlikely to please anyone.

Therefore, if you are still more impressed by packages, then best choice There will be a sealed bag with a zipper. This way there will be no exchange of odors between the refrigerator and the product.

In addition, usually such bags are made of fairly dense polyethylene, thanks to which the problem of parts of the bag freezing to vegetables will be solved.

How to freeze peppers for the winter for stuffing with meat, rice, vegetables

For this preparation, it is best to select peppers different sizes: from big to small, and why this is necessary, we’ll figure it out a little later.

So, we select only fresh vegetables without any damage, after which we rinse it under running water and wait for the moisture to evaporate from its surface.

And only after that we remove the top part of the vegetable using sharp knife. This needs to be done quite carefully, because the shape of the pepper for such a dish is of great importance.

By the way, the cut off caps can also be frozen if at the end of cooking you want to cover the stuffed peppers with them. Sounds great, doesn't it? But this is for those who like to get confused and present to guests not only tasty dish, but also beautiful.

Preparing whole peppers for stuffing

Again, there are two ways to arrange peppers for future freezing.

  1. We place our peppers one next to the other in a simple bag, after which we try to release excess air from it. Thus, it definitely won’t take up much space in the freezer.
  1. This method helps to save space, and you can prepare a large amount of product, and it will take up very little space.

Remember when we said that peppers should be different sizes? It is precisely for this method that they will be useful to us.

So, the secret is that the peppers, already cleared of caps and seeds, need to be placed inside each other, as a result of which we will get a kind of train.

This method, from an ergonomic point of view, is the most successful. Such “trains” are placed in a simple bag, from which all the air must also be released.

This method is somewhat similar to the principle of laying nesting dolls, because we place a smaller vegetable in the largest pepper.

Some freeze immediately stuffed peppers, which you can simply take out of the freezer and cook right away.

But this is not the most practical option, because the cutting period for such peppers is significantly limited.

Do peppers need to be defrosted before cooking?

This depends, first of all, on the quality of freezing. If you make sure that the pieces of peppers do not have time to “grow together” with each other, then you can safely add them to the future dish.

But if one large layer has managed to form from individual pieces of pepper, then the process of separating the part you need will be quite problematic.

Therefore, it makes sense to freeze peppers in small portions so that you can use the entire amount of pepper at once. This way, you don't have to waste time defrosting this product.

What dishes can you use frozen peppers in?

Well, here it all depends on how much you love bell peppers, and how strongly your imagination is developed.

It will become the heart of any dietary salad, with the addition of cabbage and carrots, for example. Besides, what would winter borscht be without pepper?

And, of course, we all love stuffed peppers, for the preparation of which we usually use canned peppers or frozen stuffed peppers.

They impart their taste to the same extent as fresh ones, but they contain an order of magnitude less vitamins.

Is it permissible to re-freeze the product?

In general, nothing bad will happen, but it is still undesirable to do this. The fact is that repeated freezing causes the product to lose its taste, which is why dishes prepared from it will have an insufficiently rich taste.

But the most important thing is that most of the beneficial substances of the bell pepper will be lost, and we definitely don’t need that. After all, we freeze this product in order to preserve all the vitamins, right?

What should be the freezing temperature for peppers?

The thermometer reading should not be lower than 18 degrees, because if the temperature is lower, our product will simply lose its benefits.

Therefore, it is important to set the desired temperature in freezer so that the freezing process does not turn out to be useless.

How long can frozen peppers be stored in the freezer?

In general, peppers can be stored for about one year, so we will just have time until the next harvest.

This means that you need to stock up on a product that you can use until next summer.

Pepper itself has a fairly large amount of useful substances that are essential for maintaining our health.

Its vitamins will be especially useful to us in the cold season, when diseases begin to attack us from all sides.

Therefore, you should immediately prepare a sufficient amount of pepper for freezing. It doesn’t matter which freezing method you like, any of them involves preserving all the beneficial substances.

Even cold winter you can enjoy summer dishes that will not only bring you the same unique taste, but also enormous health benefits. Now we know for sure how to freeze bell peppers for the winter correctly with the possibility of preserving all vitamins.