How fleeting summer is! How quickly its fine sunny days pass! So quickly that it is not always possible to fully enjoy its warmth, as well as the taste and aroma of its gifts. Those who want to eat tender, wonderful summer fruits or vegetables throughout the year can take my advice. Nothing complicated, I suggest just freezing them. How to do it? In this article I will share with you several methods.
How to preserve this wonderful fruit for a long time?
Like many other berries and fruits, pears lend themselves well to freezing. For lovers of pies, pies, desserts, etc. You can safely freeze these sweet and juicy fruits and enjoy them all year round.
The texture and color of a ripe pear will be preserved if, after peeling, you soak it in a solution of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Then everyone can decide what to do: freeze the fruit by placing it in sweet syrup, pureeing it, or simply cutting it into pieces and leaving it dry. You can use your maximum imagination; any method will keep the fruit fresh and tasty.
Defrosting fruit
It is not enough to freeze fruits correctly and know the shelf life; it is also very important to know how to properly defrost frozen fruits so that they do not lose their beneficial properties.
To achieve the most effective results, follow the “golden” rule: freeze quickly - defrost slowly .
Never, under any circumstances, re-freeze defrosted fruit; it is better to immediately throw it in the trash.
Since the benefit from such fruits will be equal to 0. To avoid this situation, defrost pears in small quantities , knowing exactly what you are using, and you will save yourself from the temptation to re-freeze the leftovers that were not used. There are two ways to defrost pears:
- Defrosting at room temperature is the most natural and optimal method. For faster defrosting, you can place frozen vegetables under a thin stream of warm water. It is important that with this type of defrosting the loss of vitamins will be very small.
- Defrosting in a microwave oven is a traditional method, but the least optimal. Despite the fact that it is very fast, its main disadvantage is that in this case the pears are subjected to heat treatment, which significantly reduces the amount of vitamins in the finished product.
How to choose pears?
The fruits must be elastic, whole, without dents or spoilage. If you come across softer specimens, they can be used for preparing and freezing puree.
To determine the ripeness of the fruit, experts recommend gently squeezing it with your fingers in the stem area. The pulp at the stem should be slightly soft. If this is not the case, you should choose another fruit. The pear should not be too soft in the middle: an overripe fruit is not suitable for freezing.
Is it possible to freeze pears?
You can freeze pears, but to do this you need to follow the freezing rules so that you don’t end up with a homogeneous, sticky porridge that can only be added as a puree to pies.
To prepare pears in reserve, you should give preference to the following varieties:
- Severyanka;
- August dew;
- Cathedral;
- Saratovka;
- Kondratyevka;
- Rossoshanskaya;
- Hera;
- Veles;
- Red-sided;
- Muscovite.
These species belong to the winter or late summer varieties, are distinguished by their density and smooth skin, without scales. Softer types are only suitable for making purees, jams and preserves. They can be used, but it should be taken into account that they will undergo deformation when thawed.
Treatment
Next, each fruit is cut in half with a knife. Using a spoon, remove the core with seeds. You can also remove the stems if desired. When processing pears, you should try not to remove too much pulp from them. Then the fruit is cut into pieces of any size.
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Features of freezing pears for the winter
In order to freeze a product for the winter, you need to properly prepare the fruits. Before you start preparing pears, you should decide which variety you need to pick and when.
If the pears are too green, then they will not taste good when frozen; if they are overripe, then it will be difficult to freeze them.
Features of freezing fruits in the refrigerator:
- It is recommended to cut the pears, in some cases you should get rid of the skin.
- The fruit retains its structure and taste when thawed. At the same time, beneficial properties are preserved.
- Before laying, sprinkle the sliced workpiece with lemon juice or add citric acid.
- There are many ways to freeze, you should choose the most suitable one for your family.
You don’t have to do anything special, the main thing is to follow the proportions and recommendations of experienced chefs. And the tasty, healthy preparation will last for at least a year.
Method number 1: how to freeze pears in syrup?
The syrup in which fruit is frozen can be of different levels of thickness:
- Easy: Dissolve one and two-thirds cup (333 grams) sugar in 4 cups of water (950 ml).
- Medium: Dissolve two and two-thirds cups (533 grams) of sugar in 4 cups (950 ml) of water.
- Thick: Dissolve four cups (800 grams) of sugar in 4 cups (950 ml) water.
Place all the fruits in a large saucepan, add the ingredients for the syrup and boil them in it over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. In this case, the sugar should completely dissolve. Carefully remove the foam with a spoon.
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Preparing the Freezer
Every home has refrigerators, but not every housewife has a large area at her disposal for storing frozen foods. Those who have the opportunity to store a large volume of such products freeze all possible types of fruits, berries and vegetables.
Thawed in the middle of winter, in cooked dishes they taste not much different from freshly picked products.
The freezer must be powerful; if it is a standard refrigerator, then the top shelf of the freezer is prepared for freezing pears. Intensive freezing occurs in it; the faster the pear freezes, the more useful substances it will retain.
Method number 2: dry freezing
A baking sheet that can easily be placed in the freezer will come in handy. A sheet of parchment paper is spread on it. The pears are removed from the vitamin solution and placed in a sieve placed in the sink to remove excess liquid. Then the fruits are laid out on the sheet so that there is some free space between them.
If the pears touch each other while freezing, they will clump together. If you want to slightly sweeten the fruits, add 100 grams of granulated sugar to each liter of product. Next, the sheet is placed in the freezer and left for two hours (depending on the size of the pieces). It's best to leave the pears in the freezer overnight.
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Methods
What is the best way to freeze pears: in slices, whole pears or another way? You can freeze pears in any way convenient for you. There is no universal or best way , it all depends on how you like it best and how you will subsequently use your frozen product.
If you want to cook compote, then it is preferable to choose freezing in slices ; if you want to please your family and friends with a delicious pie with pear filling, then you should choose freezing in slices .
Is it possible to freeze pears in sugar for the winter? If you want to make delicious pear jam or make jam or confiture, then freezing pears cut into halves in sugar syrup . If you are a housewife whose time is very limited and there are no assistants on hand, then pear fruits can be frozen whole .
The most important thing to note is that any freezing method you choose does not affect the final result of freezing . In any form, pears will retain all their nutrients and beneficial substances.
About freezing in sealed bags
You can use special freezer bags of any size for freezing, which are filled with pear pieces and, before closing, remove as much air as possible from them.
If fruits will be used for different purposes, they should be placed in bags of different sizes. For example, you can fill several sandwich bags with the product to measure out a small amount of pears for a smoothie.
The bags are labeled and frozen fruit is stored in the freezer for 10-12 months. Defrost the fruits by transferring them from the freezer to the refrigerator overnight.
Defrosting
It is recommended to defrost pears in the refrigerator in the same container in which they were stored in the freezer. Defrosting at room temperature is allowed, but this will deteriorate the appearance of the product.
It is recommended to defrost pears in the refrigerator.
It is not recommended to use hot water and microwave oven. In this case, the appearance of the pears deteriorates significantly, and some of the nutrients are lost.
Repeated freezing deprives the product of a significant portion of its vitamins. Short-term thawing also negatively affects the preservation of the beneficial properties of the pear.
Method number 3: how to freeze pear puree?
250 grams of ripe fruits are peeled, cut into cubes, placed in a saucepan, add one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of sugar. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly. When the fruits become soft, turn off the heat and grind the pears to a puree using a blender.
The finished puree is cooled and placed in jars, disposable cups and small containers, leaving a little free space. Then the container is carefully wrapped in cling film, closed with a lid or packaged in bags and sent to the freezer. The puree can also be frozen in molds designed for making ice.
Selection and preparation of pears before starting the process
There are a lot of varieties of pears. To freeze fruits, you need to choose a type and wait until the fruit reaches the required state. Then carefully assemble and begin preparation.
First, rinse the pears well and leave to dry. To speed up the process, wipe them with a towel. Further preparation depends on the chosen freezing method.
Pears are cut into slices, cubes or quarters, the core is removed, and further processing is carried out.
See also
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