How to preserve strawberries

The strawberry is, par excellence, the iconic fruit of desserts. Who has not ever tried a sweet made with strawberries? But although the strawberry is highly appreciated in confectionery and in gastronomy in general, it is a delicate fruit to handle and preserve, as it loses and spoils easily. For this reason, we sometimes think twice before buying a lot of strawberries.

So if strawberries are your favorite and you want to enjoy them at any time of the year, you will love this article.  we will reveal the artisanal secrets so that you know how to preserve strawberries and keep them fresh for as long as possible. An unfishable item!

How to keep strawberries fresh?

Although professionals in gastronomy preferably recommend using fresh strawberries, we cannot always prepare or consume them the same day. If we want to preserve strawberries (whether for a short or long time), the most important thing is to take into account the four factors that accelerate the aging of this food: heat, handling, transport and humidity. If we control these four aspects, we can manipulate the duration of the strawberries.

If you want to keep strawberries fresh for 8 days or a little longer, you can learn how to properly refrigerate strawberries in the steps below:

1. Cover the inside of a large container with absorbent paper. Make sure it covers all the walls of the container.
2. Review and select the best strawberries. Separate those that are in poor condition or very damaged. You can leave these to use them that same day in a smoothie or jam.
3. Do not wash the strawberries that you are going to reserve, nor cut the stem, as they are better preserved whole.
4. If they are damp, dry each strawberry with absorbent paper and be careful not to bruise it.
5. Place the strawberries inside the container. Let them have space between each other and do not crowd them. If necessary, look for another container to store those that do not fit.
6. Cover them with two sheets of absorbent paper or a paper towel.
7. Place the lid on the container without closing it completely so that the air can circulate.  Put it in the fridge.
8. When you use each strawberry, wash it very well. You can do this with a vinegar and water solution, but don’t remove the leaves or stem when cleaning.

How to freeze strawberries?

To preserve strawberries for about 6 months, the ideal is to freeze them. However, the homemade result is not the same as the industrial one, since the industrial method uses a thermal cold shock (it freezes the fruit from the outside in, quickly), which preserves the nutrients and the organoleptic qualities of the fruit.

Either way, if you need to freeze strawberries, you can do it by hand. Although not optimal, the result will be acceptable. You can use two different methods to achieve this:

1. Separate the firm strawberries from the battered ones. Reserve both separately and use the battered ones for the same day. Handle the strawberries carefully and touch them as little as possible.
2. Do not wash the strawberries that you will freeze, nor cut the stem. Dry them to remove traces of moisture.
3. Cover a tray with aluminum foil and place the strawberries on top, well separated and without crowding them.
4. Cover the tray with aluminum foil so that it is well closed. Put it in the freezer for 1-4 hours until the strawberries are frozen solid.
5. When they are frozen, put the strawberries in a special freezer bag and close it.
6. Label the bag with the date you put them in the freezer.
7. Put the bag in the freezer and you can keep the strawberries for 6 months.
8. When you go to use them, wash them with a solution of vinegar and salt or with bleach.

The second method only consists of putting a splash of vinegar on each strawberry before putting them to freeze to help maintain their properties.

How to defrost strawberries?

Just as it is important to know how to freeze strawberries correctly, it is also important to know how to defrost them. If you do it incorrectly you will have lost all the work, since they can lose their organoleptic properties. Don’t worries, defrosting strawberries is very simple, just follow these steps:

1. Transfer the strawberries from the freezer to the refrigerator. Wait until they slowly thaw (in an hour or more). Thus, the loss of properties is reduced.
2. Wash the strawberries very well, although handling them delicately. Preserve the stem while you clean them.
3. Remove stem and leaves from strawberries. Cut them to your liking and use them in the chosen recipe.
4. Eat the strawberries right away or after a while. After defrosting a fruit, its aging process is accelerated, so you better consume it as soon as possible.