How to store and freeze broccoli
Despite being tasty and highly nutritious, broccoli is quite difficult to keep fresh. With a very short shelf life, broccoli can quickly become off-flavored and go bad in a day or two if not stored properly. So can you freeze broccoli? Of course!
Using some clever storage techniques, you’ll see how it’s possible to keep broccoli fresh for up to seven days, lasting even longer if you freeze it. We present some of these techniques to properly preserve this food and we teach you how to freeze broccoli in the most appropriate way.
How long does fresh broccoli last?
Fresh broccoli does not usually last more than five days, which is why it is necessary to carry out conservation methods that allow it to extend its useful life. In addition, as the days go by, food loses its properties, so it is always advisable to eat it as fresh as possible.
There are several methods of preserving broccoli that exist to make it last a little longer, you will have to choose one technique or another depending on your needs and when you are going to eat this vegetable. In the following sections we talk about them.
How to preserve broccoli?
If you buy broccoli and you are not going to cook it right away, it is best to store it so that it maintains its flavor and nutrients. Avoid washing it, especially supermarket broccoli, since humidity favors the appearance of fungi. With that said, here are some ways to keep broccoli fresh in the short term:
- Wrap it in plastic wrap or put it in a plastic bag and make several holes near the head of the broccoli so it can breathe. Keep it refrigerated so it stays fresh for a few days.
- Another highly effective way to preserve broccoli is very similar to how we maintain a bouquet of flowers. Simply put the vegetable in a vase or container with a little water in the bottom, with the head of the broccoli pointing up. Then, store it in the refrigerator in this way for up to five days.
- You can also fill a previously sanitized spray bottle with cold water to lightly mist the broccoli heads. Next, you will need to wrap the vegetable in a paper towel to absorb moisture. Then put it in the refrigerator. This method will keep it fresh for up to three days.
Remember that no matter what technique you choose to preserve broccoli, you should always take it to the refrigerator as soon as possible, since in this way the chances of it losing its flavor and nutrients will be much less.
Conservation of cooked broccoli
To keep the cooked broccoli for a few days, it is necessary to reserve it in a container with an airtight seal in the refrigerator. Now, if what you want is to keep it for a longer period of time, the best thing to do is freeze it. For this, in the next section we give the keys.
How to freeze broccoli?
If you don’t plan to consume the entire broccoli right away, you can freeze it long-term. Frozen broccoli can be kept for up to a year, so you’ll have plenty of time to plan the most delicious dishes. In this sense, the most advisable thing is to blanch it, but how to blanch broccoli to freeze? We explain it to you.
Blanch broccoli for freezing
To freeze broccoli, first bring water to a boil in a pot. While you wait for the water to boil, cut the broccoli heads into small pieces and wash them. This is important because otherwise the boiling water could scald the broccoli unevenly, affecting the outer edges of the broccoli much more than the inside. Once the broccoli has been divided, cook it for approximately three minutes, with a few drops of lemon juice and stirring to ensure a homogeneous process. If you prefer, you can also steam the broccoli for up to five minutes. Lemon is a powerful natural preservative; it is for this reason that it is advisable to add a small amount to the cooking of the vegetable.
After doing this little cooking, you must drain the broccoli very well with the help of a strainer and then place the pieces in a container with ice water. Leave them for three minutes to stop the cooking, drain and allow all the moisture acquired to come out.
Now yes, to freeze the broccoli, reserve it in a bag with an airtight seal, close it well and put it in the freezer. It is essential that there is no air left inside to prevent the food from spoiling during freezing. If you don’t have these types of bags, you can also freeze the broccoli by wrapping it in plastic wrap.
How to freeze cooked broccoli?
Since to freeze broccoli we have carried out a pre-cooking, at the time of consuming it will be necessary to cook it. Therefore, if you are interested in freezing the cooked broccoli in its entirety, you can also do that. It does not matter if you want to freeze broccoli steamed, baked, microwaved or in a traditional pot, in all cases the process is the same:
- Drain the cooked broccoli very well and let it cool completely and release all the moisture. If necessary, use parchment paper to finish absorbing any remaining moisture.
- Once cold and dry, put the cooked broccoli in a freezer bag, that is, with an airtight seal.
- Remove all the air inside and close the bag perfectly to put it in the freezer.
- If you don’t have a bag, you can freeze cooked broccoli by wrapping it in plastic wrap or placing it in an airtight container.
How to freeze raw broccoli?
We have already seen how to freeze cooked broccoli, but can you freeze raw uncooked broccoli? Yes you can freeze raw broccoli but it is important to keep in mind that the texture will not be the same when thawed. Through the small blanching that we recommend in the previous section, the broccoli is kept more intact during the freezing and thawing process. For this reason, it is much more advisable to cook it in boiling water or steam it for a few minutes before freezing the broccoli.
However, if you still want to freeze raw broccoli, here are the steps:
- Clean and disinfect the broccoli by putting it in water with a little lemon juice.
- Drain the broccoli very well and separate it into florets.
- Put the bouquets in a freezer bag, close it by removing all the air and keep it in the freezer.
Both when freezing raw and cooked broccoli, it is necessary to indicate on the package the date on which it was placed in the freezer to consume it within 12 months.
How to Thaw Broccoli?
Thawing broccoli to eat is the easiest part of all. You just have to put the frozen broccoli in boiling water and salt and let it cook for about five minutes. Avoid over-boiling it so that it preserves as many nutrients as possible.
If you prefer to defrost it in the microwave, you should pour the unthawed content into a covered container and put it on the grill at maximum power for five minutes. And that’s it; you can get the juice out of all your meals by taking advantage of the countless benefits of broccoli.
And how to freeze cauliflower?
Cauliflower freezes just like broccoli, so blanching for three minutes or steaming for four to five minutes is recommended. Then you’ll need to let it drain and cool completely, place it in a zip lock bag, and store it in the freezer for up to a year.
