Can you freeze uncooked pears?
If planning to use pears uncooked, freeze using juice or water method. Freezing pears using dry packing or in sugar is the best method for pies or other cooked dishes. If planning to use pears in a sweetened jam, jelly, fruit butter, or sauce, try freezing using the juice or water method, but choose unsweetened juice.
What is the best way to freeze pears?
Place the pears into freezer-safe containers. Cover every two cups of fruit with two thirds of a cup of cooled syrup. Leave a half-inch of headspace for pint containers and one inch of headspace for quart-sized containers. Place the containers of pears and syrup in your freezer and use them within eight to ten months.
How do you prepare pears to freeze?
Heat pears in boiling water or apple or white grape juice for two minutes. Cool, and pack into freezer containers, leaving one-half inch headspace. Use crumpled parchment or wax paper to keep pears submerged in solution to prevent browning.
Can you cut up fresh pears and freeze them?
Peel, halve, and core pears, then cut into slices or wedges. Line a cookie sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper, then top that prepared sheet with the sliced pears. Place the sheet and pears in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
What can I do with too many pears?
Here are 11 recipes that are perfect if you're wondering what to do with overripe pears.Freeze for Smoothies. Do you love to make smoothies? ... Pear Jam. ... Pear Crumble. ... Mash Into a Pancake Topping. ... Blend Them Into a Salad Dressing. ... Bake Into Fruit Leather. ... Pear Ice Pops. ... Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter.More items...
How long do pears last in the freezer?
about 10 to 12 monthsHow long do pears last in the freezer? Properly stored, they will maintain best quality for about 10 to 12 months, but will remain safe beyond that time. The freezer time shown is for best quality only - pears that have been kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe indefinitely.
How do you freeze pears without sugar?
Rinse the pears under running water and pat them dry with a clean towel.Peel the pears and remove any visible brown spots. ... Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons of cold water. ... Place the pear slices on a shallow tray and put them in the freezer.
Can you blanch pears?
You can blanch pears. Bring your pot of water to a boil. Put in 2-4 pears at a time and then remove. Don't let them sit in the water more than a few seconds.
Can poached pears be frozen?
How to Freeze Poached Pears. If you prefer to poach your pears before freezing them then the good news is you can successfully freeze poached pears too! Just poach them as you normally would and then follow the steps above for freezing pears in syrup to then freeze them.
How do you store pears long term?
Store your pears at 30 F (and at 85% to 90% humidity), or as close to it as you can get. Any colder than this, and the fruit will be damaged; any warmer, and it'll ripen faster than you want. If you have a spare refrigerator (or you have extra space in your refrigerator), this is the ideal spot to stash your fruit.
How do you store cut pears?
Pears discolor quickly when cut - to prevent browning, sprinkle the cut pears with a little lemon juice before refrigerating. To maximize the shelf life of cut pears, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place in covered container or resealable plastic bag and refrigerate.
Step 1: Prepare Fruit for the Deep Freeze Process
Prepare pears for freezing by washing fruit, peeling, and coring. Prevent cut pears from browning by soaking in one quart of water with either one-half tablespoon salt, three-quarter teaspoon ascorbic acid (often sold as Fruit Fresh), or 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Drain fruit before preparing further for freezing.
Step 2: Pick Your Freezing Method
You can tackle freezing pears in one of several ways. Decide which method to use based on how you plan to use the finished frozen fruit — or what type of pears you have available. If you want to use frozen pears in an uncooked method, such as a fresh fruit side dish, use the syrup pack method.
Use the Sweet Syrup Method
In the syrup pack method, you create a sweet syrup to cover pears. The recommended syrup concentration for pears is a 40 percent or medium syrup. To make this, dissolve three cups of sugar in four cups of warm water. You can also lighten this syrup to as little as one cup of sugar for every four cups of water.
Use the Sugar Method
To use pears in pies or other cooked dishes, choose either the sugar or dry pack (below) method. For the sugar method, sprinkle pear pieces with sugar, and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The goal is to have the sugar dissolve and form a light syrup.
Use the Dry Pack Method
In the dry pack method, treat sliced pears to prevent browning, and place pears on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Slip the sheet into the freezer until pears are frozen. Pack them into freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. If your pears are destined for pie, try freezing pear slices in a parchment- or plastic wrap-lined pie pan.
Use the Unsweetened Pack Method
If you'll ultimately use your pears to make sweetened sauce, jam, or fruit butter, use the unsweetened pack method. Heat pears in boiling water or apple or white grape juice for two minutes. Cool, and pack into freezer containers, leaving one-half inch headspace.
The Pre-Made Method
If you like the idea of making a large batch of smoothies to have ready to go for an entire week then the pre-made method will be right for you. With this method, you make a large batch of your favorite smoothie recipe and divide it into individual servings in freezer-safe jars or containers.
The Ice Tray Method
The ice tray method is a little less conventional than the above method but is fun for kids. Unlike the pre-made method, the ice tray method takes up less valuable freezer space because they stack on top of one another. Just like the pre-made method, you start by making your favorite smoothie in a larger batch.
Make Smoothie Packs
Making smoothie packs or containers in advance can significantly cut down your prepping time. All you have to do is make smoothie bags or containers in advance and freeze them until you are craving that smoothie.
Keep A Stocked Fridge
By keeping the fridge stocked with the basic ingredients, you’ll have everything you need and the ingredients you love for your smoothies. This can save a lot of time because you won’t have to run out to the store last minute.
Freeze Your Bananas
Bananas are a great addition to almost any smoothie. They add a nice amount of sweetness and go well with so many different kinds of ingredients. But did you know that bananas can also serve as an alternative to ice in your smoothie?
Try Making a Fruit and Veggie Container
If you like to get experimental with your smoothies, having an easy-to-access container filled with fresh ingredients can help you become a smoothie aficionado. At the beginning of each week, prepare your favorite fruits and vegetables and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can you freeze fresh fruit?
You can easily freeze fruit of all different kinds with some general preparation. Other fruits need a little special preparation.
How to freeze banana
Banana is at the heart of many a smoothie recipe and warrants a category of its own on my smoothie Pinterest board . I asked my Dad (who used to work in fruit and veg) if you could freeze bananas and he was sceptical because you get brown spots on them.
How to freeze kiwi
Kiwi is inexpensive to buy (a bag of six cost me just 90p at the supermarket) but getting through six is quite hard unless you are a big kiwi fan. Luckily, freezing them is also pretty simple.
How to freeze berries
When you have too many blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries and don’t know what to do with them all.
How to freeze citrus fruits
Freezing lemons and other citrus fruits whole is the easiest, straight-forward method. To do this, simply put the whole fruit in a freezer-safe container, remove as much air as possible to avoid any bacteria infections that might occur while they are frozen for up to 6 months!
Go beyond freezing just fruit for smoothies
There are lots of other ingredients that are recommended for smoothies but that can go off quite quickly. As well as easily freezing fruits, you can also freeze many of these.
Using frozen fruit in smoothies
Lots of smoothie recipes actually state to use frozen fruit. Others it is optional depending on your preference. Make sure you have a blender that is strong enough to blend frozen fruit, otherwise you might need to defrost the night before.
step one
Pull out your favorite smoothie recipe. My go to summer recipe is below.
step two
Get the right jars. After doing this a whole bunch, my favorite to use are wide mouth 16 oz mason jars. You can use larger jars if you want a larger smoothie, but 16oz is perfect for my breakfast.
step three
Fill your jars. Make sure to leave 2-3 inches at the top or 2-3 inches before the shoulder. Liquid expands when frozen. If you fill your jar to the top it will break! It will be unpleasant, and you will be sad.
step five
This is the hard step. Before going to bed, move one smoothie from the from the freezer to the fridge.
step seven
Wake up to a perfect smoothie! It will have defrosted overnight and be pretty much the perfect consistency. Grab reusable straw and head out the door.
BLEND THEN FREEZE?
One of the best time-saving tips for a busy morning is to prep a batch of smoothies ahead of time. The smoothie can easily be frozen (as long as you use a freezer-safe container) and is ready to grab and go.
FREEZE THEN BLEND?
So far we have covered all the ways you can freeze the blended smoothie ingredients but what if we did it the other way around? Another option for a busy morning is to have your favorite smoothie ingredients frozen, ready to be added to the blender.
SMOOTHIE RECIPES
Here are some great recipe options for frozen smoothie enthusiasts. All gluten-free and vegan options are available.
Take-Home
Make-ahead smoothies allow busy mornings to become slightly less chaotic. Whether you prefer to blend first for a frozen smoothie treat or freeze the ingredients for an instant smoothie fix, using your freezer really helps make smoothie making quick and easy.
The Pre-Blended Method
For those who’d like to make a weekly batch of smoothies ahead of time to be at the ready during busy mornings, this pre-blended method is your answer. The first step is to invest in some freezer-safe jars or containers that are completely airtight, like Mason jars.
The Ice Tray Method
If you’d rather not take up precious real estate in your freezer with mountains of airtight glasses, another method for freezing your pre-blended smoothie is to utilize an ice cube tray to create smaller smoothie squares.
The Prepped Ingredient Method
While this method will take the slightly more time out of your morning—still no more than a minute or two—it’s the best method for guaranteeing a fresh and flavorful tasting smoothie every time.
