How to save lemons? Can they be frozen?

Lemons are the fruits of the citrus family. They are very popular in cooking for preparing various dishes, in cosmetology for the preparation of masks, in medicine, as a source of vitamin C.

But, like all fruits, lemon has the property of quickly deteriorating. From the article you will learn how to harvest lemon for the future using freezing.

Can citrus be kept in the freezer?

Lemon can be frozen. Freezing is one of the most effective ways to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. However, fresh lemon and frozen are not the same thing.

When frozen, the appearance of the fruit suffers, the aroma changes. As for useful properties, a certain part of them disappears, but the bulk remains.

Ascorbic acid disappears when frozen. But in addition to vitamin C, lemon contains other beneficial substances and trace elements. It:

• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• magnesium;
• sulfur;
• calcium;
• sodium.

They remain in the product when frozen.

Bioflavonoids also remain in the lemon, of which the fruit contains:

1. citronin;
2. eridictiol;
3. hesperidin;
4. diosmin;
5. ramnoside;
6. folic acid (B6).

Low temperatures do not affect them.

How to prepare for storage at home in the refrigerator?

Ripe lemons are better for long-term storage.. But how to determine ripe lemon or not. Citrus fruits turn yellow before they are fully ripe. It's all about the peel. In ripe fruit, it is brilliant, while in unripe it will be dull.

Overripe fruits for freezing also will not work, as well as unripe ones. Therefore, before you buy lemon in the supermarket, lightly press on it, put the soft one back. We choose an elastic fruit, which, when pressed, slightly springy.

Pay attention to the peel. It should be smooth, without scratches, cuts, various black spots. Lemons that have brown spots are already frost-bitten; do not buy them for any purpose.

After you have prepared the lemons, they need to be processed. This is done as follows:

1. Wash your hands with soap before starting the process, as bacteria and viruses will get on the fruit peel from unwashed hands. You can wear rubber gloves to protect the flesh of lemon from harmful bacteria.
2. Rinse thoroughly with a dishwashing brush or other brush you have. This will cleanse the skin from various contaminants, including chemical ones.
3. Then rinse the lemons under running water, you can use a detergent for washing fruits and vegetables.
4. To ensure that the fruits after freezing have the maximum amount of nutrients, use vinegar to remove wax and various pesticides from the skin. To do this, soak the lemons in a vinegar solution. We take acetic acid and water in a ratio of 1: 10. We leave the fruit there for 10 - 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with running water and wipe with a towel.

Getting to the freeze.

Winter freezing methods

Slices or whole

To freeze a lemon into slices, cut it into pieces, you do not need to remove the skin. Next, follow the instructions:

1. Lay the sliced ​​slices on a cutting board, so that there is free space between them. If this is not done, then a frozen block will turn out.
2. Put in this form in the freezer until the slices are seized, or until completely frozen.
3. Then they need to be removed from the freezer and put in a bag with a zip fastener, and then removed back for storage.

In this form, lemon slices can be stored for up to 6 months. It is very convenient to take one slice from the package and add to tea. You can defrost a slice and use it for a cocktail or as a decoration. And lemon slices are suitable for fish dishes.

The advantage of this method is that you can get as many lemon slices as you need. But the lack of its duration.

To freeze whole lemons:

1. Put them in a plastic bag, click on it, removing excess air.
2. Place a bag of lemons in the freezer.
3. Leave for storage.
4. Before using frozen lemons, remove them from the freezer and hold in cold water for about 10 minutes.

The disadvantage of this method is that after freezing, whole lemons become soft and cannot be cut into slices. But zest and juice can be used for culinary or other purposes.

Lemons are stored in the freezer for 3-4 months, then they lose most of the nutrients.

In ice cubes

We will need lemon juice. You can squeeze it yourself, or using a juicer. To reduce the concentration, the juice can be mixed with water. Then fill in the freezer cells with such a mixture and put them in the freezer.

The advantage of this method is that the juice can be thawed and used for any purpose, but there are also disadvantages. With one lemon juice is not much. Lemons are stored in ice cubes for about 4-5 months. You can use it both for tea and for dishes where you need lemon juice.

Zest storage

Before freezing the zest, we decide what it is. Zest is just a yellow peel, not the whole peel. The soft white part, between the zest and the pulp is not used in cooking.

To freeze the zest, proceed as follows:

1. Take the device for removing the zest, it can be a special knife, or an ordinary grater and cut the skin off the lemon. You can freeze the lemons slightly and grate the zest.
2. Pour the zest into a resealable bag for freezing.
3. Put the bag in the freezer for a few hours or all night. In the morning, remember it with your hands so that there are no lumps.

Store for about 5-6 months.

Frozen zest is an unusual thing. It can be put in baking. Also used as an alternative to candied fruit. The same cakes can be decorated with zest. She perfectly diversifies the taste of various dishes. Such as jelly, cereal, lettuce, meat, fish and others.

It is also used in cocktails to give them a special citrus note.

There is still a very unusual use of frozen zest:

• Repel mosquitoes and other insects.
• Overcome the bad smell in the bin.

Zest is also used in cosmetology. Add to the baths for hands and feet.

Juice

Freezing lemon juice is easy:

1. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.
2. We pour it into molds for ice (usually available in any modern refrigerator).
3. After a while, as the juice freezes, we transfer the finished pieces into a bag and put it back into the freezer.

And so that the juice is squeezed better, pre-freeze the lemon.

The disadvantage of this method is that when squeezing the juice, it comes in contact with air and many useful substances are lost. In addition, it is undesirable to squeeze the juice with metal objects, for example, a grater or a fork. This will adversely affect the quality of the juice.

Therefore, the device must be glass or plastic. The juice is stored frozen 3-4 months. You can use it by putting cubes in tea, cocktail, or other drinks.

It turns out that lemon is such a versatile fruit. And its use in frozen form has only become wider. It is important to remember all the nuances when choosing fruits and properly freeze them.

Watch the video: Freezing Lemons + How I Use Them (December 2024).