In our utility room sits a huge chest freezer. This is perhaps one of my more expensive of kitchen items but, nevertheless, it was worth every penny! Though, some people often feel cheated when they spot this. It’s almost as though by me making use of, and indeed celebrating the concept of frozen food in any shape or form, means I’m not quite the chef they thought I was!
Since when did we become so negative about the use of this most practical and essential of kitchen products?
Frozen Verses Fresh
I know where the incorrect attitude towards the freezer comes from, and it is often to do with freshness. Long were we told that to buy and cook fresh was the only healthy way to eat vegetables. Whilst this may be an option if you can buy fresh every day, and indeed then cook it that same day, this isn’t always the most practical option for most of us.
When we do our weekly shops, we know that what we buy on a Monday will most definitely not be as fresh when we come to use it on a Sunday! Added to this, with the unfortunate distance that some fruit and vegetables travel before they even make it to the store, let alone the plate, any nutritional value has already diminished drastically.
Frozen Fruit and Vegetables Can Often Be Healthier Than Fresh
In stark contrast to this, when vegetables are picked and then immediately frozen, they retain so much more of their nutritional value. Not only that, the taste is also locked in during this process. For many of us who work, and may not want to stand there every evening peeling, cleaning and dicing our vegetables, it is great to know that we can simply go to the freezer and pull out a healthy and nutritional pack of veg – putting it on to cook for a few minutes, without having to lose anything in the process.
Freeze Your Greenhouse and Allotment Vegetables
Shocking I know, coming from a chef – but you will also find me dishing out this advice regularly as well; if you grow your own and end up with a bountiful supply which you won’t be able to get through straight away, why not freeze it until you can, and enjoy the fruits of your labour later?
Don’t be afraid to buy frozen vegetables. With so many varieties on offer why not give it a go and see if you can spot any differences for yourself?
