Can we talk about frozen vegetables saving my grocery budget?

I used to think frozen veggies were just sad soggy versions of fresh ones, but after my CSA box left me with $60 worth of kale that went bad in 3 days, I tried a bag of frozen spinach and honestly it's been a game changer for throwing into soups and stir fries without worrying about spoilage - anyone else made the switch and found a brand that doesn't get mushy?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonk9810d ago

Heard a nutritionist say frozen veggies are actually picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen, so they might have more vitamins than fresh.

abby_cooper10d ago

Funny how @ericcraig mentioned the texture difference, because that's actually the real hidden variable with frozen veggies. The flash freezing locks in nutrients, but it also turns cell walls into mush once they thaw, so how you cook them matters way more than most people realize. Nobody talks about how some brands blanch longer before freezing, which kills more vitamins and ruins the structure, while others do it faster and keep everything intact.

ericcraig10d ago

Oh wait, @simonk98 is totally right about that though, I actually saw this on some food science show where they tested vitamin C levels and the frozen stuff was higher. But here's the thing that gets me, I bought a bag of frozen broccoli florets from the store brand and they turned into literal mush in my stir fry, like zero texture left. Meanwhile the name brand ones I got on sale held up way better, almost like fresh except you don't have to chop them. My mom used to swear canned veggies were the only way to go for budget meals, but honestly after my frozen kale disaster I'm never going back. The trick is to not thaw them first, just toss them straight into whatever you're cooking, that stops the sogginess pretty good.