How to Freeze Chillies
Growing chillies is not only a great way to reconnect with nature, but can also bring you health benefits, save you money and even be turned into great gifts.
Chillies improve the digestive system, lower the level of blood sugar in the body and have even been implicated in reducing the incidence of cancer. But to ensure you don't waste your crop of fresh chillies, you'll need to preserve them?
One useful technique to preserve chillies is to freeze them. Freezing chillies is an extremely easy process that will guarentee you have a year-round supply of chillies.
These methods can be used for any type of chillies green or red chillies, large or small, mild or hot. It's especially good for fleshly chillies that don't dry easily.
Growing chillies is not only a great way to reconnect with nature, but can also bring you health benefits, save you money and even be turned into great gifts.
Chillies improve the digestive system, lower the level of blood sugar in the body and have even been implicated in reducing the incidence of cancer. But to ensure you don't waste your crop of fresh chillies, you'll need to preserve them?
One useful technique to preserve chillies is to freeze them. Freezing chillies is an extremely easy process that will guarentee you have a year-round supply of chillies.
These methods can be used for any type of chillies green or red chillies, large or small, mild or hot. It's especially good for fleshly chillies that don't dry easily.
1. Prepared chillies
To prepare chillies, all you need is to do is clip the stalks off. The seeds can also be removed including the membranes if you are working with larger chillies.
Place the spaced out chillies onto a baking tray and dry them in the freezer. After a few hours, bag up small quantities into individual polythene bags or small tubs.
2. Whole chillies
Another way to preserve chillies by freezing them is to simply put the whole chillies in a plastic container or pop them into small bags.
Before freezing the chillies whole, it's best to make sure that the chillies are dry to reduce icing-up. If you've grow your own plants without pesticides, there is no need to clean the chillies before storing. It’s as simple as that!
3. Ice cubed chillies
Another method to freezing chillies is to put it them into an ice cube tray after you've finely chopped them. Once in the ice cube trays, fill with water and leave it to freeze. Once they are completely frozen, take the cubes from the trays and pop few at a time into poly bags. Need to use it? Simply take one or two chilli cubes and either thaw them or add them directly to your cooking.
Hints
If you plan to chop chillies, make sure you are using latex gloves if they are super hots to save your fingers from burning. Be careful not to ouch your face. Milk or yoghurt can take out the sting if you make a mistake (capaiscin is soluble in fats, oils and alcohol - not water). Make sure that the air is sucked out from the bags before they go into the freezer. The best way is to store a few chillies in each bag. If you want to use them for cooking, you can take out a bag.
Chillies can develop mould easily and so it's best to keep them in small amounts and with the correct preservation, these chillies will be available all year around! There are many creative ways to preserve chillies other than freezing them. Whether to freeze them or to dry them out; whichever you choose, make sure you get the most of your chillies.
Find out more about how to store chillies.
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