Freezing Celery Experiment: Blanched vs. Not Blanched Comparison & Taste Test

Рет қаралды 25,955

Күн бұрын

If you ask 100 people if you have to blanch celery before freezing, 50 will say "Yes!" and 50 will say "No, it doesn't matter."
So to settle it once and for all for my own knowledge, I'm doing a side-by-side experiment. I'll freeze two batches of celery: One that has been blanched, and one that has not. Then I'll freeze it all for a few months, and see how both come out. Which one has better taste and texture?
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Equipment used in this video:
FoodSaver FM2000 Vacuum Sealer Machine
amzn.to/2uGdlmY
Vacuum Seal Bags (two 50-ft rolls)
amzn.to/38Yd4Rj
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00:00 - Intro
01:19 - Preparing Celery
03:41 - Flash Freezing
05:28 - Vacuum Sealing
06:40 - 3 Months Later
08:29 - Taste Test & Comparison
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Пікірлер: 41

@dmo.5220 Жыл бұрын

I've been freezing celery out of my garden for several years now and do not blanch it first. I cut it up into pieces ( for soups, stews, spagetti sauce etc.) and measure out 1 cup or 2 cups and then vacume seal. The celery stays perfect and retain all the good flavor.

@kittyrings Жыл бұрын

Same here. I've dried my celery thoroughly, then put on a cookie sheet and did a hour freeze, take out and vac/pac them. They are good to go in a salad! or soup, stew, etc.

@paisley1134 Жыл бұрын

I prefer not blanched. Once you cook those in soups ECT the blanched gets mushy.

@dg9905 Жыл бұрын

Taste test to determine crunchiness and flavor before cooking would have been very helpful too!

@hbhb7900 28 күн бұрын

I like the way blanching brightens the color of vegetables.

@averagejoesmiling456 Жыл бұрын

It's good to know that we could get by without blanching the celery, say if we were short on time or resources. Thanks for doing this little experiment, Great Lakes. Take care and God bless!

@user-ry8xd3yd9s 7 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for this video! I would freeze the selery from now on. I wasted so much vegetables and green leafy vegetables but you just explained so easy how to do it and showed the difference between the methods. Again Thank You! ❤

@sarac.3259 Жыл бұрын

My "Food for Freezing" book which I use a lot, recommends blanching celery, allowing it to be kept for a year. I know many people will use it well before then, but blanching also helps retain the (nutrional) nutritional content.

@hbhb7900 28 күн бұрын

That’s what I have read, on many agricultural websites. Blanching helps retain the nutrients, the color, and the texture of vegetables.

@greganonymous1323 16 сағат бұрын

Great video. I've been wanting to compare some veggies both ways.

@mjkay8660 Жыл бұрын

freeze celery on wax paper on a tray for a few hours then place in freezer bag.

@brianbell3417 Жыл бұрын

I've tossed a lot of celery so this has been helpful. Just for lazy-sake, I'll chop and flash-freeze and go from there. It's worked for Bell peppers and mango so that'll be my first attempt. Cheers!

@BouncySlim1 Жыл бұрын

Great experiment. A raw eating test would have been beneficial!!!

@ZalthorAndNoggin Жыл бұрын

A very good and extremely fair comparison test. I'm highly impressed and thank you so much for going to so much time and effort. The jury's out as to which I will go for in future though!! Thanks again.

@GreatLakesPrepping Жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@montygates8767 Жыл бұрын

Good info. Thank you

@koryswenson8586 Жыл бұрын

try fresh uncooked how is the texture and taste without cooking?

@m.jackson0846 7 ай бұрын

Brilliant

@pattyandersen5516 Жыл бұрын

Thanks you for getting right to it. I’m going to blanch.

@brandysears3546 Жыл бұрын

Sending support, love, and kindness from Lexington MI

@thehighpriestess8431 6 ай бұрын

I have heard that the blanched celery can stay frozen for longer in the freezer.

@debschannel6838 Жыл бұрын

Thats a great idea as far as giving them a freeze first. My food saver is a little older and pulls all the water to the heater and won't seal. It's very frustrating.

@Gordon_L Жыл бұрын

An option might be to put food to be vac sealed in a salad spinner first to remove excess water .

@nares2005 10 ай бұрын

Great video 👍

@GreatLakesPrepping 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@kellylogan9996 8 ай бұрын

Thank you! I feel blanching takes away a lot of the nutrients. I’ll be freezing my celery from now on. No blanching

@mjkay8660 Жыл бұрын

use wax paper as a tube but use resealable (zip lock) bag for easy access

@canadapainter658 Жыл бұрын

good...

@studentaccount4354 Жыл бұрын

I put them in salads like Waldorf and carrot raisin, wish you could have done a raw one.

@hannahwhite2138 Жыл бұрын

Would u be willing to do a comparison for broccoli? 😊 Thank you

@GreatLakesPrepping Жыл бұрын

I'll put it on the list!

@catherinehouk7166 Жыл бұрын

The storage time is longer for the blanched correct?

@GreatLakesPrepping Жыл бұрын

Well, I think that is somewhat subjective. If completely frozen, the storage time ought to be the same either way. The comparison was more about how the taste/texture holds up after being frozen and thawed.

@tersta1 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the side by side test. I appreciate these test videos, because they save me from having to do them. You saved me 4 months! I'd go not blanched, but I'd also go with a celery substitution - Swiss Chard and Chinese (Michihili) Cabbage stalks. They are easy to germinate & grow in abundance, taste and have the mouth-feel of celery heart (i.e. crunchy, bland, not stringy) and best of all, the leaves can substitute for Romaine lettuce or spinach. Now, I do "blanch" the leaves before freezing to draw out the juices, but I microwave stacks of them in freezer bags, allow to cool and then freeze. They come out of the freezer looking and tasting pretty much like frozen spinach. Works for spanakopita just fine.