Can you freeze cabbage? Cabbage is a common vegetable. It is often used raw in salads, but is also often added to soups or stews. So you grow your own cabbage and want to freeze cabbage to use within a few months. Or you might want to buy some cabbages at the market to save some money and save some for later. Or maybe you live far from a place that sells great fresh cabbage and you want to stock up on it. Freezing cabbage seems to be the best solution to all the problems mentioned. In fact, you can freeze cabbage, and there are a few ways you can do that.
How do you freeze shredded or chopped cabbage? {#Freezing Shredded Cabbage}
- Preparation. Discard the coarse outer leaves and wash the cabbage. Now it’s time to shred or chop it. Remember to omit the core and discard the cabbage.
- blanch. Blanching cabbage is an optional procedure, but most people recommend it. I see no reason why you shouldn’t – it only takes a few minutes. To blanch the cabbage, you need to bring a large pot of water to a boil, put the cabbage in it and after 2-3 minutes remove it from the boiling water and let it cool quickly. This is easily done with cold running water in a bowl. Once the cabbage is cool, drain the water and dry the cabbage. See our vegetable blanching guide for more details.
- packaging. If you need to add a few more spices to the cabbage, now is a good time to do so. Then fill the cabbage in freezer bags, squeeze out excess air and seal them. Label the bags with names and dates if necessary.
- Put the bags in the freezer.
Can you freeze chopped cabbage for coleslaw?
Yes, if you have a huge shredded cabbage and can’t use all of it at once, freezing is a good way out. Place the shredded cabbage in freezer bags, deflate the bags and seal. You are now ready to toss them in the freezer. If you frequently freeze shredded cabbage for coleslaw and it’s only been in the freezer for a few days, try freezing with and without blanching and compare the results. Also check out our article on freezing coleslaw.
Read Also: Can You Freeze Cooked Quinoa?
Freezing cabbage leaves or wedges
The process of freezing cabbage leaves is very similar to freezing shredded cabbage, but with a few key differences. This is how it works:
- Preparation. Remove the outer leaves and wash the cabbage. Then divide into sheets or wedges (each wedge should cut into the core so everything sticks together).
- blanch. Everything that was said about freezing shredded cabbage applies here as well.
- Flash Freeze (optional). If you’re freezing cabbage leaves or wedges and want to pack some of them together in a single bag, freeze them together. That’s fine if you plan on defrosting them all at once. However, if you only want to defrost one or two at a time, blast freezing is the way to go.
- packaging. Toss the leaves or wedges in freezer bags, remove excess air, and seal. Label the bags with a name and date if needed.
- Place the bags in the freezer.
summary
As you can see, there are a few ways you can freeze cabbage. You should choose a way that best suits your needs. Please remember that frozen and thawed cabbage works best in cooked dishes such as soups or stews. When it comes to using it in raw dishes, it won’t do as well as fresh cabbage.