Can you freeze cilantro? If that’s the question that bothers you, you’ve come to the right place to find the answer. Since coriander does not stay fresh for long in the fridge and is usually supplied in larger quantities than necessary, people are looking for a way to make it last longer. Basically there seems to be two options – drying and freezing cilantro. In this article we will focus on the latter. If you are interested, read on.
Freezing cilantro – important information
When it comes to cilantro, you can freeze it, but not everyone will be really happy with the end result. The most important thing to know is that freezing changes the appearance of these vegetables, so they probably won’t work as well for salads and other similar dishes. When it comes to cooked dishes, frozen cilantro works quite well, and in most cases you’ll be happy with what you get. However, please keep in mind that you will need to freeze it a few times, and make sure frozen cilantro works (or doesn’t work) for your needs.
Before you get to freezing yourself, you need to do a little prep. Rinse the cilantro to remove impurities and pat dry. It’s not time to cut off yellowish or brownish leaves, we don’t want them anyway. Tap off now. When you’re done with that, you can move on to the two ways to freeze cilantro outlined above. Make sure you try both and choose one that suits your needs better.
Freezing cilantro with a cookie sheet
Take a cookie sheet and line it with wax paper, then place as many sheets as you can on top, making sure they don’t touch each other. Then put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours to let the sheets freeze. Once frozen, remove the tray from the freezer and place the leaves in a small freezer bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible, seal tightly and label properly. Now it is ready to be put in the freezer. Make sure it’s in a place where it can’t be crushed.
Read Also: Can you freeze kale?
Freezing cilantro with an ice cube tray
Take an ice cube tray and insert a few leaves (depending on how big the cubes are) into each cube, making sure the leaves don’t stick out of the cube. Now fill each cube with water to cover the leaves and place the bowl in the freezer for a day. Then take the bowl out of the freezer, fill the cubes in a freezer bag and place the bag in the freezer. This is a quick and easy way to get as many coriander leaves as you need by removing as many ice cubes from the bag as you need.
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Cilantro can be frozen, and quite a few people do, although it only works well in cooked dishes like soups or stews. It is suggested that cilantro should not be frozen for more than half a year for quality reasons. I encourage you to test both methods of freezing cilantro outlined and choose the one that works well for your needs. If neither method works, that’s okay too, you’ll learn not to freeze cilantro for the specific purpose you froze it for.