Can You Freeze Cabbage? Yes, and Here’s How.

Rate this post

By storing cabbage in the freezer, you may purchase it and keep it fresher for longer. Since the cabbages available in supermarkets in late spring were generally gathered the previous autumn, it is much simpler to purchase cabbage while it is fresh and freeze it to keep it fresh rather than purchasing older cabbages. You may also simply freeze leftover cooked cabbage without affecting its texture.

Cabbage is a healthy and cost-effective meal that adds texture and flavor to stews, soups, stir fries, slaws, salads, and other dishes. Sautéing cabbage instead of boiling it is a terrific way to allow its flavors show through. Just add the cabbage and spices to a fry pan with olive oil and gently sauté for around 10 minutes. If you add a little stock, finely chopped onion, and bacon to the cabbage, you’ll have a rich side dish that will compliment a variety of cuisines.

How to Store Fresh Cabbage

Depending on the variety of cabbage, it may be preserved in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to four weeks, but it is normally at its best in the first week or two. Even if you want to freeze your cabbage, keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

Cabbage that has previously been cooked can keep in the refrigerator for about three days if placed in an airtight container. It may also be frozen ready to cook, however part of the texture and taste will be lost.

What Do You Need to Know Before Freezing Raw or Blanched Cabbage?

Blanched or partially cooked cabbage can preserve its quality in the freezer for up to nine months. If you’re fortunate enough to have a vacuum sealer, it may last for far over a year. Its texture may be somewhat changed, like with other frozen vegetables.

Cabbage freezes better when blanched rather than raw, and I’ll go into more detail about why in a bit. If you wish to freeze raw cabbage, bear in mind that it will only keep for a couple of months at its best in the freezer. You may also remove additional texture.

Cabbage, like other vegetables and fruits, contains enzymes, bacteria, and other microbes that begin to break down the cabbage over time, changing its taste, color, and texture.

Blanching (also known as scalding) cabbage, whether by water, steam, or microwaving, blocks the activity of enzymes and kills bacteria. Blanching also removes any leftover dirt and, since it wilts the cabbage, makes it simpler to pack for freezing.

Blanched cabbage freezes and keeps better in the freezer than raw cabbage. Personally, I never freeze raw veggies; instead, I blanch them since freezing them fresh changes the texture and taste too much.

If you wish to freeze cabbage raw, conduct a test run first; compare a batch that has been frozen raw to some that has been blanched. Raw cabbage freezing may be fine depending on how it will be used.

Shredded frozen cabbage, like fresh cabbage, is convenient for placing right into the pan; it may also be thawed and used in salads and slaws.

When purchasing a cabbage to freeze, aim for one that does not have any damage or mold growing on it, and freeze it as soon as possible after purchase.

How Do You Prepare A Fresh Cabbage for Freezing?

Every sort of cabbage, whether green, red, Napa, savoy, or one of the many other types available, is good for freezing.

If you are cooking a homegrown cabbage, remove the tough outer leaves and soak it in a basin of cold water for at least 30 minutes, or up to two hours if particularly unclean. You may also add a little salt to the water to assist kill any bugs that may be lurking in the leaves. After thoroughly soaking, give it a brief rinse under the faucet, shake, wipe dry with paper towels, and place it on the cutting board.

If you purchased your cabbage at the shop, a simple rinse and pat dry after removing the outer leaves should suffice since it has already been cleaned after harvesting.

When it comes to freezing cabbage, you have the option of freezing it as wedges, leaves, or shreds. If you don’t sure how you want to use your cabbage yet, or if you want to use it in many dishes, I suggest freezing it in wedges so you can slice or shred it when you’re ready to use it. You may also store entire cabbages, but they take up more freezer space and must be used after defrosting.

After the cabbage is on the cutting board, shred, slice, or cut it into wedges. If you’re creating wedges, leave any core parts in to help keep the leaves together.

Since cabbages are bigger, the process known as water blanching is typically the simplest way to prepare them. Fill a pan large enough to hold the cabbage with water and bring to a boil. While the water is boiling, add the cabbage and continue to cook. If you have a wire basket, you might use it in the pan.

Blanching time for cabbage wedges is 3 minutes, or 1 minute for shredded cabbage. Blanch washed and trimmed bok choy for 2 minutes. The countdown begins when you put the cabbage in the boiling water. If you’re blanching a significant amount of cabbage, you may reuse the boiling water numerous times.

It is critical not to over-blanch since this results in a loss of color and taste, as well as part of the nourishment from the cabbage. If you want to steam blanch a little quantity of cabbage, it will take about 1.5 times as long as water blanching.

While the cabbage is blanching, fill a big dish halfway with ice and water. After the cooking time is over, remove the cabbage from the boiling water and set it in the basin of icy water. This will prevent the cabbage from further cooking. Let it to chill for a few minutes in the cold water; adding ice to the water can assist. Once the cabbage has cooled, brush off some of the excess water and pat it dry with paper towels. Reduce the danger of freezer burn by removing as much extra water from the cabbage as possible.

After the cabbage is dry, lay it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and set it in the freezer overnight. After frozen, transfer the cabbage to a Ziplock bag and press out any extra air before closing. Remember to put the freezing date on the bag!

If you wish to freeze cabbage raw, just wash and pat it dry before chopping it and freezing it on a cookie sheet. Then it can be bagged.

How Do I Freeze Cooked Cabbage?

If you have leftover cooked cabbage, put it out on paper towels to properly dry it. Next, lay the cabbage on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and set it in the freezer for 30 minutes or so, depending on how much you are freezing. After the cabbage is frozen, throw it in a Ziplock bag, remove any extra air, and store it in the freezer to avoid freezer burn.

Since you freeze it on the baking sheet, the cabbage should not clump together, allowing you to pull a few of handfuls from the bag as needed. The alternative option is to pack it in smaller ready-to-use pieces so that you can just pull the whole bag out to thaw. In the freezer, cooked boiled cabbage will keep its finest quality for three to six months.

If the cabbage is thoroughly cooked until soft, it will lose texture when frozen. If possible, leave the cabbage slightly undercooked before freezing to provide a nicer texture when thawed.

When sautéing or frying cabbage, leave the piece you want to freeze slightly undercooked before freezing. After the sautéed cabbage has cooled completely (and in the refrigerator if using bacon), put it in Ziplock bags, press out all the air, and seal the bag. Put the bags in the freezer immediately after writing the freezing date on them.

Cabbage soup may be stored in Tupperware containers; simply leave a little gap at the top to allow for expansion when the soup freezes.

Leftover cabbage rolls might be more difficult to freeze since they may lose texture once defrosted. If you chill leftover rolls in the refrigerator before freezing them, this will help decrease some of the sogginess. If you want to make a big quantity for the freezer, blanch the cabbage leaves and freeze as above, then create your cabbage rolls as fresh after the leaves have thawed.

If you create your own sauerkraut, completely fermented sauerkraut may also be frozen. Use bags or Tupperware, but leave some room at the top for expansion as it freezes.

Cooked red cabbage will freeze similarly to cooked green cabbage.

How to Defrost Blanched or Cooked Cabbage

You may either defrost the blanched cabbage in the refrigerator if you want to use it for slaw or cabbage rolls, or put it immediately into whatever you’re preparing. Since the cabbage has only been partially cooked by blanching, it will need to simmer for another three to five minutes, or until soft. If you’ve frozen it in wedges, you’ll also need to remove the core.

To avoid cooked cabbage from becoming soggy, thaw it in the refrigerator before warming; alternatively, depending on how you froze the cooked cabbage, it may be gently warmed directly from frozen and served.

If you properly clean the Ziplock bag inside and out and allow it to dry, you may use it to store a fresh batch of frozen cabbage or other veggies such as carrots or broccoli.

Summary

To summarize, yes, you can freeze cabbage, and it is simple to do so. But, freezing cabbage is best done after it has been blanched, as this helps prevent it from deteriorating as much in the freezer. Once thawed, frozen cabbage may be used to make coleslaws and cabbage rolls, or it can be used directly to a stew, soup, or stir fry.

You may also freeze leftover cooked cabbage, although it will lose texture and last less time in the freezer than blanched cabbage.

FAQs

What is the best way to freeze cabbage?

Individually freeze cabbage on a cookie sheet. Depending on the size of your wedges, cabbage should freeze in 12 to 24 hours. Toss the frozen wedges into freezer bags in quantity. Remove as much air as possible from the bags before closing.

Is it better to freeze cabbage cooked or uncooked?

Cabbage may be frozen after cleaned and sliced up, but for longer-term preservation, blanch it first. Blanched cabbage may be frozen for up to nine months, although unblanched cabbage lasts just one to two months.

Is it OK to freeze raw cabbage?

Cabbage may be frozen in shreds, leaves, or wedges, depending on your needs. If you don’t sure what you’re going to do with your cabbage, freeze it in wedges. This will enable you to subsequently trim it to any size you need. Go ahead and chop your cabbage after you’ve determined how you want to freeze it.

Can you freeze raw cabbage without blanching?

Cabbage may be frozen and preserved without blanching for a limited time. Fresh cabbages with green leaves and no imperfections must be utilized in this scenario. A big bowl, a sharp knife, airtight containers, freezer bags, chopping boards, and plastic wrap or foil are all required.

Can I boil cabbage and freeze it?

Yes, cooked cabbage may be frozen.

It’s really a terrific method to save it for later use. Cooked cabbage works well in a variety of cuisines, from soups and stews to simply sautéed cabbage in butter. Its rich texture remains intact when freezing, and the taste is unaffected.

Is cooked cabbage good frozen?

Yes, cooked cabbage may be frozen. You may either divide the whole recipe into smaller servings or freeze it all as once. Choose a freezer-safe storage container or a freezer zip-lock bag.

How long does raw cabbage last in the freezer?

When properly kept, cabbage will keep its finest quality in the freezer for around 18 months, but it will be safe for much longer. The freezer period indicated is simply for optimal quality; cabbage that has been maintained continually frozen at 0°F will stay safe eternally.

Does freezing cabbage change the texture?

The texture of blanched cabbage will likely change little or not at all when frozen. But, after frozen cabbage has thawed, it will not be as crisp as fresh cabbage.

What can I do with a lot of cabbage?

Cabbage Raw Coleslaw Recipes … Cabbage Salad…. Tuna Cabbage Salad…. Topping for Sandwiches, Tacos, and Other Dishes…. Cabbage Stir-Fry…. Cabbage Pancakes…. Colcannon…. Dumplings, Gyoza, and Other Dishes.
More to come…
•Jan 27, 2021

Do you add salt when blanching cabbage?

Remove the core of the cabbage and shred the leaves. Blanch for 3 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water, then cool under a cold tap.

Write a Reply or Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *