Frozen Veg

big syke

just a question regarding frozen veg. is there any nutritional difference between fresh and frozen veg (and fruit). frozen veg is easier to store and wont go off. just wondering what people think about the differences (apart from taste)

Khannie

I've heard (from g'em iirc) that frozen veg retains more vitamins. I'm pretty sure the birds eye ad says that too, but of course you have to take that with a pinch of salt (the birds eye ad....not g'em).

g'em

Khannie wrote: »

I've heard (from g'em iirc) that frozen veg retains more vitamins. I'm pretty sure the birds eye ad says that too, but of course you have to take that with a pinch of salt (the birds eye ad....not g'em).

Bingo. As a general rule of thumb, many of the fruit and veg that you buy in supermarkets are force grown and picked prematurely, then flown thousands of km's before landing on the shelves. Frozen veg on the other hand are snap frozen at the point of picking (they are for some brands like Birds' Eye anyhoodles, I couldn't be totally sure about others) so they retain all the good stuff.

And ftr a spoon of sugar goes well to counteract my general bitterness :pac:

big syke

cheers for the info. to the frozen isle i go

Khannie

Must say....I still prefer fresh veg. There are a lot of farms near us, so the local shops sell stuff that hasn't travelled forever. Some of it is pure NYOM. Also, it's a lot better for the environment (not having travelled far, and not taking up energy to keep it frozen).

cowzerp

Fresh veg is usually about 2-3 weeks old when sold in shop's-even local fresh veg! unless you buy it off the farmer-frozen veg legally has to be frozen within 5 hours so its truly fresh, and keeps all its nutrients..i prefer frozen every time, steamed keeps the flavour that you cant get from "fresh" veg.

estariol

.....not as clear cut as portrayed, as long as the frozen items are quick/flash frozen the above assertions hold true. Freezing merely slows/retards the biological process for both microbes and the vegetable enzymes, so if traditional freezing was used the item may have been chemically treated or blanched to kill or reduce spoilage organism numbers.

So flash/quick frozen should be the best quality.

Roper

I think it depends on the brand too. Birds Eye for example is kosher, but AFAIK not all the brands have the same policies regarding freezing.

Locally sourced stuff in supermarkets have a shorter transit time but also spends a lot of time in warehouses. If you go to your local farmer's market, you will get faster turnaround. Myself, I hit the farmers market once per fortnight and keep a stock of frozen stuff.

rubadub

estariol wrote: »

So flash/quick frozen should be the best quality.

Roper wrote: »

I think it depends on the brand too. Birds Eye for example is kosher, but AFAIK not all the brands have the same policies regarding freezing

If a brand does it, they will usually be shouting about it on the packets, just read them.

I find somethings convenient and cheaper to be frozen, e.g. peppers, also less waste- I do not find myself using up things (and overeating) because they are about to go off- especially bread, dunno why you cannot get ready frozen bread easily, probably too costly for its value.

olaola

rubadub wrote: »

dunno why you cannot get ready frozen bread easily, probably too costly for its value.

I freeze a sliced pan when I buy it and just 'pop' off the slices I want to use. Either put them straight into a toaster or leave them about 10 mins to defrost.
It's rather successful - handy when you're making lunches too as the bread defrosts and keeps cold for a while (It never goes soggy).

BossArky

olaola wrote: »

I freeze a sliced pan ...

... handy when you're making lunches too as the bread defrosts and keeps cold for a while (It never goes soggy).

Interesting.