How to Freeze Spinach and Kale, Recipe for Joe's Special (2024)

FAQs

How to Freeze Spinach and Kale, Recipe for Joe's Special? ›

Frozen spinach also works well in dips, quiche, and pasta dishes. It brings flavorful nutrition to homemade egg rolls, meatballs, and marinara sauce. If you know you'll use your frozen spinach within six months, you can freeze it without blanching. This method yields more of a slimy product upon thawing.

Frozen spinach also works well in dips, quiche, and pasta dishes. It brings flavorful nutrition to homemade egg rolls, meatballs, and marinara sauce. If you know you'll use your frozen spinach within six months, you can freeze it without blanching. This method yields more of a slimy product upon thawing.

Freezing fresh kale is a simple process that helps to preserve its freshness and flavor for several months. The best way to freeze kale is to quickly blanch it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to bring out the vibrant color and preserve its flavor. You can freeze raw kale, but it may have a more bitter flavor.

For frozen kale that lasts eight to 12 months, blanch leaves and stems. Blanch leaves for 2.5 minutes, covering the boiling water pot with a lid to steam-heat floating leaves. Blanch stems for 3 minutes. Place leaves and stems in ice water for the same amount of time.

Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste. Blanched kale will last up to 1 year in the freezer.

If you want to extend the life of fresh spinach, store it in the freezer until you're ready to use it. However, when you buy frozen spinach from the store it is already cooked, which is how it gets its texture. For that reason, you'll need to cook the fresh spinach before storing it in the freezer.

Food Processing Techniques to Reduce Oxalates

Because oxalates are water soluble, they can be reduced by blanching, boiling, or steaming with the liquid discarded.

Frozen kale will slowly dry out in the freezer over time, causing the flavor and texture quality to decline. For best flavor and texture, I suggest trying to use your frozen kale within a few months.

Stem the kale and wash the leaves in 2 changes of water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste and the kale. Blanch for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking, and drain.

If your kale smells bad, it's best to throw it away. This can be a sign of spoilage and could make you sick if consumed. Lastly, if you want to cook it and make kale crispy that way, try baking it in the oven.

Is kale still good after freezing? ›

Yes, kale does just fine in the freezer. You can expect frozen kale to do pretty well for six months in the freezer if it's been properly processed for freezing.

Can you freeze cooked kale? Yes. Many people prefer to blanch their veggies before freezing because it helps to preserve their natural colors and some find it reduces bitterness. However, it is not necessary if you prefer to skip this step.

I think blanching collards before freezing preserves their overall quality, texture, and nutrition and also softens them a bit so they cook better when used in recipes. However, you can technically freeze them without blanching. To do so, wash and dry the greens, chop, and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.

Blanch your greens.

Submerge your greens for a short amount of time usually 30 seconds (tender spinach)-3 minutes (big kale) depending on how tender your greens are. I find that a steamer basket makes this process really quick and simple. Blanching is important to help the greens keep better in the freezer.