Frozen Celery?

SmilieFace · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:57 pm **Posts:** 1194

I've been on the Cake Mix board for some time, but this is my first post to the dinner doctor side.

I often chop onions and keep them in the freezer until I need to use them. I'm wondering if anyone has tried this with celery in particular, or other veggies in general.

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

It's nice to see you on this other side as well.

Yes, SmileyFace, I do clean and then slice across the ribs of celery and then bag them into Freezer bags. If you wanted to use whole ribs of celery in things or even just shorter pieces then just simply wash and dry them and then cut up the ribs of celery the length you prefer. I should think that would work as well. Those I usually, freeze in the quart sized freezer bags, and then when I get ready to use some of it in cooking it is so easy to just take out the amount that I want.

I always freeze bell peppers and also cut those into crosscut circles and drop those into the quart sized, freezer bags. With the peppers cut that way, you can either use them in the circles when you get ready, or at that time dice them into smaller pieces if you decide you want them that way. I like to sometimes garnish the top of a casserole with the circles of pepper rings.

I freeze most everything for cooking at some time or another. I tried chopping up onions one time, years ago, and freezing those, but you could smell them when you opened the freezer they were in and also, there was some taste of onion in other things. Maybe, I did something wrong, or the onions were strong. I don't even remember if that were the case.

I often chop up extra onions and sometimes even thinly sliced ones, though and put them in quart sizedFreezer Ziploc bags, and just keep them on a shelf in the fridge without them causing any trouble with the other foods. If they are strong sometimes I have double bagged them. I'd prefer not getting that kind, but sometimes it happens. Onions will keep like that for a good bit. The same for garlic. Although that I clean, dry, and place garlic in a clean jar with a lid and then in the fridge. It stays fresh like that for months. I've never tried freezing it.

I use an awfully lot of bell peppers, onions, and to a lesser degree celery for seasoning though, and it's so nice to have them already chopped up and ready to go. Then too, sometimes it's a matter of freezing them before they go bad and waste, so that's another plus. Which reminds me. If I sometimes have a tomato and don't use all of it, I just drop it in a freezer bag and into the freezer part of my fridge, and then when I'm cooking I can always use that to add to something such as soup and numberous other things, and it works fine, again cutting out more waste. That always makes me feel good. :wink:

pumpkin · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2006 11:46 pm

SmilieFace and Mary, there isn't much that I haven't tried freezing. I also freeze bell peppers, celery and buy prepackaged bags of chopped onions for emergencies. I find the onions I buy that way don't smell up the freexer at all. I make a lot of soup in the Winter, so also quarter whole fresh tomatoes when in season, fresh parsley along with wedges of cabbage. Then again, there's the varieties of fruit; peaches, blueberries and rhubarb for cobblers. I even tried freezing sliced apples for pie and surprisingly it came out great. I've even got my DD doing the same thing and when she married, her new husband inquired why she would keep so many things in the freezer. She asked him if he'd like to keep running to the grocery store every time she needed something for cooking? Naturally, that calmed his inquisitive mind.
:lol:

Joyce

SmilieFace · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:57 pm **Posts:** 1194

I'm glad to know other people freeze a lot of things as well. DBF always makes me think I'm crazy for keeping onions, peppers, frostings, and other foods in the freezer.

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

If you are crazy for doing it, then some of the rest of us also, fall into that category, Smilie, :wink:

I don't remember freezing frostings, but it is so nice to be at least partly ready to cook by having done some of those things beforehand. Also, it's more economical, and don't we all love that?

pattilou58 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:21 pm

I clean & quarter green peppers to freeze, put the whole heads of garlic in a baggie-easy to pop off the number of cloves you need. I didn't like frozen onions period-just nasty in my opinion, whether I prepped them or bought them. We do freeze sour cream-it will be "saucy" when thawed; pourable. Don't know how/if it would affect baking. We just use it on taco salad & the like. For onions in the fridge, I put them in a baggie & put the baggie in a Tupperware container. Of course, I've had some of those containers setting in the garage for months later trying to get the smell out! I always freeze cookies, candies, the last slice or two of cake; pancakes, french toast, all kinds of leftovers. Living alone, I can cook one entree & put 4-5 servings into the freezer to build up quite a few choices over a few weekends. It's fun to hear what everyone's freezing. Thanks!

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Pattilou, I didn't even know they sold diced onions in the store, and since I usually use a whole onion in most things where I use them, that might take more than a jar or two per dish. :wink:

Did you mean you freeze garlic? The garlic that I use we pull out of beds here in the back yard, so it's fresh and not dried, and after I clean and paper towel dry it, it stays fresh in a jar with a lid on a fridge shelf for many months. Would that work to freeze it after it's cleaned?

While talking about garlic, did you all know you can drop how ever many cloves of it you want to use, in a glass or something of ice cubes and cold water, leave it for a few minutes, then it is so easy to pop the skin off without pulling and tugging to peel? I usually put the cloves in the glass first, and then pile on the ice cubes and a bit of water. Works every time. Then it's ready to dice or however you want to use it in dishes/cooking/roasts. Cut slits in roasts and then push garlic cloves in before cooking for some good added flavor. Yum! :wink:

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

I do exactly the same things with garlic. The fozen onions here come in polybags of about 10 or 12 oz. They are really handy if I am in a hurry. I also freeze my own from the garden in freezer bags - I use the food processer to chop them quickly. I have also processed a bunch, carmelized them and then frozen them in smaller ziplock bags. Adds a nice, milder and sweeter onion flavor to some cooked dishes. With tomatoes I sometimes partially oven dry/roast them and then freeze them. I do this mostly with romas, cut them in half, place cut side up on a parchment lined cookie sheet, put them in the oven at about 225 overnight and then throw them in bags and into the freezer in the AM. Sometimes I salt them lightly orspritz with some olive oil before drying. I also make one pan sprinkled with fresh chopped basil. I think you could also sprinkle them with minced garlic and then they would already be seasoned that way if you cook a lot with a garlic=tomato combination.
KathyB

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Oooo! Kathy those tomatoes sound good. Thanks for the info.

pattilou58 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 05, 2006 5:36 pm

Yes, Mary K. Whether home grown or store bought, I just put the heads in a baggie in the freezer & pop off what I need. It works great. Tomatoes-I used to core, dice & slow cook, then freeze. But one of my aunts said "why are you cooking them?" Wow! So now I just chop them up & freeze 'em. If I don't get a full pint or quart, I just add to that bag til it's full. Have to keep that deep freezer full; it's ridiculous for a single person to have one & yet I do seem to get lots of use from it!

Frozen Celery?

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