How To Freeze Kale - Can You Freeze Kale

How To Freeze Kale – Can You Freeze Kale

Kale is a nutrient-rich, green leafy winter vegetable. It contains a wide range of nutrients, including fibres, calcium, vitamins C and K, iron, and many antioxidants. These help to prevent various health problems. It is also beneficial for skin and hair, kale benefits for skin and hair. Check out more kale benefits.

Frozen Kale can be used as ingredients to multiple dishes, and there are many ways to freeze Kale. Previously Kale was preserved with salt and left to ferment when freezing Kale was not an option. The flavours and nutritional content can vary between types. Younger leaves and summer leaves tend to be less bitter and fibrous.

Kale Benefits:

Kale is beneficial for health. It contains substances like glucosinolates which help in the prevention of cancer. Compounds like bile acid sequestrants lower blood cholesterol levels and the various vitamins are healthy for the heart.

Kale also helps in diabetes treatment and promotes digestion, vision, and immunity. It is known antioxidants benefit and anti-inflammatory properties.

Steps For Freezing Kale

There are different types of Kale of which Curly Kale the most common variety. It has a typical flavour of pepper. Lacinato kale also called the Tuscan Kale or Tuscan cabbage, or Dinosaur kale has dark green and narrow leaves. Redbor kale has ruffled leaves ranges from deep red to purple. Russian Kale has flat and fringed leaves and is rare. It is also known as Siberian Kale.

First Way: Without Blanching

Usually, Kale is frozen after blanching. You can freeze Kale even without blanching, but it will add a bitter flavour. Unblanched kale leaves can be used in stews and soups. Make sure you don’t keep it for a long time and use this frozen Kale within one to two months. You must freeze Kale following the various steps given below. This process does not require plucking of the leaves or separating them from the stems. Here you can preserve big chunks of kale.

For the Kale to last to 8-12 months as frozen, you should first blanch the leaves and stems.
You must blanch the leaves for 2.5 minutes and cover the pot of boiling water with a lid to stem-heat floating leaves.
Follow the same process for blanching the stems but continue doing this for 3 minutes.

You might not follow this step of boiling at your wish. But you must wash the kale leaves and stems properly before jumping on to the next step.
Put these leaves and stems in ice water for a while.
Take these leaves out from the ice water using a strainer.

Use a towel or a dry cloth to dry these. The process of drying is vital.
Roll the towel up that contains these leaves and squeeze out the excess water.
You can put a small quantity of this dried-up Kale in cookie sheets.

Freeze them.
After this, put this frozen Kale in bulk and put it in a freezer bag.
Make sure you remove the air before sealing the freezer bag.

Flatten bags before sealing to create kale portions for quick thawing.
Freeze the Kale and use it in your recipes later.

Second Way: Separating Leaves

There is an alternative way to freezing Kale. You have to separate the leaves from the stem here. For this process of freezing kale, you’ll require many tools and must follow various steps.

Materials Required:

A bunch of fresh Kale of curly variety
Ice
Water

Tools Required:

A cutting board
A large knife, which is typically used by chefs
Saucepan with a lid

Colander, to strain out the water
A large mixing bowl
Towels

Tongs
Greased muffin tin or cookie sheets (must fit inside the freezer)
Freezer bags

Method:

Chop the kale into small pieces using a chef’s knife. You can also remove the thick stem part.
Use a colander to rinse the kale leaves thoroughly. Make sure it is dirt-free after removing the excess water.
Place your rinsed Kale in a saucepan on the stove. Put an adequate quantity of water to fill the bottom of the pan. Then submerge the Kale about half inches. Turn on the burner after placing the lid of the saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Steam your kale until it’s tender for about two to three minutes. Make sure they are not entirely soft, or else it will wilt.

In the meantime, take ice water in a large bowl with equal proportions of ice and water. You will need a sufficient amount of ice because it will melt when you add the hot Kale in it. You’ll need that right after the Kale is cooked in the saucepan.
Take out this Kale from saucepan when it is still bright green and tender. Drain out the excess water in the colander as you did previously.
Quickly place your Kale in the ice water. This will halt the process of cooking and will retain the properties and nutrients of the Kale. About the next two minutes in the ice water leave the kale leaves, until they are cold enough when you touch.

Take a pair of tongs to place these cooked kale leaves in a dry towel. This will help them dry out completely. You can remove the excess water using a salad spinner. Make sure these leaves are thoroughly dried before the process of freezing.
Grease or spray a muffin tin and then divide the kale leaves into twelve or suitable portions, once these are dried. Gently press each of these portions into compartments of the muffin tin. You can also use cookie sheets in place of a muffin tin for your convenience.
After this, put the entire amount of Kale in the freezer and freeze for about two to three hours. By this time, the Kale will become firm.

To keep these kale leaves, you will need airtight containers or freezer bags. Once your Kale is entirely frozen, put this in the freezer bags or boxes to preserve well. Get as much as air out of the container or the freezer bag before you store.
You can use this Kale for six months once appropriately preserved.

Can I freeze a bag of kale?

Any raw kale can be frozen. So the next time you purchase too much at the store, don’t let it go to waste. Simply wash, chop, blanch, then flash-freeze your kale to enjoy at a later date. Frozen kale will keep up to one year, and can be used in a number of recipes.

Does freezing kale ruin it?

Kale, like few other vegetables, freezes beautifully — but you have to deactivate enzymes in the kale before putting it in the freezer. Most vegetables have these enzymes that cause the vegetables to continue aging and rotting even if the vegetable is frozen.

Can you freeze fresh greens without blanching?

The recommended process to freeze greens is to blanch them first. However, it is not required. You can freeze your fresh greens and other vegetables without freezing them if you like. The best way to freeze greens without blanching is to “pre-freeze” your greens before fully freezing them.

Is frozen kale as good as fresh?

If you’re wondering whether frozen kale is as healthy as the fresh stuff, it totally is. It has all of the same nutrients that fresh kale has, and sometimes even more, depending on how “fresh” your fresh kale really is. … Frozen kale is also a great way to eat kale year round, when it’s not available locally.

What is the best way to freeze fresh kale?

Wash, dry, and remove kale leaves from the stems. Place into a zip top freezer bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze!

Do I have to blanch kale before freezing?

You can freeze kale without blanching, but plan to use it within four to six weeks. Unblanched kale may develop a bitter flavor because you haven’t stopped the action of the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves.

What can I do with too much fresh kale?

Ways To Use Up Your Leftover Kale

Kale Smoothie. In some ways, kale might seem like the last green that you’d want to add to a smoothie because its texture isn’t exactly, um, smooth, and its flavor can be a little bitter.
Kale Frittata.
Kale Lettuce Wraps.

Summer Kale and Green Goddess Soup.

How long should you blanch kale?

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. Take the blanched kale up by the handful and squeeze hard to expel excess water, then chop fine.

How long does kale last in fridge?

about 5 to 7 days To maximize the shelf life of raw kale, refrigerate in a plastic bag; do not wash until ready to use. Properly stored, raw kale will usually keep well for about 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Do you need to wash raw kale before eating it? Yes, kale should be thoroughly washed in running water before eating.

How do you freeze leafy greens without blanching?

You will need to line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the greens along the surface. Try to keep them in a singular, flat layer. Place this baking sheet in the freezer and leave for 2 – 3 hours to freeze solid. Once this time has elapsed, remove the baking sheet from the freezer.

Can you freeze kale and spinach?

You can freeze kale (and bagged spinach), so you can keep it on hand without it getting all gross and stinky in the back of your refrigerator. It’s incredibly simple to do, but if you’re new to freezing vegetables make sure keep reading to understand how to make the best use of your frozen kale (or spinach).

Can you freeze lettuce?

Can you freeze lettuce? Not if you want to make tossed salad with the thawed out product. But for cooking and flavoring uses, yes, you can freeze lettuce. The reason you won’t be able to use the frozen lettuce to make salads is because the freezing process causes ice crystals to form in plant cells.

Why kale is bad for you?

Raw kale may be more nutritious, but it may also harm your thyroid function. Kale, along with other cruciferous vegetables, contains a high amount of goitrogens, which are compounds that can interfere with thyroid function ( 8 ). Specifically, raw kale contains a type of goitrogen called goitrins.

How much kale should I eat a day?

Two cups of kale—about the amount you’d enjoy in a salad—deliver almost all your vitamin A for the day (99% Daily Value from beta-carotene), along with 67% of your vitamin C.

What is healthier spinach or kale?

The Bottom Line. Kale and spinach are highly nutritious and and associated with several benefits. While kale offers more than twice the amount of vitamin C as spinach, spinach provides more folate and vitamins A and K. Both are linked to improved heart health, increased weight loss, and protection against disease.

Conclusion

Kale has various properties that are beneficial for health, skin, and hair. You can add kale to your everyday diet plan, make smoothies and shakes out of kale. You can put kale in salads and soups and also use kale as pizza toppings or in your roasted chicken recipes.

Frozen kale can be used for a long time if you can adequately maintain the process of freezing kale. Always make sure the container in which you are preserving this kale must be airtight and nicely sealed. You can blanch the kale leaves if you have enough time or according to your convenience.