Okra is the summertime treat, yet freezing it throughout the year is entirely possible. You can also keep the goodness and store Okra for a long period by freezing it. Yet, how to freeze Okra? We already provided you with a concrete direction. Hit the road now!
How To Freeze Okra Step-by-step
Before going straight to the explanation on how to freeze Okra, prepare a handful of fresh pods and some simple tools. Here are all the requirements:
- A large pot with ice and water
- Fresh Okra
- A large cooking pot
- A large colander
- Reusable freezer bags (or ‘ziplock bags)
- Cookie sheet
- White vinegar (optional)
- A sharp knife
- Baking tray with a sheet
Choose Fresh Okra
Select the freshest ones to nail the best result after cooking. Focus on pods which are seamless, unblemished, mildly colored, and not mushy.
Clean Your Okra
The next step on how to freeze Okra is washing Okra carefully under running clean water, making sure that you get rid of all debris and dirt outside the surface. Besides, please be gentle a bit! Okra pods are pretty fragile and could easily bruise if mishandled.
The most common way to clean Okra is to soak them in a mixture of water and white vinegar instead of water. Specifically, you just need 2 minutes of soaking. The vinegar’ acid can dissolve pesticide or wax residues as well as kill all bugs and bacteria efficiently. After having the whole Okra soaked, rinse it with cool water.
Eliminate The Stems
Drain off the excess water from your Okra. After that, take the sharp knife to cut the Okra’s stems and caps properly.
You just need to trim the stems. Still, do not cut into separate seed cells as exposing these seed cells will lead your Okra to break. So, it’s tricky to conduct the next step.
Blanch Your Okra Then Plunge All Into The Ice Bath
Now, it’s time to separate the smaller pods from the larger ones. Then, fill your cooking pot with plain water and boil it. Do not forget to prepare a pot with the ice water to put nearby as well!
Once the water boils, pour the part of larger Okra pods into the pot and boil it for 4 minutes. Next, take all of them out and place them in the prepared ice water to avoid overcooking Okra and keep their fresh color.
Go on blanching the Okra’s smaller pods in the boiling water for three minutes and transfer all of them into the ice water, the same as above.
They are blanching each part of smaller and larger pods aids in maintaining their texture.
After cooling off them for 3-5 minutes in the ice water, transfer them into the colander to drain off water. Now, put them on a tray or a cookie sheet to let Okra dry naturally.
Tips And Tricks On How To Freeze Okra
Check out some tips to make your meals better with Okra:
- Make sure all the Okra you use is fresh. Do you have the know-how to check its freshness? It’s easy. Bend the tip of Okra slightly. If the tip breaks off with its snap, it is fresh. Meanwhile, under-ripe and stale Okra will bend and tear. Do not select ones with pits, bruises, spots, or other decay signs.
- More often than not, the best Okra is from May through September.
- Use frozen Okra within one year to ensure the best taste and quality.
- Never use the wet batter to coat your Okra, which is previously frozen.
How To Use Frozen Okra?
Scoop the frozen Okra from the bag and put it into your cooking recipe now. Conventional wisdom recommends you use it at once for cooking instead of thawing it.
Also, to retain its best shape, use the frozen Okra as soon as you take it out. The more it is handled, the easier it can be mushy and slimy.
In case you want to deep-fry them, pour enough frozen Okra out of its bag and into the oil.
Finally, enjoy your meals!
Last Few Words
This is the end of the well-rounded guide explaining how to freeze Okra properly. Such simple steps could keep your vegetables fresh, delicious, and toothsome longer. Also, these above tips and tricks are handy in the kitchen that you should not forget.
Why don’t you start freezing some while it’s in its season now?
