By Corey Williams Updated August 03, Save Pin FB More. Slice the eggplant into 1-inch rounds. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow the rounds to cool completely do NOT skip this step. Place slices in a freezer-safe bag. Make sure to separate the slices with wax paper to prevent sticking. You can enjoy this recipe all winter long using tomato slices and roasted eggplant rounds from the freezer. The freezing process is simple.
In fact, you can freeze the eggplant on the same baking pan in which it roasted. Roasted cubes of eggplant are valuable additions to soups and stir-fries. When you have them already seasoned and roasted, just waiting for you in the freezer, cooking is a snap. The least labor intensive method of preserving eggplant is to freeze the puree of whole roasted eggplant. This method is simple and fast, but you still have that robust eggplant flavor.
Once you have a stash of eggplant puree in the freezer, you will find yourself trying out a number of exciting recipes for using it. Aug Freezing Roasted Rounds Suppose one of your favorite dishes is roasted eggplant rounds with Italian cheeses. You can take either of two approaches to roasting the eggplant. Every time you roast eggplant rounds for dinner, roast extra for the freezer.
Do a roasting blitz. This is quite efficient when you have a boatload of eggplant to deal with. Follow the instructions for roasting vegetables. Find our instructions here or check out this breaded version. Let the pan and eggplant cool. Loosen the eggplant with a spatula, but leave it in the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for a couple of hours until the eggplant rounds are firmly frozen. Remove the pan from the freezer and work quickly to stack the rounds into freezer bags.
Arrange the rounds carefully, taking care not to over-fill the bags so that the bags stack neatly on top of one another. This method saves a lot of freezer space. When you need eggplant rounds for a recipe simply remove the number you require. The eggplant is loose and available.
It is also cooked and flavored. Your meal will be quick and easy. Freezing Roasted Eggplant Cubes Roasted cubes of eggplant are valuable additions to soups and stir-fries.
Follow the directions for roasting eggplant cubes. Allow the pan and the eggplant to cool. Loosen all the little cubes with a spatula. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Select a fresh eggplant. The fresher an eggplant is, the better it will hold up after being frozen. Any eggplant you freeze should be ripe and the seeds should not yet be fully mature.
Look for eggplants that have a uniformly dark hue. Do not use eggplants that have soft spots or mismatched patches of color. Traditional black varieties tend to break down less in the freezer than purple Chinese and Thai varieties, but all types can technically be frozen for later use.
Just be aware of the fact that the flesh will become softer after being frozen, but this is not usually an issue if you plan on cooking the eggplant after thawing it. If you are unable to freeze the eggplant immediately, store it in the refrigerator until you are ready.
The sooner you can freeze an eggplant after harvesting it, though, the better. Wash the eggplant. Rinse the eggplant under cold running water, scrubbing it gently with your fingers to remove dirt and residue. If you harvested the eggplant from your own garden and have a hard time removing the dirt, you may scrub it gently with a vegetable brush.
Cut the eggplant into slices. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Stand the eggplant on one of its newly cut flat ends and peel the vegetable from top to bottom. Work quickly, and only cut as much eggplant as you are able to blanch at a time. Cut eggplant will begin to discolor after 30 minutes. Part 2. Boil water in a large stockpot.
Set it to boiling on the stove over high heat. Give the water ample time to reach a rolling boil. Make sure that your pot is large enough to fit all the eggplant you've already cut up. You can blanch the eggplant in batches if you do not have any stockpots large enough to fit all your eggplants, but you should only cut up as much eggplant at a time as you can blanch in one batch.
Add lemon juice to the boiling water. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. The bowl of water should be about as large as the stockpot used to blanch the eggplants. Use a tray or more of ice to make sure that the water is plenty cold. Make sure that the cold water is ready before you begin blanching the eggplant. Blanch the eggplant. Place the eggplant slices in the boiling water and blanch them for 4 minutes.
If you do not blanch the eggplant, it will begin losing nutritional value, color, and flavor within a month, even if you freeze it. You can safely use the same water to blanch multiple batches of eggplant up to five times. You may need to add more water and lemon juice as the water level dips, however.
Quickly transfer the eggplant to the ice water. As soon as the eggplant has been blanched, use a slotted spoon to remove the slices from the boiling water and dunk them into the ice water. By rapidly cooling the eggplant, you stop the cooking process. Allow the eggplant slices to sit in the ice water 4 to 5 minutes or until cold to the touch.
Add more ice and water to the bowl as necessary to maintain the right temperature. Drain the eggplant slices. Remove them from the ice water with a slotted spoon and drain them in a colander or on several layers of clean paper towels.
Part 3. Place the eggplant slices in a freezer-safe container. You can either use a freezer-safe plastic resealable bag or a freezer-safe plastic container. If packing the eggplant in freezer-safe plastic bags, remove as much air as possible from the bag to prevent freezer burn. Vacuum sealed bags are the best option, but you can still use standard resealable plastic bags as long as they are approved for freezer use.
This extra space allows the eggplant room to expand as it freezes. Label the bag or container with the current date so that you will know, in the future, how long your batch of eggplant has been sitting in the freezer. Separate slices with plastic wrap or freezer wrap, if desired. This step is only optional, but if you do not take this precaution, the slices will stick together upon freezing. Freeze until ready to use. Typically, frozen eggplant stays good for about 9 months.
Vacuum-sealed eggplant that is deep frozen will will retain its quality for about 14 months. Part 4. Bake the eggplant before freezing it.
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