Fresh vs. Frozen

**Cheyenne** · 07-20-2011 08:01 AM

I have bought frozen peas, corn and brocoli before, and it tasted the same as fresh to me. Am I losing any nutrial value from buying a bag of frozen strawberries verus buying a fresh container of them?

And also, if I got say a pineapple, and I decide that I was only going to eat half of it and I didn't want to just toss it outside and let it go bad and waste money, so I decide to freeze the remaining half. Is there a certain way to freeze fruits and veggies or am I better off not freezing them at all?

**Beautiful Disaster** · 07-20-2011 04:33 PM

Nothing is quite as good as fresh raw veggies from a nutritional value standpoint. Any time you heat veggies and fruits you lose some of the nutrients. However, frozen is better than canned.

I freeze things when I have extra. My first choice is fresh and raw. But then if I cannot eat it all and don't want to waste it, I double bag and use freezer bags to avoid freezer burn.

**chaya** · 07-20-2011 04:42 PM

I'm from Hawaii, I love sliced fresh pineapple but it is hard to get good ones here in California. Pineapple can be frozen but don't expect to be like fresh pineapple when you thaw it. Frozen pineapple is good for cooking, deserts, smoothies or anything you would use canned pineapple for.

**Cheyenne** · 07-20-2011 07:13 PM

Are there certian fruits that I should just not freeze at all? And how would I go about freezing to ensure it'll stay fresh? Beautiful, is there a certain type of bag you use? How long can I keep frozen fruit in the freezer and how do I thaw it?

I'm sorry for the many questions, but I'm kinda new at all this.

**happyheart** · 08-21-2011 04:50 PM

Raw is way better!

**snooks** · 09-06-2011 03:27 AM

Some fruits such as apples, are best frozen cooked. I wouldn't try freezing bananas! Mind you I haven't had a go at it either so I don't know for sure. Most fruits will come out of the freezer pretty watery too and are usually best cooked once frozen. I freeze quite a number of fruits, but always either stew them up to have as a dessert or make them into jam. I don't find them at all palatable once frozen and just thawed.

Most types of fruit I simply wash, chop if necessary, and bag in lots I will use. This seems to work for me.

I keep my frozen fruit for ages - months in fact. They are frozen when harvested and have to last until the next harvest, so a year. I guess they lose some nutritional value in that time, but they still taste yum.

If fruits and veg are frozen immediarely picked they don't lose a great deal of nutritional value.

**Elanor-Jane** · 09-06-2011 05:38 AM

I was watching a show called The drs the other day, it's American and I think an off-shoot from opera?? Not sure. It's a common misconception that frozen veggies in packets are of less nutritional value, or so they claimed. The veggies are frozen at ripe when the nutrients are high as opposed to veggies that are picked unripe as they have to sit on a truck. If the veggies come from a farmers market and are fresh they are high in nutrients but if they are left to sit in a shop or a fridge at home they lose potency. Makes sense really. If they are frozen at ripe which is the height of nutrition and then STEAMED they are apparantly just as nutritious as the store bought veggies. It's that or sit in a fridge at home or transit or in a grocery shop and lose nutrient value. It does make sense. Things like bananas can be frozen and used in cakes or banana bread, my grandmother always froze them to avoid waste.

I think the best way to ensure your veggies and fruit are actually fresh you should buy from a farmers market or grow your own.