Frozen raspberries: benefits and features of processing

Everyone knows about the benefits of fresh berries and fruits. The fact that in the process of heat treatment, they lose most of the vitamins and minerals, is also known to many.And how useful the frozen crop, in particular, raspberry, will be discussed in this article.

Raspberries are rich in potassium, which provides strength and endurance to the body, and is a natural antidepressant. The high content of vitamins A and C makes it possible to talk about the antioxidant and anti-aging effects of berries. It is important that frozen raspberry preserves almost all trace elements and vitamins.

Fresh product is characterized by a low glycemic index, without causing strong sugar jumps in the blood and providing a long-lasting feeling of satiety. The calorie content of frozen berries is 1.5 times lower than fresh ones. Per 100 grams of frozen product accounts for only 31 kcal.

In the frozen berry, the content of vitamin B1 (thiamine) is reduced by 25% and by 4-18% - vitamin B2 (riboflavin).

The iron and copper contained in fresh fruits are also resistant to high-temperature processing, so the frozen analogue can be used to maintain hemoglobin levels. Fiber helps to improve intestinal motility, so raspberries in any form can be used as a mild, laxative, natural origin.

Harm to health due to excessive use of raspberries. To abandon it should be people with individual intolerance. In the presence of diseases such as gastric ulcer, kidney disease, gout, you should reduce the consumption of berries and stop eating them in the acute period of the disease.

It is fair to speak about the benefits of frozen raspberries only if the following criteria are met:

• place of growth;
• assembly time;
• freezing technique.

The greatest benefit will bring the berries grown in natural conditions (preferably with his own hands), collected in the season, being ripe and properly frozen.

Raspberries sold in supermarkets, usually imported or greenhouse. The content of useful components in it is minimal, but there is an abundance of dyes, various chemical means. The latter are used to improve the appearance and density of the berries, extending the shelf life.

The imported product is usually collected immature, otherwise it will simply deteriorate during transportation. Ripen berries already in warehouses and shop windows, being processed with special compounds. Talk about the positive effects of the composition on the body is also not necessary.

The technology of freezing berries is another major factor affecting their usefulness. The optimal storage temperature is -18 ... -24C. In this mode, raspberries are stored for up to a year without losing their taste and nutritional qualities.

An important condition for the preservation of vitamins in the frozen product is the absence of defrosting and re-freezing. Such a product not only turns into a little tasty mush, but also completely loses its beneficial components. Eating store frozen berries, from this point of view, has dubious benefits - the likelihood of a violation of raspberry storage technology is too high.

Depending on the purpose and method of eating berries, raspberries can be frozen entirely or ground into mashed potatoes. In the first case, storage will require more space in the freezer, the ground mixture is much more compact.

Primed compositions are usually used in the future for making jams, preserves, compotes, as a filling for baking. In this case, it is logical to immediately put in them the sugar or its substitute.

Ripe and even slightly unripe berries are suitable for freezing. Crumpled and let the juice better to eat or cook jam, fruit compote.

Berries can not wash, if you believe in their purity. Experienced housewives prefer to fill the berries for a few minutes with cool water. They sink to the bottom, and litter, insect larvae will float to the surface. After that, it remains only to gently get a clean raspberry and sprinkle it in a single layer on a towel to dry. You can speed up this process by soaking the product on top with a paper towel.

For purposeful harvesting for freezing, it is better not to put it in a bucket or basket, but to collect it on a tray. It is then placed in a freezer, which allows preserving the integrity and structure of the berries. After 15-20 minutes, you can take the tray out of the freezer, pour the berries into a plastic bag or a special container and continue freezing.

If the aesthetic component is unimportant, you can skip the pre-freezing step and immediately pack up the raspberries in plastic bags of 200-250 grams each. The bag should be tied, leaving some air in it, and then placed in the freezer.

Large volumes of raspberries are convenient to freeze in rectangular plastic containers - they are ergonomically located in the “freezer” chamber. However, the purchase of such packaging is an additional waste that can be avoided. It is enough to purchase one container and put a plastic bag inside it. The raspberry is poured into it, after the container is removed in the "freezer" for 30-35 minutes.

After a specified time, you need to get the container and remove the bag with berries. It will have a convenient rectangle shape for storage. The package is sent to the freezer, and the packaging is lined with cellophane again and filled with berries.

There are the following main types of freezing berries:

• whole fruits without sugar or with sugar;
• whole and pureed berries, frozen in layers;
• raspberry puree with or without sugar.

To freeze the raspberry puree with whole berries, first fill a layer of whole fruits in one row. The next layer is mashed raspberries (it is better to select overripe fruits). Sugar is added to puree.

Puree with sugar or without (in the latter case, the composition can be used for cosmetic purposes) is poured into small containers with a lid. It is possible to adapt curly molds for this. The resulting puree will appeal to children.

The technology of freezing whole berries (with a preliminary low-temperature effect) has already been described above. If you want to get whole berries with sugar, then pre-frozen raspberries spread in plastic containers, on top - a layer of sugar, then - another layer of raspberries and so on.

The berries are thawed on the middle shelf of the refrigerator or using a microwave oven.

If the raspberry is intended for making jam or jam, then it can not be defrosted, but immediately subjected to heat treatment. If you decide to make a pie with raspberry filling, then the frozen composition is better to defrost and remove excess liquid. Otherwise, it may for the worse change the texture of the dish.

From frozen raspberries, you can make compote, mors, jelly and juice. Raspberry juice is an effective method to combat anemia due to its high content of copper and iron, as well as its excellent prevention. Rich in vitamin A, as well as salts of potassium and folic acid, raspberry juice is indicated for atherosclerosis, diseases of the joints. The record content of ascorbic acid makes juice a reliable assistant in the fight against influenza, ARVI and the common cold.

The recipe for this healing drink is extremely simple: raspberries or mashed potatoes should be thawed and ground through a sieve. Sugar is added to taste. If the drink seems too concentrated, you can dilute it with water.

Raspberry compote is also easy to prepare. Frozen mixture is added to boiling water, the sweetness of the drink is regulated. Similarly, boiled kissel, however, here you need to add more and starch.

Raspberry tincture will not only be a tasty drink for the holiday table, but also warm during hypothermia, a cold chill. To do this, you can mix 3.5 kg of thawed whole raspberries or mashed potatoes with 1 liter of vodka or brandy. In the resulting composition, add sugar syrup (250 g of sugar to reduce with the same volume of water to caramel color). Insist 3 weeks, filter.

From the frozen raw materials can be cooked jam. To do this, the thawed berry is filled with sugar from a ratio of 1.2 kg of sugar per 1 kg of berries. After that, the composition is aged for 6-8 hours, periodically it requires mixing. Next, the mixture is cooked in 3 sets of 5 minutes with intervals of 6 hours between each five-minute period.

Useful and tasty marmalade can be made from raspberry puree. It is better to grind it again through a sieve after defrosting to remove the bones. It remains to add to it diluted in water gelatin or agar-agar, mix thoroughly and pour into molds.

Whole or pureed berries can be added to tea. Enhance the beneficial effects of such drinking will allow the addition of medicinal herbs or raspberry leaves. To dry the last need in the fall in natural conditions.

How to freeze raspberries, see the next video.