Free Tote when you subscribe to Taste of Home today! Home Vegetables Can You Freeze Leeks? Whether you’ve grown your own leeks or got a bit carried away at the supermarket, if you’ve got an abundance of leeks, then you’ll know they won’t last that long sitting at the bottom of your fridge. Yes, you can freeze leeks for up can you freeze cabbage without blanching 10 months.
To freeze leeks successfully, you should trim and slice them, then blanch them to lock in their flavour before placing them in the freezer. This is the best approach to take when it comes to freezing leeks. This will allow you to grab a portion of leeks from the freezer as easily and when you need them. How to Freeze Sliced Leeks This is the best approach to opt for when freezing leeks.
Prepare Leeks: Clean your leeks and trim the root end and any excess green stems. Those green stems still contain some flavour, so keep them for stocks or soups. Chop or slice your leeks into the size you normally would when cooking leeks. Blanch Leeks: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, submerge your leeks to blanch them for 30-45 seconds.
When removing the leeks, place them into cold water to stop them from cooking further. Dry Leeks: Drain the leeks and let them dry thoroughly. You can aid this process by removing excess water with thick kitchen towels. If you freeze them with too much excess moisture, you can ruin their texture. Flash Freeze: Decide how you want to freeze Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper then spread your leeks out over it. Try and keep your leeks in a single layer.
Flash freeze this tray for an hour or so. This is to freeze them on the outside. Bag Them Up: Once flash frozen, you can tip the semi-frozen leeks off the tray and into a freezer bag or container. Seal the bag up, removing as much air from the bag as possible. This will both protect the leeks but also save on space. You don’t want to fill your freezer with air!
Final Freeze: Place this back in the freezer, and you can now grab a handful of frozen leeks as and when you need to use them. This is the best way to freeze leeks as it ensures they freeze well, making them easily useable. The reason is that it will take a lengthy period to defrost, and you won’t be able to prepare or cut your leeks up until they have had time to thaw thoroughly. Chances are, you won’t want to eat leeks whole anyways. Why not simply take the time to slice or dice your leeks before freezing them? Whether you’ve got the time or not, you need to make time to blanch your leeks before freezing them. It’ll only take an extra 5 minutes and can make a huge difference to the quality of your frozen leeks.