Spinach typically gets soft and mushy after being frozen, but because it retains all the nutrients and flavor, it's a perfect ingredient for smoothies and cooked dishes. Blanching them ensures that they remain edible for longer periods, but you can freeze them raw as well. Consider freezing them as a puree as well, if you plan on using them only in liquid preparations.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Cleaning
Step 1. Soak them in cold water
Place the fresh spinach leaves in a large bowl and cover them with cold, clean water.
Use your hands to mix and select them while they are soaked; remove damaged leaves, weeds, insects, pebbles and other residues
Step 2. Rinse thoroughly
Throw away the water and transfer the vegetables to a large colander; rinse it again with cold running water for about 30 seconds.
If you've been thorough enough, you should have removed most of the residue with the first wash and rinse. If you want to be even more cautious or want to clean leaves that appear particularly dirty, repeat both steps twice to get rid of as much soil as possible
Step 3. Thoroughly dry the vegetables
Place them in a salad spinner and rotate the latter to remove as much water as possible.
- If you don't have this utensil, you can wrap the spinach in kitchen paper and gently squeeze out the excess moisture; afterwards, place the leaves on a layer of new paper for 10-15 minutes to let them dry.
- If you plan to freeze them raw and not blanched, it is important that they are perfectly dry, while this detail does not matter much if you decide to turn them into a puree or blanch them.
Method 2 of 4: Not Blanched
Step 1. Place the spinach in freezer bags
Fill one or more bags with as much leaves as possible, squeeze them to get rid of excess air, and then seal them.
- Don't be afraid to compact the vegetables too much; in fact, this technique is recommended because an excessive space between the leaves favors the formation of air pockets.
- You could also use plastic containers, but they do not guarantee excellent results, as they do not allow excess air to be removed before being sealed.
Step 2. Put the spinach in the freezer
They should remain edible for about 6 months.
- When you are ready to consume them, defrost them for several hours and squeeze them to remove excess moisture before cooking or eating them.
- Cell membranes break during freezing, which makes thawed leaves too soft to be eaten raw; however, you can still add them to smoothies and cooked preparations.
Method 3 of 4: Blanch
Step 1. Boil some water
Fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the spinach and place it over the stove over medium-high heat; wait for the water to boil steadily.
Remember that this traditional process preserves the color and flavor of the vegetable, but could cause it to lose some of its nutrients; to minimize this, consider blanching the steamed spinach. Prepare the steamer by placing a specific basket over the pot of boiling water
Step 2. Cook the leaves briefly for 2 minutes
Quickly throw them into the water and cover the pan; start measuring times immediately and drain after 2 minutes.
- If you have decided to use steam, put the leaves in the basket and immediately cover it with the lid; an almost hermetic seal is required to keep enough steam inside for cooking.
- If you are blanching them in water instead, know that the liquid will turn green during cooking.
Step 3. Transfer them to ice water
Extract them with a slotted spoon and put them in a large salad bowl full of ice and water; leave them immersed for 2 minutes.
The rapid change in temperature stops cooking and the loss of nutrients; moreover, it favors the preservation of the color and flavor of the vegetables
Step 4. Dry the spinach
Place them in a salad spinner and turn the latter until they look dry.
If you don't have this utensil, place the leaves in a large colander and prepare several sheets of kitchen paper; let them drain for about 20 minutes and then use the paper to pat them off and remove excess moisture
Step 5. Transfer them to freezer bags
Place the leaves in bags suitable for freezing and squeeze them well to eliminate air before sealing them.
While it is technically possible to use plastic containers instead of bags, remember that doing so increases the risk of freeze damage, as you cannot remove excess air
Step 6. Put the spinach in the freezer
Transfer the bags to the appliance to preserve the vegetables for a long time which, when well blanched, remain edible for up to 9-14 months.
Defrost them in the refrigerator for several hours before using them; as they tend to be soggy, you can't eat them raw, but you can incorporate them into smoothies and cooked dishes
Method 4 of 4: In Puree
Step 1. Blend the spinach with the water
Transfer 6 parts of vegetables with 1 of liquid in a normal blender glass; put the lid on and operate the appliance until you get a thick and smooth puree.
- With most blenders, you don't have to fill the glass more than half the capacity to allow the blades to reach all the ingredients.
- You need the minimum amount of water sufficient to allow the appliance to work; if the blades do not rotate well with the initial dose of liquid, add a little at a time.
Step 2. Pour the mixture into the molds
Once the puree is obtained, pour it into clean trays for ice cubes or similar containers; fill each compartment leaving a free space of 5-6 mm up to the edge.
- If you don't have spare ice trays, consider using mini-muffin pans, traditional muffin pans, or candy molds.
- Silicone molds and trays are perfect, but you can use plastic ones too.
Step 3. Freeze the puree until solid
Put the molds in the freezer for about 4 hours or until the mixture is well hardened.
Step 4. Transfer cubes to freezer bags
Remove them from the molds and place them in regular freezer bags removing excess air before sealing them.
If you find it difficult to remove the cubes, let them thaw at room temperature for a few minutes; try again when the sides and bottom have softened, but before the whole cube has melted
Step 5. Freeze the puree
Store the bags in the freezer, where you can store the vegetables for up to a year.
