Frozen food gets a bad rap in comparison to fresh foods. You rarely see a cooking show that features frozen food, and most recipes seem to call for fresh. However, there's a number of benefits to cooking with frozen food that shouldn't be overlooked.
1.) It's Going to Last
It's a little embarassing how many times I have bought a bunch of fresh vegetables swearing I'm going to make myself a salad, only to have the spinach wilt in the crisper. Granted, frozen vegetables may not make the best salad, but one website lists 35 uses for frozen spinach alone - and you don't have to worry about it going bad.
2) It's just as healthy as fresh - if not more
What few people know about frozen food is that since it's flash frozen very quickly after harvest, it maintains the majority of it's nutritional value - potentially more than fresh food.
3) It could hardly be more convenient
These days frozen fruits and vegetables come pre-cut, washed and ready to cook - often they can be steamed right in the bag (consider the wide variety offered by Green Giant). The only thing you have to do is choose your method of defrosting, which can be as easy as microwaving for a few minutes, steaming, roasting, etc.
4) Frozen fruits make smoothies super simple
If not for frozen fruit, I think it’d be almost impossible to make a good smoothie every day. However, with a freezer well stocked with frozen fruits and berries, the combinations are easy and nearly endless. You can use frozen fruit to make a tropical fruit smoothie, a vanilla-fruit smoothie, or even a super healthy mixed berry and beat smoothie.
5) Crockpot + Frozen vegetables = endless possibilities.
My personal favorite use of frozen vegetables is throwing them in the crock pot. I keep a bunch of frozen vegetables on hand, and throw them in the crock pot in the morning with whatever else I want for dinner. It’s a really easy way to eat your vegetables, and since it’s going to slow cook for hours you don’t have to worry about it defrosting unevenly or not enough, nor do you have to steam anything first. Just toss and go. Here’s a recipe that consists almost entirely of frozen vegetables. And another for delicious beef vegetable soup.
Don’t be afraid to experiment on your own – it’s almost impossible to mess up a crock pot recipe, especially since frozen vegetables already contain enough of their own water to ensure they won’t burn when cooked for a long time.
1.) It's Going to Last
It's a little embarassing how many times I have bought a bunch of fresh vegetables swearing I'm going to make myself a salad, only to have the spinach wilt in the crisper. Granted, frozen vegetables may not make the best salad, but one website lists 35 uses for frozen spinach alone - and you don't have to worry about it going bad.
2) It's just as healthy as fresh - if not more
What few people know about frozen food is that since it's flash frozen very quickly after harvest, it maintains the majority of it's nutritional value - potentially more than fresh food.
3) It could hardly be more convenient
These days frozen fruits and vegetables come pre-cut, washed and ready to cook - often they can be steamed right in the bag (consider the wide variety offered by Green Giant). The only thing you have to do is choose your method of defrosting, which can be as easy as microwaving for a few minutes, steaming, roasting, etc.
4) Frozen fruits make smoothies super simple
If not for frozen fruit, I think it’d be almost impossible to make a good smoothie every day. However, with a freezer well stocked with frozen fruits and berries, the combinations are easy and nearly endless. You can use frozen fruit to make a tropical fruit smoothie, a vanilla-fruit smoothie, or even a super healthy mixed berry and beat smoothie.
5) Crockpot + Frozen vegetables = endless possibilities.
My personal favorite use of frozen vegetables is throwing them in the crock pot. I keep a bunch of frozen vegetables on hand, and throw them in the crock pot in the morning with whatever else I want for dinner. It’s a really easy way to eat your vegetables, and since it’s going to slow cook for hours you don’t have to worry about it defrosting unevenly or not enough, nor do you have to steam anything first. Just toss and go. Here’s a recipe that consists almost entirely of frozen vegetables. And another for delicious beef vegetable soup.
Don’t be afraid to experiment on your own – it’s almost impossible to mess up a crock pot recipe, especially since frozen vegetables already contain enough of their own water to ensure they won’t burn when cooked for a long time.