Vac Packing Snow Peas. Need some advice.

[Gunslinger]

Anyone that has been for a while knows I'm kinda anal about food safety, as we all should be.
We always blanch our snow peas, then vac pack. But I really don't care for the quality after blanching.
Do you really think it's necessary to blanch if it's going into the freezer and gets cooked before eating?

[HawgHeaven]

I've done veggies in containers filled with water... no freezer burn that way, original flavor, but takes up more freezer space. Do you notice a really big flavor/texture difference in the blanched? I much prefer the blanch/vacusuck method meself...

[Richtee]

Gunny...I kinda doubt there would be much issue freezing them fresh. But the water pack idea sounds better than the vac, really. Less damage to the stuff, and it's an air-tight seal.

[HawgHeaven]

Gunny...I kinda doubt there would be much issue freezing them fresh. But the water pack idea sounds better than the vac, really. Less damage to the stuff, and it's an air-tight seal.

True dat. Gallon ziplocks with water work well too...

Also, as an aside, me Dad and I used to freeze Walleye fillets in quart containers filled with water... they kept 4evr.

[ALX]

I have always blanched mine...1 minute in boiling water then into ice water a couple minutes and vac u sealed and frozen....Obviously that stops any enzymatic activity that could become a problem.....

I use mine in stir-fry a lot,but they dont have that fresh picked crispness etc....

Not sure personaly on just freezing..That could possibly mess with the structure as well..I would guess how quickly they actualy freeze could be important....From a safety stand point i am comfortable with the blanching process and as you mentioned you sacrifice some quality...

If you try it and like it let us know......I am always game to try new things...

[Gunslinger]

Gunny...I kinda doubt there would be much issue freezing them fresh. But the water pack idea sounds better than the vac, really. Less damage to the stuff, and it's an air-tight seal.

This is how we do corn on the cob. Cover it with water in a zip lock and freeze. Tastes fresh when thawed and cooked.

True dat. Gallon ziplocks with water work well too...

Also, as an aside, me Dad and I used to freeze Walleye fillets in quart containers filled with water... they kept 4evr.

We do all our fish like this. Tastes so fresh, you almost expect it start wiggling while thawing.

I have always blanched mine...1 minute in boiling water then into ice water a couple minutes and vac u sealed and frozen....Obviously that stops any enzymatic activity that could become a problem.....

I use mine in stir-fry a lot,but they dont have that fresh picked crispness etc....

Not sure personaly on just freezing..That could possibly mess with the structure as well..I would guess how quickly they actualy freeze could be important....From a safety stand point i am comfortable with the blanching process and as you mentioned you sacrifice some quality...

If you try it and like it let us know......I am always game to try new things...

We have an abundance this year, so I'm going to try both methods. Vac/no blanch and submerged in water. I will report back in a couple of months.
I hate limp snow peas.

[HawgHeaven]

...I hate limp snow peas.

I just hate limp... been working on that...

Seriously, the water method really works well over a longer period of time. You gotta bunch, go with that I'd say.

[ALX]

Awesome TOM....Look forward to results....I should have mentioned after blanching i lay them out on those large restaurant style aluminum trays and freeze em as quick as possible before vac u sealing and long term storage....they are still not like fresh picked though........Not how i use them for cooking fresh,but i certainly understand your original point....It would be nice if they were more firmer if need be....I literaly had thousands on a 20 foot double row growing up a fence this year and every year thats good......

[Richtee]

Awesome TOM....Look forward to results....I should have mentioned after blanching i lay them out on those large restaurant style aluminum trays and freeze em as quick as possible before vac u sealing and long term storage.

Hmmm interesting too.. a 'flash freeze" and the freeze will preserve the structure from being crushed in the vac. Hmm...

[ALX]

Hmmm interesting too.. a 'flash freeze" and the freeze will preserve the structure from being crushed in the vac. Hmm...

Well...not quite flash freeze as in industry style......but it helps a bit to lay em out on the trays and freeze solid and then seal and freeze....Having blanched and frozen fresh picked snow peas all me life/family...I still agree with TOM as far as the cooking/texture can be limited as opposed to a fresh snow pea....I basicaly use em in my winter time stir fry deals and all the flavors meld so the texture doesnt matter as much......

I grow them spring and fall so i get my fill of fresh,but if anyway/anybody comes up with a way to get them tastier/crisper after blanching and storage then im all ears.....

[Fire it up]

It's almost impossible to get the same results from home frozen peas compared to the ones that you would find frozen in the store because of the methods they use and temperatures their freezers can drop to (-18F).
As for the blanching them I believe that is more to retain uniform color than any safety aspect, at least with regular peas it is.

Not sure if you can actually purchase special equipment for quick freezing things at home or if you can how expensive it would be.

Here is a list with descriptions of the most popular commercial freezing methods, it's pretty interesting the different ways they go about it
http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-...zing-1208.html

[ALX]

Blanching has nothing to do with color....It is all about safety and storage and trying keep the item usuable.....


Anything from dirt can be lethal.......the hot water insures sterilization before ice bath then freezing from .."enzymatic actions"

Where you get this info JIM

It's almost impossible to get the same results from home frozen peas compared to the ones that you would find frozen in the store because of the methods they use and temperatures their freezers can drop to (-18F).
As for the blanching them I believe that is more to retain uniform color than any safety aspect, at least with regular peas it is.

Not sure if you can actually purchase special equipment for quick freezing things at home or if you can how expensive it would be.

Here is a list with descriptions of the most popular commercial freezing methods, it's pretty interesting the different ways they go about it
http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-...zing-1208.html

[Richtee]

Blanching has nothing to do with color....It is all about safety and storage and trying keep the item usuable.....


Anything from dirt can be lethal.......the hot water insures sterilization before ice bath then freezing from .."enzymatic actions"

Where you get this info JIM

If you wash the pods, the peas inside SHOULD be sterile. I suppose one could rinse them in a sanatizing solution

http://supermarketnews.com/health-am...safe-sanitizer
instead of the blanch. Seriously tho... the frozen in water, than cooked...is the same as fresh cooked... in the saftey arena.

[Fire it up]

Blanching has nothing to do with color....It is all about safety and storage and trying keep the item usuable.....


Anything from dirt can be lethal.......the hot water insures sterilization before ice bath then freezing from .."enzymatic actions"

Where you get this info JIM

The blanching absolutely does help to retain a uniform color, or I should say it seals in the color by closing the pores of the vegetable.

The more lethal things that come from the ground are those that actually develop in dirt such as onions, potatoes and garlic but you are right about sterilizing and stopping the spread of bacterial growth in foods although it is not always necessary and depends highly on what item you are considering freezing or storing.
Regular peas it isn't necessary but with snow peas it is recommended, I'm assuming because of the pod of the snow peas.

[Fire it up]

Seriously tho... the frozen in water, than cooked...is the same as fresh cooked... in the saftey arena.

Absolutely, as long as you cook it at a proper temperature (250ish I think?) for 3 minutes or longer it will be completely safe even in instances of botulism tainted products because once the spores are dead there is no threat.