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Stoooopid Question

Ok, stupid question. As much as I've done with peppers I've never froze them for later use... Is there any prep that needs to be done before I freeze the suckers? Do I just place them in a ziplock baggy and throw them in the freezer?
 
Works for me, although I try to eat them fresh now because they become limp after thawing, probably from expanding water breaking the cell walls.
 
Freezing is a great way to store your pods and have the option of drying, smoking, or pureeing them later. I recommend using a vaccuum sealer so you can keep them airtight (no 'icing up') and therefore keep them longer. They run from about $30-$100 or so and the bags are heavy-duty and reuseable. If your pods are "juicy", the liquid may get sucked into the machine and you may not have a good seal or not get enough air out. Just freeze them first on a tray, then pop them into the bag and seal. You can also keep fresh meat frozen twice as long this way too.

brookthecook
 
I wonder if freezing them in water would help protect them during the freezing process. Probably not but now I've thought of it I'm going to try it with a few.
 
I roast my larger peppers before freezing but habs and smaller chiles freeze well as is. If you freeze them first on a tray like setzuanfire suggested, it will be easier to take a few when needed instead of a big clump.
 
imaguitargod said:
Ok, stupid question. As much as I've done with peppers I've never froze them for later use... Is there any prep that needs to be done before I freeze the suckers? Do I just place them in a ziplock baggy and throw them in the freezer?

I just chop them and place them in a freezer bag, they last me long time...
 
imaguitargod said:
Ok, stupid question. As much as I've done with peppers I've never froze them for later use... Is there any prep that needs to be done before I freeze the suckers? Do I just place them in a ziplock baggy and throw them in the freezer?

I've thrown the ones with thicker skin in the freezer whole, but my mom warned me that the peppers with thinner skin(like habs) would have problems because of cellular damage from freezing...so i slice those up and toss em in a bag.

I also nuke em for a few seconds(3-6 or so) before using them to soften em up just enough to cut them up before i use them, but not to long where they go limp.
 
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