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Freezing Jalapenos???

Gengar

Gengar

Last week I had some extra Jalapenos that I harvisted. After I picked them, I just threw them in a freezer bag and froze them. The guys at work said they will go stale fast and I should have flashed cooked them first. What is the proper way to freeze my extra Jalapenos?
 
You did it right. Cooked then frozen would = mush.

Freezing is not ideal though but I've read on this forum it's not so bad.
 
I froze some peppers this winter and they were okay, they only lasted about 3/4 months. I would recommend using the new ziplock bags that you can make air tight, you may have better luck.
 
If you're going to make a sauce or cook with them freezing is great. They get soft after freezing but taste the same.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
Gengar said:
Last week I had some extra Jalapenos that I harvisted. After I picked them, I just threw them in a freezer bag and froze them. The guys at work said they will go stale fast and I should have flashed cooked them first. What is the proper way to freeze my extra Jalapenos?
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I'm sure there are several ways to freeze extra jalapenos, but I think it depends on how you will end-up using the chiles. If you're going to cook with them, roast them on a grill or on the stove top, then freeze them in a zip-lock bag. Don't put them all in one bag, just enough for making one meal. I have kept roasted pods in the freezer for up to one year, and they never got stale. If you plan on using them for ABT's or poppers, frozen chiles will not have the same texture as fresh. This thought can be applied to making salsa, or a fresh pico de gallo. It's all good my friend.
 
yeah freezing is definitely not optimal, but drying or freezing is all we can do with our excess peppers and it works well. What I usually do is make a concentrate from the fresh pods and a bit of vinegar then freeze bottle/jars of it. That seems to work for me and then I'll use it to make sauces or add to cooking later. texture seems to be the main issue with freezing but it does the job.
 
I plan on putting up a bunch of pods this year vacuum packed, then frozen...VPing extends the life X at least 5 IMO...
 
Freezing them works well... make sure you package them in small batches. If you put them in a gallon bag and open it to use only the ones you want over time there will be ice build up because of the moisture that enters during opening.
 
Wasatch said:
I will be putting them in whole. Is this better than cutting them up?
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Never tried cutting them up before packing. Should work... what I do is pop them in the oven for 10 minutes so they swell back up after defrosting and then cut them up.
 
If you will be chopping up the peppers after defrosting, you might as well get the chopping done now and save time later. Here's a process I find works well.

Chop the chiles in the food processor, maybe with a tablespoon or 2 of water to keep them moving around the bowl, and then freeze them in FLAT 1 pint ziploc freezer bags (or smaller freezer bags if you can find them). You can break off what you need or even quickly defrost the bag in micro or hot water and then put the rest back in the freezer.

This also works well for ground garlic. You can buy one of the big jugs of peeled garlic at Costco, grind it and freeze it.

Make sure to squeeze all the air to of the bags before sealing them to prevent freezer burn.



And as AJ says, if you have the capacity/equipment to vacuum-pack, that is an excellent option!
 
If you want poppers from the jalapenos I usually cut them in half and freeze or hollow out the pepper and freeze. Since you are going to cook the poppers they will be fine. I don't even thaw jalapenos, stuff them frozen and cook. Frozen peppers are best cooked so dicing them up before freezing is a good idea. I hollow the bell peppers or any pepper I plan to stuff. They all turn out fine.
 
I generally only cook with the peppers I freeze and have never had any problem just stuffing them in a ziplock and tossing them in the freezer. I just pull them out as I need them.

I suggest you cut them while frozen.
 
Vacuum packing has been the best for me, like 3 or 4 to a package. I also take some and dice them up really well, put them in a sandwich-sized ziplock, and flatten it out in the freezer, so it makes a nice little patty.... Then, for cooking in the winter, open it up, break off a little piece, and toss it in the pot/pan....
 
as i dont get the chance to harvest copious amonts everyday from my habanero plants i started to freeze them in order to build up enough to cook with... i found no problem at all with it... they do lose their crispness or elasticity but i found no change in heat...
 
I froze about three lbs of Orange Habs from the last pick of '10..... Washed them and let them completely dry, then put them in sandwich size bags. Pulled some out about a month ago and they were mush :(

What did I do wrong?
 
i've never experienced a chile that didn't turn to mush once it has been frozen. I just find ways to use them when they are not fresh and crisp. It's all good my friend.
 
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