Lan Lam is wonderful. She always gets the physics right, which is rare, and thinks in terms of concepts like "democratizing," exactly the opposite of what trendy food influencers try to sell us on.
She could read a phone book and it'd be a pleasure to listen! There is an astrophysicist who is a similarly gifted educator. Search for Lisa Kaltenegger.
Freezing is also an excellent way to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls. Instead of blanching a head of cabbage, peeling off the (very *hot* ) leaves with tongs as they soften, simply freeze the entire head, and then dunk it into a large bowl of lukewarm water, and remove the leaves after they've thawed. Much safer, easier, and this technique leaves more cabbage flavor and color. Another L. L. excellent video.
#1.I love to buy lemons and limes in bulk from Costco, put them in gallon freezer bags (unpeeled) and freeze them, ..then thaw them out it the microwave as I use them. Freezing citrus makes the membranes burst and I always tend to get more juice out of them after they are frozen, plus you can still zest them. Just don't go too far when thawing them in microwave because they will burst. I usually do 20 seconds on high, turn, 20 more,...etc until they are thawed but not hot. (900 W Micro) They keep a long time in the freezer. I also like to freeze several for just a couple of days, thaw them out, juice them with my electric juicer, and then freeze the juice in cubes so that I can grab a frozen cube if needed for things such as marinades, sauces, etc. #2.Frozen grapes are a special treat, especially in Summer. (Better than popsicles!)
Freezing firm tofu is a great way to rid it of excess water when it thaws, so you don't have to wait as long to squeeze out the water. It produces a more crispy exterior when you fry it.
I was going to write about freezing tofu also. I learned this technique 30 (gulp!) years ago and I still use it today. I freeze all of my extra-firm tofu in the original packaging. When it’s time to cook, I remove the packaging and then microwave the block of tofu for about 6 minutes. Then I use two plates to squeeze the moisture out (or a potato masher to squeeze, not to mash). It gives the tofu a much chewier texture especially if I’m frying it since that also removes more moisture.
In case anybody else reading this is a biologist, freeze 'n' squeeze also works as a way to extract DNA from agarose gel slices if you don't have a gel extraction kit
100% they’re both lovely, charismatic, awesome to listen to, they always hit the mark, they’re great presenters and the information is always something I can learn from, while being short and memorable.
WIth the detailed understanding that Lan teaches, I have become interested in cooking. She is so great at explaining cooking. Yet, another great Lan Lam video!
You can actually use the freezer deliberately for some recipes. If, for example, when making stuffed cabbage you simply freeze the entire head of cabbage a few days ahead and then thaw it in the fridge the day before, you can just peel the leaves off and they will be the sames as if you blanched them first but with no loss of flavor and no fussing with boiling pots of water. Freezing bananas is another way to soften them for use in banana bread. And if you are making ATK's banana bread they can go straight into the microwave.
I did the frozen cabbage trick but unfortunately freezing the cabbage caused many of the leaves to crack which rendered them kind of useless for wrapping.
We need the frozen broccoli hacks please Ms. Lan and ATK!! This is the number one veggie we use in our house, and it would be so awesome to have alternatives to steaming
i've been using frozen "steam in bag" vegetables for a few years now. they cook up great from frozen in stir frys, soups, and casseroles, and significantly reduce the amount of food i throw away due to spoilage.
My favorite frozen item? Corn. Makes a great creamed corn. Way easier than cutting fresh corn off the cob, and the pieces are much more uniform. Any liquid leaking out of the corn is in the pot and adds to the flavor. Two pounds of frozen corn thawed in a pot. Add some cream and butter, then a quick butter/flour roux if it needs thickening. Salt, pepper, and herbs to taste, and you're good to go.
I sometimes like to place frozen spinach directly into my white sauces; the spinach will give off plenty of its water and infuse the sauce with spinach flavor more so than if I sauteed them or wringed out the extra moisture. I just make sure my sauce is slightly lacking in water and the spinach liquid balances it all out.
I have always used the individual freezing method to keep the pieces from freezing together into a large frozen lump that cannot be portioned out. I pat dry or use a salad spinner to spin dry the washed fruit or blanched vegetables, spread them out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet not allowing the pieces to touch, then set the sheet in my freezer uncovered. When frozen you can scoop them into a freezer bag, label and store in your freezer for up to a year, portioning out only what you need when you need it. The parchment paper prevents the pieces from freezing to the metal sheet and for those pieces that didnt get spun or pat dry enough before freezing, they can be peeled off the parchment paper easily enough if they do stick a little.
I have recently tried placing vegetables in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, to refresh and rehydrate them. Before patting them dry, then freezing them on a baking tray.
I do this with leftover roasted chicken. I shred it and then freeze on a baking sheet. When I want to make tacos, or add to soup, pasta, etc it’s super easy.
Plus they are usually biochemically "fresher" than normal room temperature produce because they are usually processed and frozen right after, or very close to, being harvested.
I could watch Lan Lam cooking and teaching everyday. She is beautiful and knowledgeable. She could easily become a TH-cam sensation if she had her own channel. Step aside Chef Jean Pierre!
Early in the pandemic (when people were panicking about food availability) a man remarked to me his surprise at the rising costs and lack of availability of frozen food. After that I started to see the benefits and features of frozen food. Thank you for this video. Please consider making this a series.
In 2020 there was suddenly a ton of frozen blueberries very cheap in South African supermarkets. I assume it was due to difficulties in exporting them due to the pandemic-associated global supply chain problems. I took advantage and stocked up.
Always good info from Lan. I try to keep bags of frozen veggies on hand as they are so versatile and they don't go bad like fresh can if not used quickly. Lan's idea to use the benefit of freezing is a great idea.
I have recently tried placing vegetables in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, to refresh and rehydrate them. Before patting them dry, then freezing them on a baking tray.
I’ve locked horns with my husband about his habit of throwing away the green portion of scallions! Whenever I catch him getting ready to toss this deliciousness, I grab them, slice them finely, and spread them on a baking sheet. Place them in the freezer for a bit, and vac seal them. I use them all of the time in various things!! Similar situation with chopped white or yellow onions - I never toss them out! Maybe someday I won’t have to play detective during his prep and cooking. Fair play though - he’s a great cook!! I just wish he’d listen to me!
I make homemade fruit topping for waffles using frozen fruit - Strawberries thawed in microwave and smooshed with a fork or Peaches food processed while still frozen then warmed up in a saucepan with a pinch of cinnamon. Both are so easy to do and don't get in the way of making the waffles. The extra liquid you get from the frozen fruit is perfect for waffles.
I love adding frozen fruit to oatmeal and pancake mix. I make pb&j pancakes adding in blended frozen fruit (chunky) and 1T of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) to the mix ..so good
So many web chefs say use frozen berries and veggies because they are picked at peak ripness and flash frozen, which is true, but they don't address the cell damage caused by freezing. Thanks for the clear explanation of why and when to use frozen.
I freeze sliced leeks for soup in separate bags for the white and green parts of the leeks. I also scrape ginger root with a spoon and cut slices to freeze for chai making.
Thank you, Lan! Because of where I have lived and how I learned to cook--when frozen-or-canned was not an option--I have a severe prejudice against frozen anything that needs to be educated and refined. This is very helpful.
My favourite application of this? Prepping frozen mirepoix. For me, soup season lasts 6 months and happen twice a year, so preparing ingredients I love to have in soups, stews (or even sauces) is a game changer. I do the same with Green Onions for my nostalgia Ramen cravings, or with Shallots for pan sauces, too.
I was just talking to a friend today about the great benefits of using frozen vegetables for certain recipes. A lot of times they're cheaper, come already broken down, and they usually have been picked at the peak of ripeness and immediately frozen to protect the nutrition in the vegetables. I'm fine with them as a chef. I actually value them and use them regularly.
I always keep frozen cherries in the freezer, I use them in baking, to make a quick compote for adding to yogurt or as a topping. After spending an hour peeling fresh pearl onions the first time I made Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, can't tell you how much I appreciate frozen pearl onions!
i can't get frozen pearl onions where i am, but if you blanch them in boiling water and then throw them in an ice bath, the peel with come off pretty quickly and easily!
Had a conversation with a friend recently about making saag. I said you gotta use frozen spinich.... he did and agreed completely! Not only do you avoid the whole cooking down of the spinach, but the end result is exactly as expected, and cheaper too!
The crystal growth can actually start again when thawing slowly. For max crispness, quick thawing, like with a microwave, is better than slowly in bulk in e.g. the refrigarator.
I have to learn who that is but when I see A Country Life, the video gets automatically thumbs-upped even before I read the title. Jennifer has never made an offensive video in all the many, many years I've been a follower.
We use frozen peas in chicken salad. They are added after the chicken, chopped celery, onion, and just before the mayo. We let the salad rest a few minutes while plates, bread/crakers, etc. are set out.
When making homemade stock, I always use frozen vegetable scraps to give it more flavor. That's another way of using frozen produce. Sometimes, I'd have some fresh herbs that I might not be able to use up before they turn bad. I would also freeze them. So when it's time to make stock, I'll just put the frozen herbs in it too.
I use organic frozen veggies, Better than Bouillon, water, and a can of organic diced tomatoes to make a quick veggie soup. I add whatever fresh herbs I pick from my garden. Adding a cheese crouton makes it more hearty.
Frozen raspberries or rhubarb are wonderful ingredients we use from our garden in northern Alberta. Given the short growing season here, frozen produce from stores allows us to cook a wide range of dishes year round. Thanks so much for this video!
frozen mango is my fav. I normally just make icecream with frozen fruits. Mixed with milk, or yogurt, or cream. Just a pinch of salt and rarely any extra sugar. recently ive been trying adding oat powder. It becomes a bit more mousse like. Thanks for the tea and the relish ideas!
Blueberries are one of my favourite freezer item. They make perfect pies, marvelous muffins, and super smoothies. Yes, there is more liquid, but you can either use it in your recipe or drain it and throw it away. For pancakes and muffins, I put them in the recipe still slightly frozen so they hold their shape better. When you bite into the finished muffin, you get a little explosion of juicey blueberry! Also frozen kale is great for adding to soups, or for making pesto. Walnut kale pesto is so yummy on pasta or with cheese.
One of my favorite freezer hacks is freezing very ripe bananas. The juice they release when defrosted is gold and the fruit is ready for bananas bread. I also get more consistently in my banana bread by separating the juice from the fruit.
I mean, I’m a little bit basic when it comes to frozen food, my favourite thing is putting frozen mixed berries in a smoothie, I don’t have to add additional ice which waters down the smoothie, and it taste delicious and creamy!
Favorite frozen foods: Organic Bananas for "nice" cream and smoothies, Organic Cherries- everything you puree or cook cherries in, Broccoli - great to throw in a 1 pot dish just before it's done (no thawing ahead of time needed), mixed vegetables to make a quick pot pie filling just mix with leftover chicken/ turkey and gravy - dump into pie shell. Favorite episodes on America's Test Kitchen: Techniquely with Lan Lam!
I would be curious to hear what vegetables/fruit you do not recommend using frozen, even when going into a cooked meal. Thanks! The main one that I have struggled with is frozen brocolli, which seems to only do well if used in soupier applications, but maybe I am not doing it right.
Frozen haricots verts or "extra fine whole green beans" are a staple in my kitchen. They have always been my favorite dinner vegetable, they go well with so many different cuisines, and I prefer them cooked very tender. I think "tender-crisp" is the death of good flavor and good cooking.
I'd never been blessed to try them before becoming a gardener in my own home. I had no idea what 'French' green beans were...all I'd ever known were basic green string beans. Wowie, what an amazing difference French green beans are and especially when cooked 'tender crisp'. AND...when you home-process a great varietal you end up with a superior product that can never be purchased on supermarket shelves. PS, my fav is 'Carminat' which is a purple, French, pole bean. Easy to grow, prolific and easy to see to harvest. Great fresh eating and pressure cans nicely too.
Love love love your segments. Thanks for great content! I like to use frozen broccoli florets sautéed in olive oil and tossed with ditalini and cheese. The 'mushy' texture contributes to a sauce like consistency when mixed with a little pasta water and fresh grated parm.
I’ve been combing through the comments looking how to treat frozen broccoli! the sogginess in previous attempts has been upsetting to say the least. this is exciting, I’m totally going to try this!
Blueberries is my favorite frozen store bought produce. From my garden i freeze 60lbs of tomatoes a year. I freeze them with the skin on and depending on time and size I may core them and halve them. It’s great because when you unthaw them, you lose some of the juice and the skins just slide off. I use them for sauce. I also freeze collard greens . I blanch them and then throw them in a Ziploc bag press out the air and they keep over a year. I cook them like I normally would any collard greens. I also freeze sweet pepper. I cut them up and individually freeze them and then I vacuum seal and freeze. They are good for cooking only.
I been using frozen pearl onions for my brisket. i made a butternut squash and pearl onion brisket was good buttt the squash turned to mush and disintegrated. so best as a side dish. i love to experiment sometimes it's awesome other times not so much lol
Thanks for your video! I love to incorporate frozen corn in my tuna salad. It thaws quickly (when mixed with the tuna and mayo, etc.) and provides a sweet crunch that I love. I often prefer frozen berries to fresh because I can buy organic ones cheaply (like at Trader Joe’s); non-organic berries can have pesticides in them. And one more favorite: frozen grapes as a snack. When I have leftover grapes, I remove them from the stem and throw them in a freezer Ziploc. When I first did this, I was surprised that the grapes were still soft; I thought they would be too icy to eat from the freezer! Happily, I was wrong.
I use frozen cut green beans in my green bean casserole recipe. I also like steamer bag frozen vegetables as an easy side dish to get our vitamins and minerals.
I always but fresh fruit and individually freeze them on a sheet pan and then ziplock. It works great for chopped up cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melons also. They become my ice-cream!!
I like to add berries to my breakfast cereal - oatmeal porridge in the winter, homemade muesli in the summer. This year I bought a huge flat of raspberries (my favourite) and froze them on sheet trays and then stored in vacuum bags. Yes, they're a bit mushy, but that's OK with me! Thanks for these tips and live your videos.
In the summer, I like freezing watermelon chunks, then taking them out of the freezer and put them in the food processor with fresh lime juice to make a watermelon sorbet. If you need to sweeten it, you can dissolve some sugar in the lime juice or use a simple sugar syrup. If you want it more creamy, you can add either dairy or coconut milk.
Excellent! This is one of my favorite segments on ATK nowadays. Along with What’s Eating Dan. I’ve sort of drifted away from the regular TV series as I’m finding the recipes less “democratizing” (great new favorite word!) than they used to be. Thank you for making frozen food one of the ‘cool kids’. 😎 😊
Frozen bagged corn. Dropped frozen into pinto beans or kidney beans for the last 5 minutes. Frozen sliced sweet or mild hot peppers, frozen on a tray, for chili beans or con carne or… And parsley frozen flat, just the leaves, for topping stew or soup.
my six-year-old craves frozen peas and frozen corn as a snack. not pulled from the freezer and heated with butter and salt... no. in a bowl, completely frozen. i but then in the pound-sized bags now.. 😅
Freezing fruits before making fruit wine is an excellent way to soften the fruit and help it break down quicker during the first few weeks of the fermentation process. It's also a good way to use fruits that may be out of season when you want to start a new batch of wine.
Lan Lam is wonderful. She always gets the physics right, which is rare, and thinks in terms of concepts like "democratizing," exactly the opposite of what trendy food influencers try to sell us on.
How right you are on Lam Lam.
I’d say you took the words right out my mouth but you put it better than I ever could have .
Yeees! 💜
She could read a phone book and it'd be a pleasure to listen!
There is an astrophysicist who is a similarly gifted educator. Search for Lisa Kaltenegger.
I especially love how she explains the science in a way I can easily grasp.
Lan Lam is my favorite ATK presenter. Her calm and lovely demeanor combined with her inner scientist make her interesting and educational.
But I like them all, each has their own special talent.
Freezing is also an excellent way to prepare cabbage for cabbage rolls. Instead of blanching a head of cabbage, peeling off the (very *hot* ) leaves with tongs as they soften, simply freeze the entire head, and then dunk it into a large bowl of lukewarm water, and remove the leaves after they've thawed.
Much safer, easier, and this technique leaves more cabbage flavor and color.
Another L. L. excellent video.
Great tip!
I agree, this is a great tip. Thanks for sharing.
This is genius!
#1.I love to buy lemons and limes in bulk from Costco, put them in gallon freezer bags (unpeeled) and freeze them, ..then thaw them out it the microwave as I use them. Freezing citrus makes the membranes burst and I always tend to get more juice out of them after they are frozen, plus you can still zest them. Just don't go too far when thawing them in microwave because they will burst. I usually do 20 seconds on high, turn, 20 more,...etc until they are thawed but not hot. (900 W Micro)
They keep a long time in the freezer.
I also like to freeze several for just a couple of days, thaw them out, juice them with my electric juicer, and then freeze the juice in cubes so that I can grab a frozen cube if needed for things such as marinades, sauces, etc.
#2.Frozen grapes are a special treat, especially in Summer. (Better than popsicles!)
That's a great tip for citrus, thank you. Going to chuck a lemon in the freezer right now.
Her word is gospel at this point in my journey to be the best home cook I can be.
She has great info and also cooking myth busting, lots of ideas on how to make food easier. All of which are very valuable.
Well said
Freezing firm tofu is a great way to rid it of excess water when it thaws, so you don't have to wait as long to squeeze out the water. It produces a more crispy exterior when you fry it.
Very interesting idea I will have to try this out next me
Some of these comments (like yours) are blowing my mind! Thank you :)
I was going to write about freezing tofu also. I learned this technique 30 (gulp!) years ago and I still use it today.
I freeze all of my extra-firm tofu in the original packaging. When it’s time to cook, I remove the packaging and then microwave the block of tofu for about 6 minutes. Then I use two plates to squeeze the moisture out (or a potato masher to squeeze, not to mash). It gives the tofu a much chewier texture especially if I’m frying it since that also removes more moisture.
In case anybody else reading this is a biologist, freeze 'n' squeeze also works as a way to extract DNA from agarose gel slices if you don't have a gel extraction kit
I find Lan Lam's and Dan Souza's segments among the most practical of the ATK videos.
100% they’re both lovely, charismatic, awesome to listen to, they always hit the mark, they’re great presenters and the information is always something I can learn from, while being short and memorable.
WIth the detailed understanding that Lan teaches, I have become interested in cooking. She is so great at explaining cooking.
Yet, another great Lan Lam video!
There is no universe in which I would object to a strawberry shortcake made by Lan, regardless of how the strawberries were prepared. :)
You can actually use the freezer deliberately for some recipes. If, for example, when making stuffed cabbage you simply freeze the entire head of cabbage a few days ahead and then thaw it in the fridge the day before, you can just peel the leaves off and they will be the sames as if you blanched them first but with no loss of flavor and no fussing with boiling pots of water. Freezing bananas is another way to soften them for use in banana bread. And if you are making ATK's banana bread they can go straight into the microwave.
Wow, what a cool trick with the cabbage! Thanks for the tip
I did the frozen cabbage trick but unfortunately freezing the cabbage caused many of the leaves to crack which rendered them kind of useless for wrapping.
We need the frozen broccoli hacks please Ms. Lan and ATK!! This is the number one veggie we use in our house, and it would be so awesome to have alternatives to steaming
I put frozen broccoli in a sauté pan with a little water. Cook till water has evaporated and broccoli is a little charred.
i've been using frozen "steam in bag" vegetables for a few years now. they cook up great from frozen in stir frys, soups, and casseroles, and significantly reduce the amount of food i throw away due to spoilage.
I eat WAY more vegetables than I ever have thanks to steamable frozen veggies.
Agree, eating more vegs has never been easier and the steamable vegs taste GREAT! Not like the old days at all!
My favorite frozen item? Corn. Makes a great creamed corn. Way easier than cutting fresh corn off the cob, and the pieces are much more uniform. Any liquid leaking out of the corn is in the pot and adds to the flavor. Two pounds of frozen corn thawed in a pot. Add some cream and butter, then a quick butter/flour roux if it needs thickening. Salt, pepper, and herbs to taste, and you're good to go.
I sometimes like to place frozen spinach directly into my white sauces; the spinach will give off plenty of its water and infuse the sauce with spinach flavor more so than if I sauteed them or wringed out the extra moisture. I just make sure my sauce is slightly lacking in water and the spinach liquid balances it all out.
Same here! Also I plunk it right into soups for the exact same reason!
I have always used the individual freezing method to keep the pieces from freezing together into a large frozen lump that cannot be portioned out. I pat dry or use a salad spinner to spin dry the washed fruit or blanched vegetables, spread them out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet not allowing the pieces to touch, then set the sheet in my freezer uncovered. When frozen you can scoop them into a freezer bag, label and store in your freezer for up to a year, portioning out only what you need when you need it. The parchment paper prevents the pieces from freezing to the metal sheet and for those pieces that didnt get spun or pat dry enough before freezing, they can be peeled off the parchment paper easily enough if they do stick a little.
I was thinking about a salad spinner while watching the video. Glad to know it works so well!
I have recently tried placing vegetables in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, to refresh and rehydrate them. Before patting them dry, then freezing them on a baking tray.
I do this with leftover roasted chicken. I shred it and then freeze on a baking sheet. When I want to make tacos, or add to soup, pasta, etc it’s super easy.
Thank you. Every episode with Lan is valuable.
I came on here to praise the host and see that the quality of her work speaks to so many others as well. I'm a fan!
Plus they are usually biochemically "fresher" than normal room temperature produce because they are usually processed and frozen right after, or very close to, being harvested.
I could watch Lan Lam cooking and teaching everyday. She is beautiful and knowledgeable. She could easily become a TH-cam sensation if she had her own channel. Step aside Chef Jean Pierre!
Such a smooth and comforting delivery,as well as informative
Early in the pandemic (when people were panicking about food availability) a man remarked to me his surprise at the rising costs and lack of availability of frozen food. After that I started to see the benefits and features of frozen food. Thank you for this video. Please consider making this a series.
In 2020 there was suddenly a ton of frozen blueberries very cheap in South African supermarkets. I assume it was due to difficulties in exporting them due to the pandemic-associated global supply chain problems. I took advantage and stocked up.
Always good info from Lan. I try to keep bags of frozen veggies on hand as they are so versatile and they don't go bad like fresh can if not used quickly. Lan's idea to use the benefit of freezing is a great idea.
Agree!
I have recently tried placing vegetables in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, to refresh and rehydrate them. Before patting them dry, then freezing them on a baking tray.
Another brilliant episode from Lan. She's a treasure. I always learn so much from her.
I’ve locked horns with my husband about his habit of throwing away the green portion of scallions! Whenever I catch him getting ready to toss this deliciousness, I grab them, slice them finely, and spread them on a baking sheet. Place them in the freezer for a bit, and vac seal them. I use them all of the time in various things!! Similar situation with chopped white or yellow onions - I never toss them out!
Maybe someday I won’t have to play detective during his prep and cooking. Fair play though - he’s a great cook!! I just wish he’d listen to me!
Making more Techniquely episodes this year..? YES!
More episodes of Techniquely this year? Yay! I love Techniquely! 😊
The tea suggestion is just what I needed. Thank you!
Anything this lady has to say I am ready to listen to
Thank you so much Lan, for doing all the videos that answer questions I've had in my head for so long! 🙇♂
I make homemade fruit topping for waffles using frozen fruit - Strawberries thawed in microwave and smooshed with a fork or Peaches food processed while still frozen then warmed up in a saucepan with a pinch of cinnamon. Both are so easy to do and don't get in the way of making the waffles. The extra liquid you get from the frozen fruit is perfect for waffles.
I love adding frozen fruit to oatmeal and pancake mix. I make pb&j pancakes adding in blended frozen fruit (chunky) and 1T of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) to the mix ..so good
LAN, you’re my favorite of all the presenters.
I appreciate when someone makes a strawberry shortcake. Doesn't matter if the berries were frozen or not. I enjoy, either way!
If you have a potato ricer, they work really well for squeezing the water out of thawed, frozen spinach
Oh my gosh that's brilliant! Thanks for the tip!
clever!
So many web chefs say use frozen berries and veggies because they are picked at peak ripness and flash frozen, which is true, but they don't address the cell damage caused by freezing. Thanks for the clear explanation of why and when to use frozen.
Love Lan; her videos and instruction are so inspiring!
We love frozen mango! Seems like a lot less damage than other fruits and way more convenient than cutting and peeling.
I freeze sliced leeks for soup in separate bags for the white and green parts of the leeks. I also scrape ginger root with a spoon and cut slices to freeze for chai making.
I love using Frozen items!!
Me too! Such a timesaver!
I have happily eaten Strawberry Shortcake made with frozen strawberries many times. Perfectly delightful.
Me, too!
Thank you, Lan! Because of where I have lived and how I learned to cook--when frozen-or-canned was not an option--I have a severe prejudice against frozen anything that needs to be educated and refined. This is very helpful.
My favourite application of this? Prepping frozen mirepoix. For me, soup season lasts 6 months and happen twice a year, so preparing ingredients I love to have in soups, stews (or even sauces) is a game changer. I do the same with Green Onions for my nostalgia Ramen cravings, or with Shallots for pan sauces, too.
So are you freezing your mirepoix raw on a sheet pan like the strawberries Lan Lam demoed?
A farm near me sells big bags of frozen vegetable blends. Perfect for soups or pot pies.
when i first saw frozen mirepoix in the supermarket a few years ago, it changed my life!
I was just talking to a friend today about the great benefits of using frozen vegetables for certain recipes. A lot of times they're cheaper, come already broken down, and they usually have been picked at the peak of ripeness and immediately frozen to protect the nutrition in the vegetables. I'm fine with them as a chef. I actually value them and use them regularly.
The Techniquely team doesn't miss!
There's more episodes *this* year. Amazing! Looking forward to it!
There are* more episodes ...
I always keep frozen cherries in the freezer, I use them in baking, to make a quick compote for adding to yogurt or as a topping. After spending an hour peeling fresh pearl onions the first time I made Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, can't tell you how much I appreciate frozen pearl onions!
i can't get frozen pearl onions where i am, but if you blanch them in boiling water and then throw them in an ice bath, the peel with come off pretty quickly and easily!
@@mrridikilis good to know!
Had a conversation with a friend recently about making saag. I said you gotta use frozen spinich.... he did and agreed completely! Not only do you avoid the whole cooking down of the spinach, but the end result is exactly as expected, and cheaper too!
The crystal growth can actually start again when thawing slowly. For max crispness, quick thawing, like with a microwave, is better than slowly in bulk in e.g. the refrigarator.
I automatically prioritize a Lan La video over all other cooking videos
I have to learn who that is but when I see A Country Life, the video gets automatically thumbs-upped even before I read the title. Jennifer has never made an offensive video in all the many, many years I've been a follower.
We use frozen peas in chicken salad. They are added after the chicken, chopped celery, onion, and just before the mayo. We let the salad rest a few minutes while plates, bread/crakers, etc. are set out.
Love that idea, only here in the south, I don’t see onion in most chicken salads.😊
I’ve often wished that when the descriptions to ATK videos say “get the recipe here” they would mention that a subscription is required.
When making homemade stock, I always use frozen vegetable scraps to give it more flavor. That's another way of using frozen produce. Sometimes, I'd have some fresh herbs that I might not be able to use up before they turn bad. I would also freeze them. So when it's time to make stock, I'll just put the frozen herbs in it too.
When I make my Spanakopita I always use good quality chopped frozen spinach. Works great!!!
Hello Ms. Lam and a pleasure it is to see you again educating your audience...💖
I freeze bananas to be used for cooking or baking. Once thawed,.it's like ripening them for a week. Sweet banana-ee flavor and pre mashed.
I use organic frozen veggies, Better than Bouillon, water, and a can of organic diced tomatoes to make a quick veggie soup. I add whatever fresh herbs I pick from my garden. Adding a cheese crouton makes it more hearty.
Frozen raspberries or rhubarb are wonderful ingredients we use from our garden in northern Alberta. Given the short growing season here, frozen produce from stores allows us to cook a wide range of dishes year round. Thanks so much for this video!
frozen mango is my fav.
I normally just make icecream with frozen fruits. Mixed with milk, or yogurt, or cream. Just a pinch of salt and rarely any extra sugar.
recently ive been trying adding oat powder. It becomes a bit more mousse like.
Thanks for the tea and the relish ideas!
I have never frozen food to make it "better". But I will now!!! Thank you, Lan!
Frozen pineapple chunks are so sweet and much better than any any fresh pineapple available. I thaw them to use to breakfast cottage cheese.
Thanks for the tip!
Blueberries are one of my favourite freezer item. They make perfect pies, marvelous muffins, and super smoothies. Yes, there is more liquid, but you can either use it in your recipe or drain it and throw it away. For pancakes and muffins, I put them in the recipe still slightly frozen so they hold their shape better. When you bite into the finished muffin, you get a little explosion of juicey blueberry! Also frozen kale is great for adding to soups, or for making pesto. Walnut kale pesto is so yummy on pasta or with cheese.
One of my favorite freezer hacks is freezing very ripe bananas. The juice they release when defrosted is gold and the fruit is ready for bananas bread. I also get more consistently in my banana bread by separating the juice from the fruit.
Frozen fruit also makes a great snack in the hot summers.
Any concept Lan Lam sells me, I buy.
I never miss a Techniquely video. Lan is awesome.
Love Lan! Thanks for the great video, ATK!
Lan is simply too good! Thank you for this delightful video.
I freeze bananas for Banana Nut Bread or my Banana & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
Frozen ripe bananas eaten as is. It's like eating the richest banana ice cream!.
I mean, I’m a little bit basic when it comes to frozen food, my favourite thing is putting frozen mixed berries in a smoothie, I don’t have to add additional ice which waters down the smoothie, and it taste delicious and creamy!
Would love to see more about the ways you can use different frozen vegetables. Especially common ones like cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels spouts.
Lan is just the best!
Thanks for more great tips! The best ATK vlogs are either Dan Souza or Lan Lam. Please do create more "Techniquely" moments.
Favorite frozen foods: Organic Bananas for "nice" cream and smoothies, Organic Cherries- everything you puree or cook cherries in, Broccoli - great to throw in a 1 pot dish just before it's done (no thawing ahead of time needed), mixed vegetables to make a quick pot pie filling just mix with leftover chicken/ turkey and gravy - dump into pie shell. Favorite episodes on America's Test Kitchen: Techniquely with Lan Lam!
I would be curious to hear what vegetables/fruit you do not recommend using frozen, even when going into a cooked meal. Thanks! The main one that I have struggled with is frozen brocolli, which seems to only do well if used in soupier applications, but maybe I am not doing it right.
Frozen haricots verts or "extra fine whole green beans" are a staple in my kitchen. They have always been my favorite dinner vegetable, they go well with so many different cuisines, and I prefer them cooked very tender. I think "tender-crisp" is the death of good flavor and good cooking.
I'd never been blessed to try them before becoming a gardener in my own home. I had no idea what 'French' green beans were...all I'd ever known were basic green string beans. Wowie, what an amazing difference French green beans are and especially when cooked 'tender crisp'. AND...when you home-process a great varietal you end up with a superior product that can never be purchased on supermarket shelves. PS, my fav is 'Carminat' which is a purple, French, pole bean. Easy to grow, prolific and easy to see to harvest. Great fresh eating and pressure cans nicely too.
Wow. I learned a lot is this video. Thanks!
More Techniquely?! I'm pumped. These are always so helpful and educational and entertaining
Love love love your segments. Thanks for great content! I like to use frozen broccoli florets sautéed in olive oil and tossed with ditalini and cheese. The 'mushy' texture contributes to a sauce like consistency when mixed with a little pasta water and fresh grated parm.
I’ve been combing through the comments looking how to treat frozen broccoli! the sogginess in previous attempts has been upsetting to say the least. this is exciting, I’m totally going to try this!
Blueberries is my favorite frozen store bought produce.
From my garden i freeze 60lbs of tomatoes a year. I freeze them with the skin on and depending on time and size I may core them and halve them. It’s great because when you unthaw them, you lose some of the juice and the skins just slide off. I use them for sauce.
I also freeze collard greens . I blanch them and then throw them in a Ziploc bag press out the air and they keep over a year. I cook them like I normally would any collard greens. I also freeze sweet pepper. I cut them up and individually freeze them and then I vacuum seal and freeze. They are good for cooking only.
Love all these recipes!
I been using frozen pearl onions for my brisket. i made a butternut squash and pearl onion brisket was good buttt the squash turned to mush and disintegrated. so best as a side dish. i love to experiment sometimes it's awesome other times not so much lol
Thanks for your video! I love to incorporate frozen corn in my tuna salad. It thaws quickly (when mixed with the tuna and mayo, etc.) and provides a sweet crunch that I love.
I often prefer frozen berries to fresh because I can buy organic ones cheaply (like at Trader Joe’s); non-organic berries can have pesticides in them. And one more favorite: frozen grapes as a snack. When I have leftover grapes, I remove them from the stem and throw them in a freezer Ziploc. When I first did this, I was surprised that the grapes were still soft; I thought they would be too icy to eat from the freezer! Happily, I was wrong.
I use frozen cut green beans in my green bean casserole recipe. I also like steamer bag frozen vegetables as an easy side dish to get our vitamins and minerals.
Me too!
I always but fresh fruit and individually freeze them on a sheet pan and then ziplock. It works great for chopped up cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melons also. They become my ice-cream!!
What a wonderfu/ thoughful way to describe frozen produce: 'democratizing'!
I like to add berries to my breakfast cereal - oatmeal porridge in the winter, homemade muesli in the summer. This year I bought a huge flat of raspberries (my favourite) and froze them on sheet trays and then stored in vacuum bags. Yes, they're a bit mushy, but that's OK with me! Thanks for these tips and live your videos.
In the summer, I like freezing watermelon chunks, then taking them out of the freezer and put them in the food processor with fresh lime juice to make a watermelon sorbet. If you need to sweeten it, you can dissolve some sugar in the lime juice or use a simple sugar syrup. If you want it more creamy, you can add either dairy or coconut milk.
Excellent! This is one of my favorite segments on ATK nowadays. Along with What’s Eating Dan. I’ve sort of drifted away from the regular TV series as I’m finding the recipes less “democratizing” (great new favorite word!) than they used to be. Thank you for making frozen food one of the ‘cool kids’. 😎 😊
Loved this video! It changed the way I think about frozen food.
What is the most effective method for freezing green beans?
Frozen bagged corn. Dropped frozen into pinto beans or kidney beans for the last 5 minutes. Frozen sliced sweet or mild hot peppers, frozen on a tray, for chili beans or con carne or… And parsley frozen flat, just the leaves, for topping stew or soup.
Such a Kitchen Goddess 🧡
¡¡TYVM!!
Freezing cabbage means you don't have to blanch the leaves to make cabbage wrapped dishes.
Wow! I have to try that tea and fruit drink! That looks great!
my six-year-old craves frozen peas and frozen corn as a snack. not pulled from the freezer and heated with butter and salt... no. in a bowl, completely frozen. i but then in the pound-sized bags now.. 😅
I keep frozen sliced peppers and onion in my freezer and use it all the time! I also like frozen cauliflower, it roasts well.
Great information. I always keep Brussel Sprouts in the frezzer.
Can we get more of Lan please?! Pretty please 🙏🏻
Freezing fruits before making fruit wine is an excellent way to soften the fruit and help it break down quicker during the first few weeks of the fermentation process. It's also a good way to use fruits that may be out of season when you want to start a new batch of wine.
Can you imagine what her holiday meals are like? 🎉