Frozen vs. Fresh.

GadgetGuy

GadgetGuy

(Formerly Shermie)
Joined
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Brighton, MA.
How many of you buy onions, green pepper & celery fresh, only to find out that they have spoiled or have begun to spoil before you had a chance to use them?!!

I was in Whole Foods this evening, asking for freshly chopped onions, green pepper & celery for about the 3rd time, only to find out that they didn't have any!! I then went over to the frozen foods section, looking for frozen peas & carrots. They had none, but I DID find out that they had frozen onions, green pepper & celery in small bags!! I bought 3 of them, & said to myself that I think that THIS is what I'll get from now on to avoid wasting money on fresh, only to have them spoil again!!! 😡
 
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How long are they in your fridge before they spoil? I have a bag of celery that’s been in my vegetable drawer for about two weeks and it’s still perfectly good. I think I’d better use some of it this weekend though.

I’ve never seen frozen onions before and when I’ve frozen celery it becomes soggy when thawed.
 
vernplum said:
How long are they in your fridge before they spoil? I have a bag of celery that’s been in my vegetable drawer for about two weeks and it’s still perfectly good. I think I’d better use some of it this weekend though.

I’ve never seen frozen onions before and when I’ve frozen celery it becomes soggy when thawed.
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I, too, had some celery in the veggie drawer at the bottom of the fridge. When I went to get it, I found out that it had spoiled already!! It was only there for about 2-1/2 weeks. I'm so sick to death of that happening!!

I think that a special process is used to keep them from going soft. Maybe they blanch them before freezing them. :whistling:
 
I use some frozen vegetables. Peas and corn, all the time. Okra, too. The only frozen onions I use are pearl onions, and last week, Kroger was out of them. Since Covid, I never know what the stores will have, or not have from week to week.

Celery should last, but over the last few years, it has been a crap shoot for me. Not just shelf life, but taste.

As far as onions to dice and cook with, I buy them whole, with skins on, and they last a good three weeks -- sometimes more. Bell peppers seem to hold up okay, too. But, like celery, the peppers my look great, and have very little flavor.

Frozen fruit is a good purchase. Things like strawberries, that have a short ripe season, are good frozen, because they are frozen at their peak ripeness. Great for smoothies, too, since they are frozen -- you need less ice.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I use some frozen vegetables. Peas and corn, all the time. Okra, too. The only frozen onions I use are pearl onions, and last week, Kroger was out of them. Since Covid, I never know what the stores will have, or not have from week to week.

Celery should last, but over the last few years, it has been a crap shoot for me. Not just shelf life, but taste.

As far as onions to dice and cook with, I buy them whole, with skins on, and they last a good three weeks -- sometimes more. Bell peppers seem to hold up okay, too. But, like celery, the peppers my look great, and have very little flavor.

Frozen fruit is a good purchase. Things like strawberries, that have a short ripe season, are good frozen, because they are frozen at their peak ripeness. Great for smoothies, too, since they are frozen -- you need less ice.

CD
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I also threw away half a green pepper that had begun to spoil!! This has got to stop!! 😡
 
I always prefer fresh veggies. Frozen is okay, I don't have anything against frozen, but they're more expensive, they don't taste as good as fresh veggies and they produce a bit more trash, like extra plastic bags and they're cut down to the raw product, think about the skin/leafs from cauliflower or onions you always can use for a nice broth. Where I'm working we have frozen veggies, but we use them only in a case of emergency. Stay healthy
 
PabloLerntKochen said:
I always prefer fresh veggies. Frozen is okay, I don't have anything against frozen, but they're more expensive, they don't taste as good as fresh veggies and they produce a bit more trash, like extra plastic bags and they're cut down to the raw product, think about the skin/leafs from cauliflower or onions you always can use for a nice broth. Where I'm working we have frozen veggies, but we use them only in a case of emergency. Stay healthy
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That is probably the only time that I'll use fresh. When I make stock or broth. It won't get wasted!! :whistling:
 
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We grow most of our vegetables, but those we do buy I always get fresh. I sometimes freeze them myself if we have a glut or if they're going to spoil before I'll use them. If I'm freezing vegetable I'll always prepare them first (chop, puree etc.) and then freeze.

The one exception is peas. Peas are actually better frozen because the sugars convert to starch very quickly after harvesting, but if they're frozen within a few hours then the natural sugars are preserved.
 
I don't have issues with celery, I eat it too quickly for it to go off. I've stored it every which way I could find on the internet, and found that wrapping it tightly in aluminum foil works the best for me - but it's unusual for a bunch of celery to last more than 10 days here. I'm always munching on celery.

Frozen...peas, corn, green beans sometimes, pearl onions, sometimes asparagus, sometimes chopped spinach, it just depends on how bad the fresh stuff looks.
 
Shermie said:
I also threw away half a green pepper that had begun to spoil!! This has got to stop!! 😡
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To save on cost, you can buy the produce, then fabricate at home and freeze. You're probably paying quite a markup for work you are well capable of. I know you love your gadgets, do you have a vacuum sealer? Worth their weight in gold and pay for themselves.
 
ThatDude said:
To save on cost, you can buy the produce, then fabricate at home and freeze. You're probably paying quite a markup for work you are well capable of. I know you love your gadgets, do you have a vacuum sealer? Worth their weight in gold and pay for themselves.
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I second the vacuum sealer. I got one less than a year ago, and it was life-changing. I'm doing a lot better at using all my bread, keeping more meat longer, soups, and some veg.

I'm worst with the veg because the manufacturer recommends blanching fresh veg before freezing, and that annoys me, but I still do better than before.

The chicken parm from last night - vacuum-sealed breast and my own breadcrumbs from a heal of wheat bread I saved. Making something with squash tonight that I roasted and froze two or three months ago.

Plus, it's great for pantry items as well. It's just two of us, and I used to make a cupcakes from a box mix, then we'd get stuck eating 24 of them (not healthy) or throwing the last four or five away because we couldn't eat them fast enough.

Now, I prepare half the box mix, and seal up the other half and back in the pantry it goes. Much more manageable to get through 10 or 12 cupcakes than it is 24.
 
ThatDude said:
To save on cost, you can buy the produce, then fabricate at home and freeze. You're probably paying quite a markup for work you are well capable of. I know you love your gadgets, do you have a vacuum sealer? Worth their weight in gold and pay for themselves.
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56757


Yes I do. This one replaces the previous one. It does more & better things. But I haven't put it into use yet. I will soon!! :whistling:
 
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Shermie said:
Yes I do. This one replaces the previous one. It does more & better things. But I haven't put it into use yet.
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Sounds like a perfect fit. I bet if you compared the pricing, you could produce a lot more product for the price you're paying for prepped-frozen.
 
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