Would you like to learn how to freeze fava beans so that they remain fresh and firm for the days to come and ready for you to use whenever you need them? Check out our brief guide below!
Prepping fava beans for freezing
Fava beans are legumes that can be used to prep delicious soups or vegan patties. They can be also enjoyed raw, straight from the plant itself! They’re appreciated for their crispness and delicate taste.
Before you decide to freeze some fava beans, pick out the nicest batch. If your beans look off before freezing, you can be sure it’s going to be much worse after thawing in a couple of months. So get rid of all the beans that don’t look fresh anymore.
Always pick the nicest, healthy beans for freezing.
To prep fava beans for freezing, wash them well and dry carefully (you can use paper towels or a strainer for that). Next, put them in a ziplock bag or a container.
If you know that you’ll only use your frozen beans for patties or soups, you can blend them before putting them in the freezer. A pulp freezes much faster and can be used directly for cooking.
How to freeze fava beans properly
In an ideal scenario, you should put your beans in a refrigerator for a couple of hours before freezing them. The process will give you the best results and the beans will remain fresh for longer.
You should also remember to dry your beans well on a paper towel. The drier they are, the better the taste after thawing.
Once cooled, you can place your beans in your freezer. Some freezers come with Fast Freeze containers – if you use them, your products will be frozen faster. If you happen to have them available, it’s best to place your beans there.
And most importantly…
If your beans happen to thaw (because of an equipment failure or power outage) you can’t freeze them back. This rule applies to all frozen fruits and vegetables. If it happens to you, you have to use them immediately or throw them out.
Thawing fava beans
If prepped and frozen properly, fava beans can be kept in your freezer for up to 12 months.
Try to use them during that year you have. Although, to be frank, I personally keep my frozen food for longer and it’s still perfectly fine.
Before using your fava beans for cooking or baking, learn how to thaw them properly. It’s possible to spoil a perfectly fine frozen product through improper thawing.
Fava beans are pretty easy to handle, as they can be put in a pot of boiling water directly from the freezer. If you want, you can thaw them first, though. It’s usually not necessary because the beans are mostly used cooked, so it’s simply faster to throw them into hot water immediately.
I personally advocate for slow thawing in room temperature or a refrigerator. It all depends on the dish you intend to prepare with the beans, though – if you plan to make some soup, you can put the beans in the pot directly and add the rest of your veggies to it. It’s ok to mix fresh and frozen products since all ingredients will combine anyway and their tastes will fuse.
If you plan to prep some patties or would like to enjoy the beans raw, thaw them well and dry afterward. You can roast them quickly to bring out the crunchiness even more.Last but not least: remember that it’s not recommended to thaw your beans in a microwave! They are going to lose most of the vitamins and will be considerably softer.