Freezing raspberries is pretty similar to freezing strawberries, although it’s best to freeze them smashed to be used to make mousse or jams.
To taste sweet, juicy raspberries in late fall or winter, when the world is covered in snow?
Why not!
Freezing is your friend here. Learn how to freeze raspberries so that they are perfect when thawed.
Freezing seasonal fruits and vegetables has long been considered one of the best ways of keeping their looks, color, and taste. Low temperatures decrease the activity of enzymes responsible for spoiling fruits and vegetables, and germs can’t replicate in temperatures lower than 0 degrees Celsius.
Learn how to prepare raspberries for freezing.
Prepping raspberries for freezing
Most importantly, you need to select the best raspberries carefully.
Discard ones that seem to be bad, rotten, or bruised. It’s an extremely important step, as raspberries tend to spoil unbelievably fast.
Additionally, you need to pick all wormy ones out.
Fresh raspberries are best for freezing – although low temperature tends to prolong food’s durability, it doesn’t improve its quality.
Once you’ve picked the best and nicest raspberries, the next step is to wash them well. You may not know that, but low temperature doesn’t necessarily kill bacteria and germs. They tend to hibernate but their number doesn’t decrease even after a couple of months of freezing at -18 degrees Celsius. That’s why you need to get rid of them yourself, washing them off with running water.
Once washed, dry your raspberries carefully. I’d recommend using a paper towel, as it absorbs water perfectly.
You won’t be able to dry them completely, but the drier the state you can get them to, the better. A layer of ice will soon cover the surface of each wet fruit, deforming it after thawing. Such fruits can only be used for kissels, jams, or hot mousses.
If you intend to use them as an addition to your yogurt or ice cream, make sure you dry them as well as possible to get rid of excess water.
Freezing raspberries that are too wet can cause more issues: it’s going to take more time to freeze them well (not to mention evenly!); they are also most likely going to form larger chunks. You won’t be able to separate them afterward and you’ll end up with a raspberry mush.
If you want to be 100% certain your raspberries don’t clump up, you can leave them on a board (a regular, wooden chopping board is just fine).
How to freeze raspberries properly
Begin with making sure the first batch is frozen on a board, with each fruit separated from others. You can take them out of your freezer after a couple of hours; at that point, you can place them in a bag or a container. That way you’ll prevent the fruits from clumping up once placed back in the freezer!
Depending on the space you can allocate to store your raspberries and on the size of your freezer, you can use ziplock bags or containers. If you endorse the zero-waste lifestyle, you can use ice cream boxes, yogurt cups, or plastic margarine containers.
It’s bags, though, (especially ziplock ones) that let you see what your fruits look like and allow for the optimal placement in your freezer.
Remember that raspberries that are crammed will quickly lose their shape and will not look appetizing when thawed. That’s why you should get familiar with dos and don’ts for freezing raspberries!
Before putting your prepped raspberries in the freezer, you can cool them for a while in your refrigerator.
And remember about the most important thing…
If you happen to experience an equipment failure or power outage and the content of your freezer is thawed, you can’t freeze it back.
Thawing raspberries – step-by-step
If frozen properly, raspberries 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. What’s important is the way you thaw your fruits.
Remember: the slower the thawing, the tastier the fruits!
It’s really worth it to put your frozen products on the lowest shelf of your refrigerator ahead of time when you want to use them. Especially when it comes to fruits as delicate as raspberries!
If you want to decorate your ice cream or yogurt, you can use your fruits while still frozen. Placed on the dessert, they will thaw on their own in a few minutes. You can also use them to cool a glass of wine (raspberries are a great replacement for ice cubes).
The least recommended way to thaw your raspberries is using a microwave. It deprives your fruits of vitamins and minerals, taking away the healthy aspect of eating them.