Cooking with frozen vegetables

[skimomma]

I have started to rely heavily on frozen vegetables to lengthen time between trips to our grocery stores.  I don't have a whole lot of experience cooking with them.  I make a lot of soups and stir fries and so far subbing in frozen is working fine enough for those.  I would like to make quiche with frozen broccoli tomorrow.  Normally, I would chop, wash, and cook the fresh broccoli before putting in the quiche.  With frozen, can I just dump it in frozen?  Or should I thaw it first (the bag does say not to thaw for whatever reason)?  Or do I have to "cook" it?  I'd like to avoid any extra steps if I can do so safely and with good results.

[bolt.]

You'll find that it has extra water. It will transition quite quickly in texture (from firm because it's frozen to cooked-until-pretty-limp) without much of a pause at the tender-crisp cooked stage that is perfect for eating. (That's why they want you to cook it straight from frozen under most circumstances.)

In a quiche or a soup, I think the limp texture will be fine (possibly even desirable) but there might be a struggle if you need to cut up the pieces from the packaged size. Maybe quick thaw it in the microwave so that you can drain the water off and chop it a little. Also, reduce your liquid ingredients if you can.

[Pam in CT]

Also, suggestions on "how to make canned vegetables taste OK," please... I'm realizing how hopelessly spoiled I've been with my year-round access to fresh vegetables.

The only frozen vegetables I've ever really kept, Before, is spinach, which I've used in stuff like quiche and spanakopita and, in a pinch, sautéed in OO with garlic and maybe some almonds.  And french beans.

Beyond that, I got nothing on frozen and have yet less on canned.

 

OP:  I wouldn't worry about cooking first.  Frozen stuff is already soft enough that all you really need to do is just warm it up.  Within the quiche should be fine.  You might thaw it first and DRAIN it or the quiche will take longer to cook. That's frozen spinach, anyway.

[marbel]

For a quiche, I would defrost the broccoli, chop it up, and sautee it in a bit of fat and seasonings.  You don't have to sautee it/add fat if you don't want to, but don't put it in frozen.

 

[bolt.]

I use a lot of frozen veggies just because it's easier to keep them around and ready to go. Basically I like that you can neglect them or use them and it doesn't matter -- they don't go bad like fresh veggies do. (Yes, they go 'not so nice anymore' eventually, but I mean that they don't grow mold in the fridge.) I always keep big bags of frozen corn, peas, beans, onions, pepper strips, cut carrots, and sometimes cauliflower on hand. Broccoli I don't usually like from frozen, but it will do in a pinch.

[Carol in Cal.]

The only canned veggie I can even stand is corn.  I am absolutely sure of this because back in the day my mom filled up a bingo card of canned veggies to win a hand mixer (those were still fairly new then) and we had to eat them all.  Vile, horrid things.

Frozen corn is also good.

I hate peas in general so there you go.

Frozen green beans are not bad if you cook them about half the time on the box, or you can put them directly into a salad, still frozen, and they taste fine.  

Frozen carrots are pretty good in soups.  

I use frozen spinach in spinach dips, and what I do is slice it with a very sharp, big knife while it is still pretty hard--a slightly thawed block.  This also is helpful for casserole use.  It prevents those disgusting stringy clumps from infiltrating the food.  #sensoryissuesIguess

My in laws freeze their garden tomatoes, and they are very good.

[Farrar]

I find that you have to use them in casseroles and soups and stir fries and so forth and they’re fine (though watch the extra liquid they can add in a casserole, as others are saying). Sometimes they’re okay roasted - depends on the veggie. But I can’t cook them lightly like I would for fresh veggies. And I definitely can’t eat them raw.

[skimomma]

Ok, so it sounds like I should at least thaw and drain them and maybe even sauté them first to evaporate the liquid.  But the worst that can happen if I don't is watery quiche....which I could correct by using less milk.

 

[Arcadia]

49 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

Also, suggestions on "how to make canned vegetables taste OK," please... I'm realizing how hopelessly spoiled I've been with my year-round access to fresh vegetables.

I only buy Asian (predominantly Chinese) brands canned vegetables. I blanch the vegetables and then stir fry with a dash of sesame oil. If you like add a dash of teriyaki sauce or mirin or soya sauce. 

For frozen vegetables, I do thaw to drain out excess water.

[saraha]

I discovered Budget Bytes and had such a Eureka moment. Here is the link to her post about roasting frozen broccoli. Once I did it, we discovered we also like California blend roasted, frozen brussell sprouts roasted, pretty much anything roasted, the darkening adds so much flavor.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/oven-roasted-frozen-broccoli/

[saraha]

https://food52.com/blog/12282-how-to-cook-with-frozen-vegetables?crlt.pid=camp.ts8tXIf7al6n&fbclid=IwAR28v06EnLhykUqBJXD4mp4xxU4SjXsoumWgreCIUehQ8eDWbrAHO0AYzfY#y1cB8z:cjr

https://www.tablespoon.com/meals/sides/how-to-cook-mixed-vegetables-so-people-will-actually-want-to-eat-them?fbclid=iwar1idfmgj7f-9pmiuan_u0wapwidjlb7htosiwciydqipdt017p5bx5_feg

[Matryoshka]

Mostly I make soups/stews and stir-frys with them.  I don't make quiche much but the recipe I usually use is crustless and has a bit of flour in with the eggs instead and calls for frozen stuff, so maybe that compensates?  I also toss frozen broccoli and spinach right on top of homemade pizzas, and that also seems to work just fine.

[wathe]

I made quiche with frozen chopped spinach yesterday.  I just dumped it in frozen - it was fine.  I've done the same with froze broccoli.

I also use frozen spinach straight from the bag for veggie lasagna.  No problems.

[Matryoshka]

Also, not veggies, but I eat frozen blueberries every morning in my yogurt,  and I thaw them with a quick spray of water in a colander. Not great to eat as individual berries plain, but in the yogurt it works great. 

[Farrar]

You know, the funny part of this is that we all stocked up on frozen veggies so well that they're all still slim pickings at many stores, but I've had zero issues getting fresh veggies. And there doesn't seem to be as many issues with the supply chain for veggies like there is for meat.

The one frozen veggie I actually rely on - peas - I haven't been able to find very well. Sigh. I mean, we don't eat a ton of them so,  not a huge deal. But it is mildly annoying.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I do a lot of steaming in the rice cooker while the rice is cooking. 

[ktgrok]

6 hours ago, saraha said:

I discovered Budget Bytes and had such a Eureka moment. Here is the link to her post about roasting frozen broccoli. Once I did it, we discovered we also like California blend roasted, frozen brussell sprouts roasted, pretty much anything roasted, the darkening adds so much flavor.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/oven-roasted-frozen-broccoli/

Yup, this is how I eat a lot of my veggies. And so easy to just put them on a pan with some chicken or what not as well, and let the chicken drippings work as the fat. Or, if I'm in a hurry, I microwave steam them in the bag for half the normal time, then roast them. 

[vmsurbat1]

Another possibility for frozen veggies is to boil them.  Now, don't tune me out.  After reading several French cookbooks, I realized that boiling veggies has its place along with roasting, stir-fries, grilling.  The trick is it to first bring your pot of water to a boil, add salt, then the veggies.  I start checking at 4 minutes and by 7 nearly all types are done.  Add a bit of butter or EVOO and some herbs, and you have a delicious veggie side.  I've had people mistake my frozen-but-boiled green beans (store brand) for fresh garden beans more than once....

[J-rap]

I'm surprised at the number of people who don't use frozen veggies ~ but on the other hand, when our kids were all young, we lived in a small town, winters were harsh and long, and I really didn't like to go to the grocery store in those days!  (I didn't like to cook much then either.  🙂)  Since, then, I've discovered I like grocery shopping and cooking and eating, and of course I much prefer fresh veggies.  Yum.  But I still will always have large bags of frozen corn and peas on hand.  I think they taste the best of the frozen veggies, and they're good to bulk up almost anything -- like soups, stews, casseroles, enchiladas, veggie omelets, etc.  They're also tasty enough to serve on the side if you just need one more thing, or an extra vegetable.  If you come home from a trip and don't feel like going to the grocery store, you can always serve them as a side with grilled cheese sandwiches or pasta.  If I'm cooking them as a side dish, the trick is to not overcook them.  Cook just until done.  With corn, I add a little butter, salt and pepper, and with peas I add olive oil, salt and pepper.  You can also mix the two.  A favorite lunch of ours is a bowl of cottage cheese with a side of cooked frozen peas with olive oil, and sprinkle everything with just a little salt and pepper.

I don't care for frozen broccoli plain, but mixed into a soup or casserole it's fine, or with eggs.  (I often keep a bag of frozen broccoli on hand for those things.)  So I think in a quiche, it'd be fine.  In a soup or casserole, I'd cook them just a bit, so they're tender enough to chop, and then add to the mixture.  For eggs (either quiche or an omelet), I'd want to cook them longer to get out the water and maybe try and crisp them just a bit.  So I'd probably cook them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, adding water as I go, but only as needed so they don't get dry or black.

I'll sometimes have a bag of frozen whole green beans in the winter when they're not so good fresh in our grocery stores.  My dh invented a pretty good side dish of frozen whole green beans, red pepper strips, and just a little chopped bacon.  

One of our favorite frozen veggie side dishes when the kids were younger was a bag of mixed veggies (peas, corn, cut green beans, and lima beans), or else just plain cut green beans...  Cook with a little water until just hot and tender, drain out any excess water.  On low heat, add a little mayo, salt, pepper, dill seed (not weed), and dried thyme (not ground).  My kids loved that!  That was often our veggie side at lunch time with sandwiches in the winter time.  (Never in the summer, though!)

I'll also sometimes get frozen sweet potatoes.  They're good for soups, roasted in the oven, or cooked and mashed. 

Edited April 30, 2020 by J-rap

[Pam in CT]

re roasting frozen vegetables

16 hours ago, saraha said:

I discovered Budget Bytes and had such a Eureka moment. Here is the link to her post about roasting frozen broccoli. Once I did it, we discovered we also like California blend roasted, frozen brussell sprouts roasted, pretty much anything roasted, the darkening adds so much flavor.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/oven-roasted-frozen-broccoli/

 

10 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Yup, this is how I eat a lot of my veggies. And so easy to just put them on a pan with some chicken or what not as well, and let the chicken drippings work as the fat. Or, if I'm in a hurry, I microwave steam them in the bag for half the normal time, then roast them. 

Yeah, I did frozen brussell sprouts this way last week, and while the texture wasn't firm like fresh the taste was OK.

I have a vegetarian in the house, so the chicken drippings won't work for us, but perhaps if I use butter for the fat instead of my go-to olive oil that would help the taste as well.  Everything tastes better with a generous dollop of butter and a bit of carmelized onion.

 

Please discuss canned asparagus?  I just ordered a bunch.  Is my only real option soup (which is fine, we all like soup, but I'm wondering if there's a way to use it as an actual vegetable).

[skimomma]

10 hours ago, Farrar said:

You know, the funny part of this is that we all stocked up on frozen veggies so well that they're all still slim pickings at many stores, but I've had zero issues getting fresh veggies. And there doesn't seem to be as many issues with the supply chain for veggies like there is for meat.

The one frozen veggie I actually rely on - peas - I haven't been able to find very well. Sigh. I mean, we don't eat a ton of them so,  not a huge deal. But it is mildly annoying.

 

 

I too have found the supply of fresh veggies to be plentiful in the stores.  The reason I am buying frozen is to try to stretch my trips to the store to three week intervals.  We eat the most perishable veggies the first week but then have to stick to hearty options for weeks 2 and 3.  We get sick of only cabbage and root veggies for those two weeks so I am using frozen (and sprouts) to give us some variety.  Our stores and most of the local population are not complying with the safety recommendations so stretching out my shopping trips is the goal.

[skimomma]

16 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Mostly I make soups/stews and stir-frys with them.  I don't make quiche much but the recipe I usually use is crustless and has a bit of flour in with the eggs instead and calls for frozen stuff, so maybe that compensates?  I also toss frozen broccoli and spinach right on top of homemade pizzas, and that also seems to work just fine.

 

A bit of flour might be a good idea.  I'm going to try that.

[skimomma]

12 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Also, not veggies, but I eat frozen blueberries every morning in my yogurt,  and I thaw them with a quick spray of water in a colander. Not great to eat as individual berries plain, but in the yogurt it works great. 

 

We do this too!  I pick and freeze about 100# of blueberries every summer and they are always completely gone by the following summer.  In addition to adding to yogurt/pancakes/etc.... and baking with them, we do like them straight up frozen.  Almost every day.

[skimomma]

I do have one frozen veggie tip.  I usually freeze a bunch of pre-cooked spaghetti squash and blanched spinach every summer.  We have a local farmer that sells all of this for bargain basement prices so I grab whatever I have room for in the chest freezer every summer for one sole purpose.  Lasagna.  I don't cook/boil the noodles and use the whole wheat variety.  I put a layer each of thawed spinach and spaghetti squash in each batch.  The extra liquid is the perfect amount for uncooked noodles and the extra veggies make it a one-pan meal.  

[Pam in CT]

re stretching out the interval

15 minutes ago, skimomma said:

I too have found the supply of fresh veggies to be plentiful in the stores.  The reason I am buying frozen is to try to stretch my trips to the store to three week intervals.  We eat the most perishable veggies the first week but then have to stick to hearty options for weeks 2 and 3.  We get sick of only cabbage and root veggies for those two weeks so I am using frozen (and sprouts) to give us some variety.  Our stores and most of the local population are not complying with the safety recommendations so stretching out my shopping trips is the goal.

This is more or less us too.  I've been getting all our fresh stuff -- both meat and produce -- from a friend-of-my-cousin who back in the Beforetimes had a flourishing restaurant delivery supply business, whose business is now way down and who is re-orienting to household-size quantities and home delivery. So we get a big delivery from him every 2-3 weeks.  But between his large minimum order size and his still-evolving logistics issues, I'm trying to space out our orders and combine with friends in my area so his van has several stops close to one another. 

So Week 1 we eat more or less our usual food; Week 2 we eat longer-life stuff like romaine and carrots/ brocolli/ winter squash; and by Week 3 I'm experimenting with frozen or canned stuff I'm not used to working with.

 

8 minutes ago, skimomma said:

I do have one frozen veggie tip.  I usually freeze a bunch of pre-cooked spaghetti squash and blanched spinach every summer.  We have a local farmer that sells all of this for bargain basement prices so I grab whatever I have room for in the chest freezer every summer for one sole purpose.  Lasagna.  I don't cook/boil the noodles and use the whole wheat variety.  I put a layer each of thawed spinach and spaghetti squash in each batch.  The extra liquid is the perfect amount for uncooked noodles and the extra veggies make it a one-pan meal.  

This is #Genius , thank you!