Peppers are cheap in season and expensive out of it, which is why people buy them by the
crate in autumn. The good news is that they are the one vegetable that goes into the freezer
raw, with no blanching at all. The question is only which format
earns its space.
Why no blanching
Peppers contain few of the enzymes that spoil flavour in the freezer, unlike
brassicas or
carrots.
There is nothing to deactivate: wash, dry, cut, freeze.
They will not be crisp afterwards, so everything you put away is for a cooked dish.
Biggest space saving: whole peppers, nested
If stuffed peppers are on the winter menu, this is the trick. Cut out the stem and seeds,
wash, dry, and stack the peppers inside one another like cups.
A third of the space.
You can fill them almost straight from the freezer — ten minutes at room temperature
and they are pliable again.
Most useful in cooking: strips and dice
Strips for stews and pizza, dice for soups and a fried base. Portion them
and you never chop a pepper on a weeknight again.
Best flavour: roasted
Roast at 220 °C until blackened in patches, bag them ten minutes so the skins loosen,
peel, and freeze with the juices — that liquid is where the flavour is.
This is no longer a raw ingredient but a ready base for a salad or a sauce.
What keeps how long
| Format | Destined for | Keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Strips | Stews, pizza | up to 12 months |
| Diced | Soups, sofrito | up to 12 months |
| Whole, cored | Stuffed peppers | up to 10 months |
| Roasted, peeled | Salads, dips | up to 8 months |
The one step you can get wrong
Drying. Water on cut peppers freezes them into a solid block you have to chip apart.
Spread them on a towel, then freeze in a single layer on a board before bagging.
Elsewhere in the guide:
Can you freeze tomatoes ·
Can you freeze eggplant ·
Can you freeze zucchini ·
What is lecho