Introducing recipes and methods for freezing spinach [Explanation with photos! ]

Have you given up thinking that spinach shrivels up quickly and cannot be stored?

Spinach is highly nutritious and is useful in a variety of dishes including Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, but many people think that they cannot stock up on it because it spoils quickly.

However, the good news is that spinach is a vegetable that is suitable for freezing.

Freezing spinach allows you to preserve it for a long time, and it also saves you the hassle of cooking as it can be used immediately after freezing.

Here we will explain how to freeze food, storage period, and recipes.

Advantages of freezing spinach

Freezing does not lose nutrients

Freezing spinach allows you to lock in the nutrients that were left in the frozen state.

Spinach is a vegetable with excellent nutritional value and is rich in vitamins such as vitamin C, carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin K, and folic acid.

However, these nutrients are lost each day after harvest.

Experiments have shown that the vitamin C content in spinach decreased by 70% when stored in the refrigerator for 9 days, but when boiled spinach was stored in the freezer, there was no significant change even after several months.

Stay in season for longer

By freezing and preserving spinach when it is in season, you can enjoy delicious and nutritious spinach for a long time.

Spinach is in season during the winter, so winter spinach contains more vitamins and is sweeter than other seasons. Let's save this state.

Rather than insisting on "raw" spinach and forcing it to be stored in the refrigerator, we recommend freezing it while it's still fresh.

Saves you the hassle of cooking and is good for your health

Another benefit of freezing spinach is that you can save time and effort in preparing it.

What's more, frozen spinach allows the flavor of seasonings to absorb more easily, so even if you reduce the amount of salt for health reasons, it won't taste too bland.

How to freeze spinach

How to freeze raw spinach

1. Wash spinach and drain well.

2.Put it in the freezer bag.

3. Lower the temperature of the freezer as much as possible and place the freezer bag in it to freeze.

If you do this, the freezer bag will bulk up in the freezer, and nutrients will be lost when the food thaws.

This is because the cell walls break down when frozen, and when thawed the water inside the cells flows out along with the nutrients.

Also, if you boil it after thawing it, even more nutrients will be leached out. Spinach that has been frozen raw is best used as is in smoothies or vegetable juices.

How to boil and then freeze

1. Wash the spinach. Be sure to remove any dirt from the roots.

2. Add vegetables to boiling water and blanch. The heating time depends on the type and size of vegetables, but a rough guideline is 10 to 30 seconds. Adding a pinch of salt to the hot water will improve the color after boiling.

The key to boiling spinach and komatsuna is to boil the hard roots first.

2. Fry in a colander and cool immediately with cold water.

3. Drain the water and cut into easy-to-use pieces. If you are using it for dipping, it would be best to divide it into 3 equal parts.

3. Wipe off the moisture thoroughly.
If you freeze the vegetables with water remaining, frost will form and damage the vegetables, so be sure to wipe them thoroughly with paper towels.

4.1 Place in a freezer pack and freeze. Let's remove as much air as possible when closing. Prevents oxidation and discoloration during storage.

[When you want to freeze with higher quality]
4.2 If you have room in your freezer, freeze it on a metal tray. The thermal conductivity of metal is more than 30 times that of air, so it can be frozen faster and has better quality. Once the vegetables are completely frozen, store them in a freezer bag.

The technique of parboiling vegetables to extend their shelf life is called blanching, and the article below introduces it in detail.

>> [Dramatically extends the shelf life of vegetables! ] What is blanching process?

How to thaw spinach and how long to store it

How to thaw frozen spinach

Avoid thawing under running water as nutrients will be washed out.

If you want to add it to soup, add it to the soup while frozen. It tends to soften easily, so add it when the soup is almost finished.

When frying, thaw in the microwave until you can loosen it by hand, then add it to the frying pan.

If you want to eat it as is, such as with a salad, thaw it partially in the microwave. You can thaw it completely while combining it with the seasonings.

Storage period of frozen spinach

Generally, it is said that it is recommended to store it for about one month.

If you can store spinach in a way that is less affected by temperature changes, such as by being careful when opening and closing the freezer or by placing spinach toward the back of the freezer, it can be stored for 2 to 3 months.

A nutritionist explains! About spinach nutrition

ほうれん草は総合栄養野菜と評されるように、非常に栄養価が高い緑黄野菜です。
ですが、硝酸とシュウ酸が含まれているため、少し注意が必要です☝
硝酸は体内で亜硝酸に変化し、食肉加工に発色剤として使われる亜硝酸ナトリウムが肉や魚介類に含まれるアミンという物質に反応してニトロソアミンという発ガン性物質に変化します。
亜硝酸塩が使用されている以下の食品は、食べ合わせが良くないので避けましょう。
・ハム、ベーコン、ソーセージ
・イクラ、スジコ、タラコ等

Oxalic acid is a unique astringent to spinach. In other words, it's about Aku.
It can interfere with calcium absorption or combine with calcium and cause stones. That's why I remove the harshness.
However, there is no problem with regular meals. Boiling can reduce the content by half, so instead of eating it raw, boil it and wash it under running water before eating!

Nutritionist Ruri

Obtained nutritionist qualifications from Toita Women's Junior College and graduated from the same university. After graduating from Kyorin University, he also obtained a qualification as a food hygiene manager. Currently at Daybreak Co., Ltd., he oversees various food freezing experiments while disseminating food freezing information. My hobbies are traveling and hula dancing.

>> Click here for other ways to freeze vegetables

3 easy recipes using frozen spinach

Frozen spinach ohitashi

☑材料（2人分）
・ほうれん草１束分
・かつおだし　適宜
・水　150㏄
・白醤油　小さじ２
・みりん　小さじ１
・ゆず　1つ

<How to make>
1) Put water and kelp in a small pot and heat.
2) Once it boils, add bonito stock, white soy sauce, mirin, and shredded yuzu peel.
3) Add the frozen spinach and turn the heat down to low, stirring to thaw.
4) Once the spinach has melted, turn off the heat and sprinkle with the yuzu juice.

spinach egg soup

☑材料（4人分）
・ほうれん草　１束分
・トウモロコシ　1本
・卵　2個
・水　600㏄
・中華だし　適宜
・片栗粉　適宜
・塩　適宜
・コショウ　少々　
・ごま油　少々

<How to make>
1) Boil water in a pot and add the corn, cutting it into small pieces.
2) Remove the scum and adjust the taste with Chinese dashi, salt, and pepper.
3) Add potato starch dissolved in water to make the mixture a little thicker.
4) Add the frozen spinach and when it has thawed for about 8 minutes, pour in the beaten egg.
5) Make sure the eggs are floating and turn off the heat.
6) Divide into soup cups, sprinkle with sesame oil, and it's done.

spinach smoothie

☑材料（1人分）
・ほうれん草　2束分
・バナナ　1本
・リンゴ　半分
・水　120㏄

<How to make>
1) Place frozen spinach, banana, apple, and water in a blender and mix thoroughly.
2) If you don't like the grassy smell and find it difficult to drink, add honey to adjust the taste.

Baby food recipes using frozen spinach

Spinach with white dressing

Source: https://cookpad.com/recipe/840458

☑材料
・ほうれん草　葉部分　適量
・豆腐　適量

<How to make>
1) Thaw the boiled and frozen spinach by heating it in the microwave.
2) Puree the spinach.
3) Boil the tofu for 1 and a half minutes.
4) Drain the tofu and mash it.
5) Complete with spinach.

If you don't like the bitter taste of spinach, you can add more tofu.

Lunch box recipes using frozen spinach

Spinach pork roll

☑材料（2人分）
・ほうれん草　二束分
・ニンジン　小半分
・豚薄切りもも肉　４枚
・醤油　大さじ２
・みりん　大さじ2
・砂糖　大さじ１

<How to make>
1) Spread thinly sliced pork thighs on a bat.
2) Place half-thawed spinach and chopped and boiled carrots on the front side.
3) Roll it into a ball. Lightly oil a frying pan, heat it, and sear the rolls with the end facing down.
4) Fry the whole thing while turning it over, and when it gets browned, add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and coat it evenly.
5) Turn off the heat, and once it has cooled down, cut it in half and place it in a bento box with the cut end exposed.

Conclusion

Spinach is rich in nutrients, but if you store it incorrectly, the nutrients will be lost.

By properly freezing and thawing food, you can efficiently ingest nutrients.

The method introduced here is very easy, so please give it a try.