A freezer full of oob organic frozen berries, veggies and fruit is a goldmine of nutritious cooking ideas, but to get them from freezer to fab, you’ll need to defrost them with care.
✨ Beaut Berries ✨
They’re delicate little things we’ve lovingly nurtured to peak ripeness, so we don’t want to blast berries in the microwave. Frozen berries can go straight into your chilled smoothies of course, but that’s not so good for baking or breakfast.
Instead, defrost at room, or in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a hurry, decant what you need into a ziplock bag, seal, then fill your sink with hot water and steep the bag for a few minutes. They’ll retain all their goodness and be baking-ready in no time. Rinse your out bag and reuse it.
Making porridge? Get it piping hot then throw in your oob organic blueberries or raspberries - they’ll defrost while cooling your porridge for a win win breakie.
✨ Vital Veggies ✨
Adding veggies to omelettes and stir fries adds a deliciously vital nutritional punch, but frozen ones can make things a little watery. Frozen veg can also chill your cooking when you’re trying to bring the heat!
The best way to go is to defrost them first as above, or boil / steam your veg for a couple of minutes until tender and soft. Drain well, then add to the mix.
If you’re making corn fritters or savory muffins, decant corn kernels into a cup and tip a little boiling water over them - they’ll be ready in a hassle-free jiffy.
Press defrosted spinach gently in a sieve to remove excess water, or let it dry on a clean tea towel.
✨ Spectacular Spuds ✨
Footy about to start? Grab a bag of oob organic frozen potato wedges. These guys go from sub zero to hero right in the oven - no defrosting needed. Just toss them in a little olive oil and sea salt, spread them on a baking tray, and pop them in a preheated oven.
✨ Fantastic Fruit ✨
Nothing better than a mango smoothie! Toss your frozen fruit pieces straight into the blender - they’ll chop up and chill your drink at the same time.
If you’re nervous about that ice-cream headache (or the durability of your elderly blender), you can also defrost your fruit in the fridge overnight. It’ll be ready to roll in the morning, but won’t ice your smoothie down quite as much.
For fruit muffins and baking, we recommend defrosting (as you would for berries) before cooking. A big chunk of frozen goodness in the mix can make cooking through a little uneven.
Happy cooking!