Can applesauce be frozen?

What varieties of apples are best for freezing?

Before studying the step-by-step recipe for freezing apples for the winter, you should first of all know which varieties are ideal for this.

It is recommended to choose: “Sinap”, “Kutuzovets”, “Antonovka” and other varieties of autumn-winter apples with a sour-sweet taste. They store well at low temperatures.

Another very simple way that will help you find out whether the fruits are suitable for further freezing at home. To do this, you need to peel the apple and put it on the middle shelf of the refrigerator for literally 10 minutes. The conclusion should be as follows: if the fruit does not darken, this variety is ideal for further freezing.

How to freeze apples at home for the winter in the freezer

Probably everyone who has their own garden plants apple trees in it. Often it is not even one tree. And when the time comes to harvest, a reasonable question arises: what to do with the fruits that you did not have time to eat.

In fact, there are many options for storing apples, but the most useful is freezing, since in this case the maximum amount of vitamins remains in the product.

This article will discuss how to properly freeze apples for the winter in the freezer.

Features of freezing apples at home

There are certain rules that you need to follow if you want to get a quality product:

What varieties of apples are best?

Of course, not all apples are suitable for freezing. They prefer late (autumn or winter) sweet and sour varieties: Antonovka, Golden, Kutuzovets, Sinam and many others. The specific variety will depend on the purpose of further use.

For example, Jonathan and Golden Delicious retain their shape best, while Fuji and Gala retain their sweet taste. But remember, like most frozen foods, apples will change slightly in both texture and taste.

Preparing fruit for freezing

To prepare fruit you will need:

Collect ripe whole apples, wash them thoroughly with water and wipe dry with a towel. If necessary, cut off the peel with a well-sharpened knife. Cut out the stalk, tail, and core. Next, you need to cut the fruit using the chosen method. If you plan to freeze whole fruits, then simply wipe them thoroughly.

Required temperature

Most recipes recommend storing apples at a temperature of minus 18 degrees and below.

The colder it is in the freezer, the longer the fruit can be stored.

There is also an option that involves shock freezing. In this case, the apples are immediately packaged in containers or bags and sent to the freezer. The freezer compartment is set to the “ultra-fast freezing” mode.

Any of the above methods requires the ability to regulate the temperature of the freezer.

There are different ways to freeze apples. They will differ depending on the capacity of the freezer and the purpose of freezing.

Entirely

For this freezing option, you need to take fresh apples. First they are washed and dried with a towel. Next you need to remove the seeds (this rule is not mandatory, but it is better to do it now, because it is much easier).

If necessary, you can peel the fruit. If this is done, be sure to keep them in a special solution, which was mentioned at the beginning of the article.

This will help maintain an appetizing appearance even before the apples end up in the freezer.

To prepare it you will need:

Mix the acid thoroughly in the water and keep the chopped fruit in the resulting solution for at least a quarter of an hour.

Afterwards, the fruits are packaged in bags or sealed containers and stored.

Apples frozen in this way can remain in the freezer for up to six months. Whole fruits can then be baked, added to pies, pies, or made into compote. The only disadvantage of this freezing method is that fruits take up a lot of space, and storing them can be simply inconvenient.

In slices

Another freezing option that is popular is sliced apples. First you need to rinse the fruits well and dry them with a towel.

Next, if desired, you can remove the peel (if you plan to cook compote, then it is better to leave the peel, but for various types of fillings, cut it off). Cut the apples into 4 parts and remove the seeds, stem and tail.

Benefits of freezing apples at home

Many housewives freeze berries for the winter, but is it possible to freeze apples? This needs to be done! After all, this storage method is endowed with the following advantages:

All useful microelements and vitamins are preserved in frozen form.
They have a long shelf life, up to 9 months when treated with special solutions.
You can simplify and speed up the preparation of your favorite desserts and other dishes with apples. They will already be washed, peeled and cut.

Before freezing, be sure to wash them under running water and a soft sponge and dry them. Place in a bag or container as closely as possible. Then the apples will not stick together and lose less moisture. Accordingly, this will have a positive effect on their preservation of useful qualities.

Preparing apples for freezing

First you need to select undamaged fruits, wash and dry. But it is not forbidden to use slightly spoiled fruits, after cutting off the rotten area.

It is not necessary to remove the peel; you can do this after you have frozen the apples. If there is such a need, use a special knife for peeling vegetables and fruits.

After this, cut them into quarters or small slices, remove the core and stalks. Whole apples can also be frozen, but you still have to remove the core. Another disadvantage of this method is that it takes up too much space in the freezer than slices.

What can you then cook from these apples?

You can prepare quite a large number of different dishes from frozen apples:

If you froze whole fruits, then they are well suited for baking either whole or in halves (for piquancy, add a filling of nuts, honey, cottage cheese, or just sprinkle sugar on top);
apples in sugar are an excellent base for a sweet dessert, smoothie or cocktail;
Applesauce is used for filling pies, buns, as a baby's first fruit food, or in preparing various sauces. It will also be a substitute for butter or jam in sweet sandwiches, and if you love making marshmallows, marshmallows or sorbet, then puree will help make these sweets not only tasty, but also quite quick to prepare;
if you add frozen berries (cherries, strawberries or raspberries) to the apple slices, and use lemon juice for flavor, you will get an excellent compote;
Apple slices can be used as a filling and decoration for pies , charlottes, cakes, muffins and strudels. Appetizing and satisfying pancakes are made with this filling.
Frozen apples will not only be part of a dessert or baked goods, but also an addition to savory dishes: a filling for a baked duck or a component of a holiday salad. They also make savory sauces for meat dishes.

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Freezing apples is not at all difficult, as it seems at first glance. By devoting a little time to this simple procedure, you will not only save a piece of summer, but also use its gifts to benefit yourself and your family!

Frozen fruits will retain vitamins and microelements , but when cooked, many useful substances are lost;
Having made the preparation, you will always be sure that the fruit has not been subjected to any chemical treatment, which cannot be said about the same apples from the store, which look suspiciously “fresh” even when a new crop has already ripened on the tree branches, and they are still lying around on store shelves;
You will significantly facilitate and speed up the subsequent process of preparing your favorite dishes, since the fruits will already be prepared (washed, peeled and cut).

Methods for freezing apples

Before freezing these fruits, many people think about what shape to choose: circles, pieces, slices, slices.

Blast frozen apples

This is the fastest way to freeze at a temperature of -23 degrees. To do this, turn on the “fast freezing” mode on the freezer.

Cut the apples into slices in the desired quantity and place them on a baking sheet or on cutting boards, but so that they do not touch each other. Place in the chamber for a couple of hours, then put these slices into bags. Switch the freezer to normal operation.

Freezing apples in slices

Place the pieces on dry trays or cutting boards. Place in the freezer for 3 hours. After this, place in small portions in plastic bags. Pay attention to the volume of air, it should be minimal. You can also use plastic jars and containers.

Freezing apples with syrup

To prepare the syrup, dissolve ascorbic acid (up to 1500 milligrams) and granulated sugar (450 g) in water (750 g). Soak the sliced apples in this solution for 24 hours, then pour hot water over them, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer. Place cooled apples in plastic bags. The result is a very tasty apple dessert that can be stored for a very long time.

Freezing apple puree

There is nothing complicated in this recipe. Boil the peeled slices for an hour and chop using a blender. Place in plastic containers and use as pie filling or baby food.

Proportions: for 1 kilogram of apples you will need 100 grams of granulated sugar. If you don't want to, you can omit the sweetener.

Freezing whole apples

Soak washed dried apples in a solution of water (50 grams) and ascorbic acid (1500 milligrams). Next, everything is according to the previous recipe: put it in containers or plastic bags, remember about the air. Their shelf life should not exceed six months.

Whole frozen apples with ascorbic acid

If you regularly bake apples with cinnamon and sugar, you need to freeze whole apples. And ascorbic acid, which is available at any pharmacy, will be used as a preservative.

Proportions: for 1 kg of apples you will need 1.5 liters of water, 50 grams of ascorbic acid. Crush the tablets and dilute them in water, or buy ready-made powder for preparing solutions. Remove the core from the fruit and immerse it in the previously prepared mixture for literally 5 minutes. Place each apple in a separate freezer bag. Place in the freezer.

Freezing methods

What are the ways to freeze apples for the winter at home? There are several methods for freezing apples.

Slices

Cut the apples into slices, remove the seeds and stem (but you can also freeze them with seeds).

Place the sliced apples on dry cutting boards or trays.

The slices should not touch each other and lie in one layer . And immediately put it all in the freezer.

After 2-3 hours you can start packaging. Carefully removed slices are placed in small portions into plastic bags or containers .

When packing in a bag, you need to make sure that there is as little air inside as possible. If packaging occurs in plastic containers, then close them very tightly to prevent air and moisture from getting inside.

In sugar syrup

Boil the syrup (mix 750 g of water with 450 g of sugar and 1500 mg of ascorbic acid). Cut the apples into slices and soak them in cold syrup for a day . After this, blanch the pieces (pour boiling water over them), place them on baking sheets and cool them in the freezer.

Then put it into bags with a minimum amount of air . Apples prepared in this way have the aroma of baked apples and are a good dessert.

And the shelf life of such apples is increased due to the use of citric acid , which acts as a preservative.

Preparation of puree

Peel and chop the apples; you don’t need to add sugar; cook for 15–20 minutes over low heat . Cool, grind in a blender, pour into plastic containers or jars. So, ready-made pie filling is always in the refrigerator.

Whole frozen

To do this, you need to wash and dry the apple. Using a special knife, carefully remove the core .

Immerse the fruit in a specially prepared solution of ascorbic acid (50 g of water + 1500 mg of acid) for several minutes.

After this, put the apple in a special bag for freezing , after releasing the air from there.

An apple frozen in this way can stay in the freezer for six months, retaining all its beneficial qualities . Such fruits are used in cooking for such dishes as apples in dough or whole apples baked with sugar.

Of course, frozen fruit saves a lot of time for any housewife, so you should definitely take some time in the fall to enjoy almost fresh apples before the new harvest.

If you want to learn about other ways to store apples for the winter, you can read our articles on drying, drying and how to keep the harvest fresh at home or in the cellar, and you will also be interested in learning about the features of storing dried apples.

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Shelf life of frozen apples

Their storage period at a temperature of -18 degrees = 9 months. It may be larger or smaller depending on the method used to freeze the apples.

Fruits that have been previously soaked in salt, sugar or lemon solution last the longest.

In cases where the freezer does not maintain low temperatures, fruits can also be frozen, but then they will be stored for 3 months. Plastic bags, plastic jars or containers are used as packaging. Be sure to release excess air, close the container tightly and sign the packaging date. For convenience, you should also indicate the type of apple.

Protecting apples from darkening when frozen in the freezer

Every housewife knows that apples immediately begin to darken after peeling. Therefore, to prevent this from happening when storing them in the freezer, they should first be soaked in an acidic solution. To do this, you need to dissolve 5 grams of citric acid in a liter of water (you can take freshly squeezed lemon juice). If you need more solution, for example, about 5 liters, increase the proportion of components to the required volume.

As soon as the apples are chopped, put them in this mixture for twenty minutes. This will prevent them from darkening when stored in the freezer.

What are the health benefits of frozen apples?

It is worth saying that it is worth freezing apples for the winter; this preparation will be an excellent filling for pies, pies, as well as for various desserts and compotes.

Now there are no problems with apples, they can be purchased at any time of the year on the market, but it is best to do this at the height of the season, they have more benefits than, for example, in December with their artificial cultivation and subsequent processing.

There is no point in talking about the benefits of frozen apples, because they are 90 percent preserved. This is justified by the fact that they do not first undergo heat treatment, during which about 40-45 percent evaporates.

During the preparation season, special emphasis should be placed on this preparation, especially since you can use them at any time to prepare puree for a baby, make a compote or make aromatic jam.

Frozen apples, as well as fresh ones, are used to diversify the diet menu after surgery, in the presence of problems with the gastrointestinal tract. They retain all useful substances: phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, calcium, zinc and potassium. In addition, there are vitamins of the group “PP”, “A”, “B”, “C” and others.

Storing apples at home is a pressing issue in the winter season, when the cost of fruit in supermarkets is quite high, and its naturalness is questionable. In this article we will share the secrets of freezing apples for the winter - how to choose and prepare the fruits correctly, at what temperature to store them, and what can be prepared from them after defrosting.

Storing apples in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator

To create a good supply for the winter, you need to have certain knowledge and have a spacious freezer compartment in your household refrigerator, where you can set the appropriate low temperatures. Only undamaged ripe fruits are suitable for harvesting. When overripe apples with traces of rot are frozen, they often look unappetizing after defrosting and look more like puree. Freshly picked fruits are best suited for cooling; these are the ones that should be selected for harvesting for the winter.

It’s definitely worth freezing apples for the winter; this DIY preparation will provide the housewife with an excellent vitamin filling for charlotte, strudel, pies, the basis for compotes and all kinds of desserts. It’s great that in all seasons of the year, on weekdays and holidays, you can prepare delicious homemade dishes based on environmentally friendly cut, grated or whole fruits.

Frozen apples contain many useful elements, so they are as close as possible to fresh fruit. It is known that about 90% of all nutrients remain in chilled slices, compared to the product before processing. During the off-season and cold winter months, it is important to focus on natural food without additives in order to cleanse the body and improve the immune system.

Apples can be stored in the freezer; they can be frozen using shock and dry methods, whole, in pieces, in the form of puree, with sugar.

It is acceptable to place whole fruits, slices, and pureed pulp into a household freezer. Apples are cooled separately or together with other crops. You can choose absolutely any shape, for example, cut fruit into circles, even slices, or arbitrary pieces. When apples are frozen for later use in making compote or pies, you can leave the skin in place. If you plan to add fruit to casseroles, sauces and other delicate dishes for adults and children, then the seeds, peel and stalks should be removed.

As we know, apples have the inherent property of darkening when exposed to light; such a nuisance can be prevented by soaking the slices. For this purpose, an acidic solution is used; to prepare it we take the following components:

citric acid - 5 grams;
water - 1 liter.

Immediately after cutting the apples, they are kept in the composition for about 20 minutes, this measure helps to prevent the product from darkening, the slices look appetizing.

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You can choose from two options for cooling fruits:

shock freezing of apples;
dry frozen apples.

The essence of blast freezing is the ultra-high-speed cooling process of apple slices placed in bags. In order to achieve this effect, you need a modern refrigerator; in its control system you need to select the “quick freezing” option. In order to prepare apples in the refrigerator using the dry method, you need to spread the slices on the surface of a tray, put it in the freezer, and set the temperature to at least 23 degrees.

What apples can be frozen

Storing apples throughout the winter while preserving the taste and benefits of recently picked fruits is possible in only one way - placing them in the freezer. However, not all varieties of fruit are recommended to be frozen.

For freezing, you should use varieties with a rich sweet and sour flavor that ripen in late autumn and early winter. Antonovka, Golden, Jonathan, Snow Calvin, Glory to the Winners, Ranetki are suitable for this purpose. These fruits will keep their shape well once returned to room temperature and will remain virtually unchanged in flavor.

To find out what other types of apples can be successfully frozen, you should peel the selected fruit and place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. If the fruit retains its color without darkening, it can be placed in the freezer for a period of several months to a year.

The advantages of freezing apples yourself for the winter are as follows:

preservation of the entire volume of nutrients by fruits, which is important in late winter and early spring, when most sold products are already deprived of vitamins;
the ability to prepare dishes from prepared ingredients regardless of the time of year;
confidence in the naturalness of frozen fruits, which is very important when preparing food for children.

Why freeze apples?

Many will be surprised, why freeze apples if they can be bought all year round.

Here are some reasons:

summer varieties of apples are much more fragrant and healthy;

quick freezing preserves most of the nutrients;

homemade apples are practically not treated with chemicals, which cannot be said about imported winter ones;

it’s just convenient, because when you need it, you take it out of the refrigerator and the pie filling is already ready.

A few things to consider when freezing:

You need to freeze apples that are not spoiled and hard. Otherwise, a large amount of moisture will be released, and they will simply stick together.

To avoid browning from natural oxidation, simply sprinkle lemon juice over the cut apples.

Do not delay the preparation process for freezing. Cleaned, cut and immediately put in the freezer. The less contact with air, the better.

Store at temperatures from –18 and below. This is the standard freezer temperature.

Freezing halves and whole apples

This option is suitable for those who love baked apples.

PREPARATION:

Peel the apples (as they deteriorate greatly during the freezing process) and core;

Place in containers or bags and place in the freezer.

You can simply take out a frozen apple, add nuts and honey to it, put it in the oven - and in a few minutes you will have a delicious baked apple.

Freezing apples in slices

PREPARATION:

Wash, peel and core;

cut into neat slices;

sprinkle the slices with lemon juice or soak for a few minutes in 1 liter of water with 5 g of citric acid;

place the slices on a board or tray (you can first cover them with cling film or parchment), freeze a little and put them in a bag;

Freeze portions in small bags so you don't have to defrost everything at once.

This freezing is perfect for cooking compotes and for baked goods such as an open pie or baskets of apples.

Freezing apples with sugar

After prolonged freezing, apples lose some of their sweetness. Therefore, if desired, you can freeze it by adding sugar.

PREPARATION:

Wash, peel and core;

cut into thin slices;

sprinkle the slices with lemon juice or soak in the solution described above;

put the apples in a bowl and add sugar in a ratio of 5: 1. If the apple variety is sour, take more sugar;

stir gently, leave for 15–20 minutes;

Place into containers.

Freezing with syrup

Thanks to the syrup, the apples become sweet and juicy.

Rules for freezing apples

To ensure that apples stored for the winter retain their taste and benefits, when freezing you should follow these tips:

choose ripe fruits without signs of damage, rot, or wormholes;
use freshly picked apples - the less time passes between harvesting and freezing the preparations, the better they will retain their taste and texture after defrosting;
carefully remove dirt from the surface of the fruit - rinse in cool water and wipe dry with paper or cloth napkins;
for slicing, use a knife with a ceramic coating - this will keep the fruits color longer;
store fruit preparations separately from vegetable, fish and meat products.

To preserve the color of fruits and prevent darkening, experienced housewives recommend soaking them in saline or acidified solutions before placing them in the freezer. This will not affect the taste, but will protect against the oxidative process.

Here are the recipes for such liquids:

Ingredients	Water, citric acid	Water, salt
Method of preparation	Dilute 5 grams of powder in a liter of cool water.	Dissolve 1 heaped tablespoon of salt in 4 liters of warm water.
Method of use	Soak the apple preparations for 15-20 minutes, remove and dry well.	After the water has cooled, immerse the apples for a quarter of an hour, remove and let dry.

Freezing methods

Freezing apples can be done in many ways: placing sliced or whole fruits in the freezer, freezing puree and juice. The storage duration will vary slightly in each case.

The choice of a specific method depends on what dishes you plan to prepare in the future.

Whole fruits

When freezing apples whole, they should be washed and dried thoroughly. It is advisable to remove the core from the fruit - this will facilitate further cooking. Then the fruits need to be dipped in water acidified with citric acid for a couple of minutes and then dried.

Processed fruits are placed in small bags or wrapped in cling film. After placing the preparations in the freezer, it is advisable to exclude the possibility of a temperature difference in it, since even a slight change in the regime can cause a decrease in the shelf life of the fruit.

There are many recipes for preparing frozen whole apples, for example, baking with various fillings or baking in dough.

In slices

Freezing fruit into slices is a very practical option, since the preparation is suitable for preparing many dishes - pies, muffins, charlottes, cakes. You can make compotes or jam from pieces of frozen apples.

Apples that are planned to be frozen are thoroughly washed and dried, and then cut into slices. It is not necessary to peel the apples, but it is possible if desired.

The size of the pieces can be any - depending on the preferences of the housewife and the type of dishes that will be prepared in the future. However, we draw attention to the fact that the thinner the slices are, the faster they will freeze and the more compact they will fit in the freezer.

After preparing the pieces, the following steps are performed:

The fruits are placed on dry trays at a distance from each other so as not to touch.
Containers are placed in freezing equipment for at least 3 hours.
After this, the apples are removed from the trays and packed into storage containers.

You can store apple slices in the freezer in thick plastic bags or small containers.

Important! When placing apple slices in bags, you need to make sure that there is no air left inside after closing them. When storing fruits in plastic containers, they must be tightly closed. This will help prevent air and moisture from penetrating the workpiece.

In a similar way, you can freeze apples cut into thin slices, slices, and cubes. In the future, such preparations will be useful in preparing salads, baking, and stuffing poultry.

In syrup

To prepare the syrup, 500 ml of water and 350 grams of sugar are mixed in a suitable container. After it is dissolved, apples cut into cubes or slices are placed into the sweet liquid. It is necessary that the fruits are completely covered with syrup, so they can be covered with a plate and pressed down with a small weight.

The duration of soaking the slices in syrup is no more than 5 minutes. Next, they are removed from the sweet solution and placed in a colander to drain excess liquid. The dried pieces are placed in a thin layer on a cutting board or baking sheet and placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours. After freezing, the fruit slices are put into small hermetically sealed bags and put back into the freezer for storage.

You can make various cold desserts from apples frozen in syrup and use them in fruit salads.

To prepare puree that will be frozen, follow these steps:

Washed apples are peeled, seeds removed, and cut into small pieces.
The chopped fruits are placed in a pan and placed on a burner with a minimum heat level, adding 100 ml of water per 1 kg of apples.
Boil the apples for 10-15 minutes until softened, stirring regularly.
If necessary, blend the pieces with a blender until a homogeneous consistency is obtained and bring to a boil again.
The resulting mass is cooled, placed in small tightly closed jars or cups and placed in the freezer compartment.

Puree prepared according to the described recipe is perfect as complementary food for infants, since it retains a maximum of beneficial microelements.

If desired, while preparing the puree, you can add sugar to it at the rate of 300 grams of sweet sand per 1 kilogram of fruit. This preparation can later be used as a filling for pies and buns.

Apple juice

In addition to whole fruits and pieces, you can freeze apple juice. This is done as follows:

Using an electric or manual juicer, juice is squeezed out of the fruit. It can be strained or left with the pulp if present.
The resulting drink is poured into plastic bottles or containers and placed in the freezer.

There is no need to boil the juice squeezed from apples when frozen, so it contains all the nutrients present in fresh fruits.

After defrosting, apple juice can be drunk in its pure form or prepared from it in various dishes - sauces, jelly, compotes.

For filling

There is another interesting way to freeze apples so that you can use them to cook pies and pancakes in the winter. The filling is prepared as follows:

Fruits are peeled and seeds removed.
They are cut into small pieces and then crushed in a food processor, grated on a coarse grater or minced through a meat grinder.
Sugar is added to the crushed fruits in a ratio of 1:10, after which the mass is heated over low heat for 10 minutes with continuous stirring.
The workpiece cools down, is put into bags or containers and put into the freezer.

Cooking from defrosted apples

Many people don’t know what can be made from frozen apples.
In fact, this is a unique product that is suitable for preparing various dishes. They are suitable for compotes, making muffins, cakes, jelly, apple strudel, charlotte, casseroles, and as a filling for pancakes. Sour apples can be used as an additive to meat dishes, and can also be used in various gravies and sauces. Frozen apples can also be used to make puree for your baby.

Charlotte - a popular dish made from frozen apples

First, remove the apples from the freezer and leave them at room temperature for a while.
Any water that appears will need to be drained. To prepare the dough you will need:

If you had frozen apple slices, after thawing, simply add them to the dough. Whole fruits need to be peeled and cut into small pieces.

After mixing the dough with apples, pour it into the mold and place it in a preheated oven. You need to bake for about 30 minutes.

Apple mousse

To prepare, you need to take three small apples, sugar, water, a bag of vanilla sugar, 1 tbsp.
l. decoys. The first thing to do is defrost the apples. Then you will need to remove the peel and seeds from them. Place the prepared apples in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water to the puree in a volume of 2/3 of the mass of apples, vanilla, cereal, baking powder and sugar. Mix everything and cook like regular semolina.

Freezing is a great way to preserve fruit in its original form. If there are too many apples in the garden that you don’t have time to process, then the best solution would be to put them in the freezer.

Source

Defrosting features

To preserve the maximum amount of nutrients, it is recommended to defrost apples slowly. To do this, the container with the workpiece, removed from the freezer, is placed in the refrigerator. Depending on the volume of the frozen fruit, it may take 6 to 12 hours to thaw.

An indispensable condition for preserving the benefits of fruit is single freezing. Therefore, when making preparations, we recommend placing them in small portion containers in order to consume frozen apples at one time.

Shelf life of blanks

The length of time apples are stored in the freezer depends on the method of cutting and processing:

Harvesting method	Shelf life, months
Entirely	6
In slices	9-12
In syrup	12
Puree	9-12

To avoid storing fruits longer than the recommended time, the date they were placed in the freezer should be written on the bag or container with the preparation.

Note! The shelf life of frozen apples is indicated for a freezer compartment in which the temperature is set to at least -18 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher, the shelf life of the fruit will be halved.

The process of freezing apples for the winter does not contain any difficulties. In order for the preparations to retain their taste and appearance for a long time, we recommend focusing on the following points:

choosing the right variety;
proper processing of fruits;
compliance with temperature and storage conditions.

By following these recommendations, you can enjoy the taste of apples and dishes prepared from them throughout the year.

Video: apple jam

Video: apples in their own juice for the winter

In the autumn season, you need to have time to prepare as many healthy vegetables and fruits as possible, which will save you from vitamin deficiency in the winter, saturating the body with minerals, vitamins, and strengthening the immune system. One of the obligatory preparations for the winter is apples.

The fruits can be boiled into juice, prepared into compote, dried or preserved whole. But, is it possible to freeze apples for the winter so that you always have a base for charlotte or apples for compote on hand?

We suggest considering 5 recipes for freezing apples at home for the winter.

How to freeze apples for the winter in the freezer: is it possible at home, reviews

It turns out that you can freeze not only vegetables, but also fruits at home. Fruits in this form retain about 90% of their nutrients. How to freeze apples for the winter and what dishes can be prepared from such a product is information that is relevant for many housewives.

Ways to freeze apples for the winter

Suitable varieties

Not all varieties of apples are suitable for such processing and further storage. It is necessary to use the harvest of autumn and winter varieties with sweet and sour pulp.

You can freeze the following varieties: Antonovka, Sinap, Glory to the Winners, Richard, Kutuzovets, Golden. The harvest of such apple trees is perfectly preserved at sub-zero temperatures.

You can determine how suitable an apple variety is for freezing: you need to peel the fruit and place it on the top shelf of the refrigerator. If it does not darken after a while, you can safely freeze it.

Preparatory work

For storage in the freezer, it is necessary to use ripe apples without mechanical damage, cracks, traces of mold, or signs of disease and parasites.

After defrosting, overripe apples will turn into puree, their benefits will be lost, and it will hardly be possible to prepare something tasty and aromatic from them.

Apples are sent for freezing immediately after picking: the less they “lie”, the better they retain their beneficial properties.

All fruits are thoroughly washed under running water, wiped dry, then cut, depending on the chosen freezing method.

Freezing methods

There are several ways to freeze fresh apples - it all depends on the further use of such a preparation.

Each apple is individually packaged

In syrup

To use this storage method, you need to prepare a syrup: 750 ml of water will require 500 g of sugar. It is necessary to achieve complete dissolution of the product.

Clean and dried apples are cut into slices, as in the previous method, placed in the prepared syrup, transferred to a plastic bag and sent to the freezer.

After defrosting, such a product is an excellent raw material for making cocktails, jellies and other desserts.

Rules for selecting and preparing fruits for freezing

It is better to give preference for subsequent freezing to sweet and sour varieties:

You should be aware that the taste and texture of frozen products differs from fresh apples.

Before harvesting, it is necessary to inspect all the fruits, discarding deformed, rotten apples with wormholes and limp skin.

Suitable fruits need to be washed and dried so that when frozen they do not stick together into one lump.

After this, the fruit must be peeled (if desired, you can also peel frozen slices), remove the “tail” and cut out the core with seeds. Then chop the apples in any convenient way.

Attention! The smaller the apple slices, the less space the preparation will take up in the freezer.

Also, for freezing, you need to prepare plastic bags or clean containers with lids in advance.

Freezing procedure

Don't know how to freeze apples for the winter? To do this, place the prepared pieces on a cutting board, tray or small baking sheet. The main condition is that the apples should not touch each other so that they do not freeze into a homogeneous mass. Slices frozen in this way are very convenient to use in winter for preparing various dishes.

The baking sheet or cutting board with apples should be placed in the freezer for two to three hours. Then, using a spatula, put the frozen pieces into plastic containers or sealed bags, seal them well to prevent air from entering, and place them in the freezer for storage. They won't take up much space there.

Methods for freezing apples

You can freeze apples in several ways, as follows:

Freezing in slices

To freeze fruit into slices, you need to follow a number of steps:

Dry the prepared apples and cut into slices.

Attention! To prevent apple slices from darkening when frozen, they must first be soaked in salted (30 grams of salt per 4 liters of water) or acidified (5 grams of lemon per 1 liter of water) water for about 15 minutes.

Carefully place the apple preparations on a dry tray, board or baking sheet covered with cling film in one layer so that the pieces do not touch each other. Cover the slices with a plastic bag.
Place the slices in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
Remove the preparations from the freezer and package them in bags, releasing the air.

Attention! Fruit that has been thawed should not be re-frozen. Therefore, there is no need to freeze apples in large portions; it is better to package them in small bags per one ready-made dish.

Place frozen slices in the freezer for later storage.

Thus, the fruits can be stored for 9-12 months.

Attention! An important factor in long-term storage of fruit is maintaining the optimal freezer temperature. At a temperature of -18 degrees, frozen fruits are stored for 12 months; if the indicator is from 0 to -8 degrees, the shelf life of the product is reduced to 3 months.

Freezing apples in syrup

Let's look at how to freeze apples in sugar syrup in the freezer for the winter:

Prepare sugar syrup by mixing 2 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water.
Place the prepared apple slices in a bowl and pour in the syrup. Press the workpiece on top with a plate or lid. Leave the fruit for 5 minutes.

Attention! The liquid should completely cover the apple layer.

Place fruit slices in a colander to remove excess liquid.
Arrange the slices on a tray in a single layer and flash freeze.
After 2-3 hours, pour the apples into a bag and put them back in the freezer.

Such preparations can be stored for a year.

Freezing apples in sugar

For subsequent preparation of compotes and use as filling for pies, a method of freezing apples in sugar for the winter is used. To do this you will need:

The fruit harvesting process is as follows:

Prepare apple slices and soak them in acidified water for 15 minutes.

Attention! Prepare an acidified solution at the rate of 5 grams of lemon per 1 liter of water.

Dry the slices and pour into the pan. Add the amount of sugar specified in the recipe to the container. Gently stir in the fruit pieces.
Place the candied wedges in small bags and place in the freezer.

Store the treat for no more than 12 months.

Freezing applesauce

For babies, you can prepare applesauce for the winter, which can be offered to children starting from 6 months of age. For this:

Prepared fruits, peeled and seeded, cut into small cubes.
Place the fruit cubes in an enamel or ceramic bowl and place on low heat. Add half a glass of water per 1 kilogram of peeled apples to the container.

Attention! There is no need to add sugar to the preparation.

Simmer the fruit over low heat, stirring constantly, until a thick applesauce is obtained. The process takes on average 7-10 minutes depending on the size of the apple pieces.
Grind the apple mixture in a blender until smooth and boil again.
Cool the puree, place in containers, seal tightly with lids and transfer to the freezer.

The permissible shelf life of the product is 9-12 months.

Freezing whole fruits

You can freeze whole apples for the winter using this recipe as a basis. In this case, you can save time spent on preparation. For this you will need:

Rinse the apples well with a brush under running water.
Dry the fruits with paper towels.

Attention! If you need to freeze peeled fruits, be sure to soak them in acidified/salted water.

Pack the apples into containers, closing them with lids or putting them in bags, wrap them in cling film and place them in the freezer for freezing and subsequent storage.

Attention! To prevent the fruits from freezing together, dry the apples well and quickly freeze them.

The shelf life of the product should not exceed 6 months.

Recipe for freezing apple puree for children

Applesauce is quite common in baby food. For the first feeding and introducing the baby to fruit, it is best to use green apples. They practically do not cause allergies.

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings: 5

Energy value

Ingredients

Step-by-step description of the process

Tip: Homemade puree can be made sweet. Just boil the peeled apples in sugar syrup for a few minutes, and then beat in a blender bowl.