What is the recommended way of preparing raw apples for my freezer? Should I slice them up and blanche? Slice up and freeze-dry? This is apple for cooking at a later date. Apple browns in the air, so is coating with lemon juice recommended?

Hi Chris you are correct, you can dip the apple slices in lemon juice, or an ascorbic acid solution prior to freezing to prevent the browning that you mentioned. You can also, pack them in sugar syrup, or blanche them for one and a half minutes to stop the enzyme action that causes browning. When blenching you should take them out of the water and put them straight into cold water, keep them in cold water for a few minutes until they are no longer warm. Click here for more info on frozen fruit. Frozen desserts are delicious and can save lots of time preparing fruits for home freezing.

However, home freezers are efficient at storing frozen foods and frozen meals we buy they are not as efficient at freezing and storing home cooked food. Frozen foods and frozen ready meals from shops are frozen using a different process. Frozen meals are flash frozen and this process is done quickly to seal in the nutrition. Home freezers can not freeze foods this quickly and so large crystals build up on the frozen food and this damages the tezture. Because frozen food products and frozen ready meals are frozen effectively theykeep their vitamins, nutrients and texture. The ingredients in frozen food products can be some of the freshest as a result because not only are they frozen quickly but they are frozen at harvest and at their quality peak.

Frozen ready meals can also save you money. Few of the ingredients spoil so the manufacturers do not need to charge you for the wastage! It is estimated that up to 30% of our food is wasted in the UK so frozen food is a solution to this. Frozen ready meals have been around for much longer than you might imagine – The Ancient Chinese had been storng their frozen foods in caves filled with snow well before we did! 

Happy freezing, we hope yur apples are dlicious! Click here to see where your frozen food comes from.

Thank you for your frozen food question.

The New Ice Age Team