Freeze chili peppers

The fresh taste, like the pungency, is preserved without any cutbacks. The only pity is that the chillies are no longer crunchy after thawing. But that doesn’t matter if you use the vegetables for soups, sauces and cooking chili con carne.

Frozen chillies taste fresher than dried ones. Chili powder also has an intense taste. Only the flavors are slightly different, which doesn’t have to be bad. A pasta sauce with a fresh, fruity taste tastes sunnier in winter.

Aroma and sharpness remain untouched for over a year. Capsaicin is extremely stable at high and low temperatures. After several years, chillies will taste just as hot as fresh pods. The only thing we are not sure about is the aroma, as we have not frozen any chilli for more than 18 months.

In late summer, spicy chilli varieties ripen late, but in a flash. Due to the threat of night frost, unripe green pods are now unfortunately to be harvested. It comes as it must come: all at once. Every day even the strongest guy can’t go to his limit. So Habaneros, Pepperoni, Anaheim or small Pequin are preserved.

Any combination of red, green, hot, sweet peppers, chilli peppers or chillies should be frozen. Also, as smoked, fried and even as paste without problems. Portion wise and separated by variety is advantageous later on when removing.

The preparation of the chillies is done quickly. The easiest and quickest way is to rinse the whole pods under water. Then dab with a cloth and place in a container in the freezer. To make fungi or bacteria harmless, it is safer to blanch chilli before freezing. Later you have the advantage that skin is easier to remove. Blanch chillies by bathing them in hot water for a minute.

With a large harvest and a small refrigerator it is space-saving to halve the chillies. If the pods are halved, you can also scrape off the chili seeds and placenta. Halved Jalapeños or Anaheim can be frozen in a space-saving freezer bag if they are lying flat next to each other.

When cutting chili, you should be smart enough to wear gloves. Do not look yourself in the eye or in sensitive areas. It can lead to a painful experience where you burn after relief.

Frozen chillies can be kept for at least one year without losing taste. However, the chillies are no longer crunchy after thawing. The cell walls are damaged by ice crystals. The more water there is in the vegetable, the softer the consistency will be later. Take the freshly thawed chillies for dishes in which they are already overcooked, it doesn’t matter.

Tips:

• Freeze individual pods of special varieties of aluminum foil.
• Remove as much air as possible from freezer bags, otherwise freezer burn may occur.
• Temperatures below -18 °C are ideal to make frozen products last longer.