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Today's New York Times Minimalist column focuses on frozen veggies, one of our favorite time-savers (and money-savers) in the kitchen. Like Mark Bittman, we were somewhat skeptical at first about using frozen vegetables in lieu of fresh, but now we love to throw frozen peas in our pasta, fried rice, soup, or almost any dish that needs a little color on short notice. We also generally keep a bag of frozen edamame in the freezer for a quick, healthy snack.
What's your favorite way to use frozen vegetables? Are there other time-savers you swear by? Ready-made pizza dough? Peeled garlic? We're always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen, so let us know!
[Ed. note: Although it's probably hard to fit a 5lb bag of tater tots in a teeny NYC freezer, we couldn't resist using the photo!]
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I like to buy those pre-made salads in a bag. And any food that's canned will always have a place in my cupboard.
Ore-Ida is named for its headquarter's proximity to the Oregon-Idaho border! (I think. If that wasn't the reason, it should be.)
What about nutrition? Are frozen vegetables as full of vitamins and fiber as fresh? Or does the freezing process kill that? I can accept that they taste as good, but are they as good for me?
I agree about the pre-made salads and pre-washed spinach.
I have frozen dumpling from Chinatown that I keep in the freezer...$10.50 for a huge bag that will make 6-8 servings. Also, tomato paste in a tube rules.
Well, aren't frozen vegetables usually cooked? Usually fresh, raw vegetables have certain amounts of vitamins and minerals, and when cooked, those amounts might be diminished. So I think frozen cooked veggies are comparable to regular cooked veggies.
white castle. yum and yum. and maybe a little disturbing, but yum!
Most of what I found online seems to indicate that fresh vs. frozen veggies are about the same nutritionally, as fresh veggies lose some nutritional value during shelf life, and frozen veggies are "flash-frozen," sealing in the nutrients to some extent.
And I'm not sure White Castle was what I had in mind for time-savers . . .
;-)
Hands down, my favorite use of frozen vegetables is frozen chopped spinach, thawed and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Toss with penne pasta. Delicious!
i like frozen vegetables for when i bark my shin on something. A bag of frozen peas and carrots-any brand, works niceley to bring down the swelling.
"I want chicken and orange juice, cause that's what's on my rider
And my occasional potato by Ore-Ida."
FreshDirect is a major shortcut, if you'll count it. I save about $80 a week on food costs because of the way my food purchasing habits have changed. That, and the food they deliver is fresher and better than most of the food I've ever gotten from suburban supermarkets. Similarly priced, too.
Salad in a bag rocks (more so from FreshDirect; what I've bought in the stores tends to have brief shelf lives). I have a slight preference, though, for taking a bread knife to a head of romaine and keeping the shreds in a plastic container.
Also: save yourself most of the trouble of making a proper pot of tomato sauce and simply fry your favorite ingredients (onions, garlic, chopped meat, perhaps some mushrooms, spices, whatever) with a light amount of olive oil, till cooked, then just mix with a saucepan full of the stuff out of a jar (or for a clean flavor start with something cheap, canned tomato sauce) and simmer/stir for 15 minutes. Mix in liberal amounts of parmesan cheese afterward if you like. True, my normal 3-hour recipe for sauce yields better results, but that fact doesn't stop me from eating the quick stuff ravenously for a whole week...
i second the chopped frozen spinach. my favorite use: sautee onions in ghee, add spinach and chick peas. spice with turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin and salt. so fast, healthy and really tasty.
frozen mixed berries are always handy too to drop in oatmeal, smoothies, or just let them thaw a few minutes and eat 'em straight. frozen mango makes an awesome snack!
I love bag 'o salad. Especially bag o' spinach (often cheaper than mixed greens). Makes great salad, you can throw some on a sandwich, cook a bit up. . . yum.
I always have a bag of broccoli , a bag of spinach, and a bag of green beans in the freezer. They cook up fast and can be thrown in with loads of stuff (or sauteed with a bit of olive oil, garlic and other spices)
I usually keep a bag of baby carrots handy in the fridge, sometimes those grape tomatoes. And some roasted, unsalted cashews on the shelf.
What adult doesn't already know about frozen vegetables? I do have to admit that frozen fruits are a new discovery for me, but they can be expensive. You are better off freezing your own. And always indivually wrap your meats before freezing for easy one-serving thawing.
Fresh Direct and individually wrapping before freezing are my heroes! I buy the bulk chicken breasts, wrap 'em up one by one and freeze away. You can even pull out a frozen chicken breast, pour a little balsamic, olive oil and rosemary in the ziploc bag, leave it out to thaw while you're at work, then broil it up when you get home. Serve with a big salad, roll it up in a tortilla with fixins, whatever -- quick and super-easy.
Must agree on the individual wrapped chicken breast halves... but I can even beat FreshDirect and their bulk packs. It's out of the way, but not too bad...
Pathmark is having a sale this week on Tyson chicken breasts... $2.00 a lb! And where is a Pathmark that you won't have to go bridge-and-tunneling for if you're in Manhattan? Simple... right above the 125th/Lexington station on the 4/5/6. I swear, you walk up the stairs and you're right at the door to the supermarket. Someone told me about it and I loaded up on 10lbs worth of chicken on Sunday! I think the special is good all week, so get there by Saturday...
(Note: even though I'm a guy and pretty fearless about such things anyway, it doesn't seem at all like a bad section of town. Seems safe and well-lit. And worth the trip.)
I usually go to Costco, buy the bulk chicken breasts and throw each one in a sandwich bag. When I get home, I just toss one straight from the freezer to the George Forman and it works pretty well. About halfway through toss a little lemon pepper or oregano/basil on and you're good to go.
I love using frozen peppers and frozen spinach. They are both wonderful sauteed in a little olive oil with fresh onion and garlic and whatever fresh herbs I have around as the basis for a quick fritatta. Adding french feta or picadine along with the egg makes it even better.
Frozen veggies are sometimes more nutrious than fresh if they flash freeze them immediately. Generally, the longer a vegetable sits, whether at the grocery store or in the cabinet, the less nutritious it is. (For frozen veggies, I prefer the C&W brand.)
I also keep frozen mahi mahi and scallops for quick weeknight meals.
I've never bought frozen vegetables in my life. I only used canned vegetables here.
Frozen vegetables are superior to canned - canned veggies lose a lot of their nutritional value. Fresh veggies are probably best because, as someone said above, they're frozen right after their picked to retain most of their nutrients.
My favorite uses for frozen vegetables: stir fry, and you can add various frozen veggies to omelettes.
I have nightmares about canned peas and green beans from my childhood. . .ick. The only canned veggies I use these days are beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, and sometimes artichoke hearts.
Dude, can I have your Tots?
Bags of salad and frozen spinach are the best, oh and a rotisserie chicken. I can make Chicken Caesar Salad in no time.
And here I thought Gothamist food had nothing to offer little ole' non-cooking me. I LOVE tater tots! Yum, must order some from Fresh Direct! Thanks for this post and yay for frozen food. I also always have many boxes of Boca Burgers in my freezer - they are quick, nutritious and tasty.