Can You Freeze Red Cabbage – How To Freeze Red Cabbage?

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Can You Freeze Red Cabbage: Filled with vitamins, this delicious vegetable can be made into coleslaw or added to hotpots, soups and stews. However, if you end up with more red cabbage than you can use it is best to freeze them and store them all year round. Here you will come to know about how to freeze red cabbage, how you can cook them from frozen and every other information you need about freezing red cabbage.

Can You Freeze Red Cabbage

How To Freeze Red Cabbage?

When you are freezing red cabbage, you have multiple methods available. The cabbage can be cooked, cut, shredded, or frozen as whole leaves or wedges. Read on to know how to freeze red cabbage.

  • Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Wash it thoroughly. You can also soak the red cabbage in salted water to clear any pests that the red cabbage had.
  • Chop the cabbage. You can either shred it or cut it into wedges. You can also simply take out the leaves.
  • You need to blanch the cabbage next. For that, boil a pot of water. Make a bowl of ice water and keep it next to the oven. The cabbages need to be cooled down immediately.
  • Plunge the cabbage into the boiling water and keep it for some time. Wedges or leaves should be kept for 3 minutes whereas shredded cabbage would need 90 minutes.
  • Remove it from boiling water and put it into the ice-cold water immediately.
  • Drain the ice water from the cabbage and put it to dry. Better drying would ensure better freezing.
  • Put the cabbage into a cookie sheet and keep it in the freezer. Make sure that the cabbage leaves or wedges do not touch each other during this process.
  • Once frozen, put the cabbage into a freezer-safe bag or a freezer-safe container.
  • Put the freezer bag or container into the freezer after labelling it with the date and contents.

How Long Can Red Cabbage Be Frozen?

Red Cabbage, when frozen, can stay for up to three months in the freezer. Thereafter it will start losing its colour, texture and flavour. Thus, we advise you to use the red cabbage in the freezer within this period to enjoy it with great flavours.

How To Defrost Red Cabbage?

If you are adding your frozen red cabbage into recipes like stews, soups etc. you can add them directly without defrosting. If the red cabbage is frozen as wedges you might want to defrost it first and then use it. To do this, follow the steps given below. Take out the amount of cabbage you want to use from the freezer-safe bag and keep it in a dish or a bowl.

  • Cover with plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator.
  • The frozen cabbage might take up to two days to get completely thawed by this method.
  • Drain the cabbage of its excess liquid and use it as desired.

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Can You Refreeze Red Cabbage?

No, Red Cabbage can’t be refrozen for quality reasons.  If refrozen, red cabbage not only loses all its texture, flavour and colour, it turns all mushy and thus not fit for use in recipes. Thus, we advise you not to refreeze the red cabbage.

Tips for Freezing Red Cabbage

The tips & tricks to follow while freezing the red cabbage are listed below. They are explained below in detail

  • Red cabbage can be frozen raw, without blanching but that will lead to losing flavour and texture faster than the blanched cabbage. Frozen raw cabbage will last for up to two weeks in the freezer
  • Don’t thaw the frozen cabbage by placing them under cool running water. This will lead to the breaking down of the cabbage.
  • You can thaw red cabbage in your microwave set in a timed defrost setting but you still run the risk of losing the colour, flavour and texture.
  • Frozen red cabbage may develop freezer burn if frozen for more than three to four months.

Frozen Red Cabbage Recipes

Thawed red cabbage can be used in multiple ways. Here are a few recipes that call for the deliciousness of red cabbage.

  • Salad: You can make the red salad by combining shredded red cabbage with grated beets and dressing it with olive oil and vinegar. The result is tangy, earthy and slightly sweet wintery goodness.
  • Soup: Mix shredded defrosted red cabbage goes well with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and black-eyed peas for a hearty soup. You can also throw in some chicken or pork sausage for the protein fix
  • Slaw: A flavour-filled red cabbage slaw goes well in burgers, wraps, and sandwiches or can be had with tacos or on its own.

Check out our article on Can You Freeze Cauliflower Cheese and learn about freezing methods and tips for effective freezing of cauliflower cheese.

FAQs on Can You Freeze Red Cabbage

1. How long does red cabbage stay frozen?

Red cabbage stays for three to four months in the freezer and starts to lose its texture, colour and taste after that.

2. Can red cabbage be used for making coleslaw?

Yes! Frozen red cabbage can be used for making slaw. However, it is advisable to make coleslaw with fresh red cabbage and freeze it after that. This is because frozen red cabbage loses its freshness and crunch needed for the coleslaw.

3. Can shredded red cabbage be frozen?

Yes, frozen red cabbage can be frozen but it needs to be blanched before storing it in the freezer.

4. Can frozen cabbage be used directly in the recipe?

Yes, frozen cabbage can be used directly in recipes like stews, soups, baked dishes etc. The dish might need to be heated for two-three minutes extra to ensure that the red cabbage is cooked.

Bottom Line

Hope that the above information covers everything you need to know about freezing red cabbage, defrosting it and using it. If you have some more tips then do share them in the comments. You can ask questions in the comments as well and our expert team shall get back to you. Don’t forget to visit our website to know more about Can You Freeze Cauliflower and freezing vegetables.

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