can you freeze roasted peppers? the big, beautiful, red and yellow peppers are

randi

Well-known member
on sale right now and I wanted to roast them, put in olive oil and freeze for future dinners. one of my friends said they would get "grainy" if frozen like that?

TIA

 
Evidently, yes....from my favorite go to source.

Cooks Illustrated May/June 1995. They keep quite awhile refrigerated in olive oil, also.

What's the Best Way to Store Roasted Peppers?

We roasted a number of red bell peppers under the broiler until charred, cooled them in a covered bowl, peeled away the wrinkled skin, and then cored and seeded them. We then took the large strips of roasted pepper and stored one batch in olive oil, a second batch in balsamic vinegar, and a third batch in a mixture of two parts water to one part white wine vinegar. (This last mixture is similar to the packing liquid used in many commercial bottles of roasted peppers.)

All three batches of refrigerated peppers remained free of mold for several weeks, but the flavors were markedly different. The peppers stored in olive oil retained their pure roasted pepper flavor, with the oil contributing little more than a silky texture, which could be rinsed off if desired. The peppers stored in balsamic vinegar had a strong vinegar flavor that could be partially lessened by rinsing the peppers. Because the flavor of balsamic vinegar complements roasted peppers nicely, this added flavor wasn’t off-putting, but it would pose a problem in some recipes. The batch of peppers packed in white wine vinegar solution were way too acidic and lacked any real pepper flavor.

We also tried freezing roasted peppers in a tightly covered container. This worked surprisingly well. When thawed, the peppers tasted virtually the same as freshly roasted ones, with perhaps a slight loss of texture.

Our recommendation for storing peppers is simple. If you are roasting many and want to store them indefinitely, try freezing them (layer the peppers between sheets of wax paper in a plastic container for easy removal) and thaw as many as needed. Stored this way, roasted peppers should last for several months. If you have a small amount of leftover peppers that you plan to use within a week or two, place them in a small container, cover them with olive oil, and refrigerate them.

 
thanks Curious, I might just have to get another 1/2 doz while they're still on sale smileys/smile.gif

 
I freeze them all the time Randi and they are perfect. I roast and peel and then

I put them in cheap sandwich bag, 1 per bag, and I make sure to wrap tight with no air. Then I put the bags into a good freezer bag. Then I just pull out how many peppers I need for what I'm making. They taste fine and I get to take advantage of the cheaper prices.

 
And I do a huge batch every Fall. But I put a little olive oil, about 1 t. and a

couple of slices of garlic into the bag. I do 2 roasted, peeled peppers per bag. I use the tiny ziplocks, freeze them flat, then pack them all into a box.

I love this method. It's a big time saver in the winter, and takes advantage of 50 cent peppers in the FAll. Plus I don't get any additives that are in the processed jars.

 
thanks so much for all the info. I did run out and get more since they're on sale for

$1.00 each, rather than the usual $2.50 - $3.00 each.... how ouch is that! I'll freeze some plain for sauces and mix the other with the usual OO with garlic and anchovies. I managed to get my friends addicted to these smileys/smile.gif

 
Randi, I would leave out the anchovies if freezing. In other dishes I've frozen,.

they've gotten fishy. I would wait and add them in at serving time.

 
good tip. I would freeze with just the olive oil and nothing else. Dawn, it's the peppers,

charred under the broiler, let rest, peel, seed and slice. put a layer in a bowl and add thin sliced garlic cloves and a couple of anchovie filets. make next layer of peppers, garlic, anchovies and continue until all done. pour olive oil over and jiggle bowl to release air bubbles. they're better the next day.

the anchovies add something special to the flavor. anchovy haters love my peppers! but then, they love a lot of things I cook and don't know they have anchovies in them.... smileys/wink.gif))

 
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