3 reasons why we prefer bringing home frozen fruit and vegetables (and you will too)
When you think of fresh fruit and vegetables and their frozen counterparts, which would you put in your basket first? You’d probably reach for fresh. Makes sense, because ‘fresh’ sounds good. But actually, frozen should always be your preference. We love it, and we have three very good reasons why.
Shrimp? We always buy them frozen. Just like bags full of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, perfect for oatmeal or yogurt in the morning. And honestly, these days there’s also always a frozen cucumber in our freezer. But that’s mainly because of this handy trick.
3 reasons why we love frozen food
So, frozen food. Why does it make our hearts melt (ahem)? Three reasons:
1. It (often) contains more nutrients than fresh food
Frozen fruit and vegetables are put in the freezer almost immediately after being harvested. They are still ripe at that point, which means they retain their nutrients much better and for longer than fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh, unfrozen fruit and vegetables sometimes have to travel many miles before reaching their final destination—the supermarket. During that time, they already lose a large proportion of their nutrients. Research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2015), for example, shows that frozen corn, green beans and blueberries contain significantly higher levels of vitamin C than their fresh counterparts.
2. It is (often) cheaper than fresh food
You’re practically robbing your own wallet if you don’t choose frozen! The simple proof: at Albert Heijn, you can buy a tub of fresh blueberries for € 6.99, while at that same store you can buy a kilo of frozen blueberries for… € 5.99. So you get twice as much for less money. Another plus: frozen food lasts much longer. It sometimes keeps for months when stored in your freezer. That also means you don’t have to buy it as often. N-ice!
3. It is incredibly convenient to have
That’s because a lot of frozen fruit and vegetables have already been peeled and cut into the right (smaller) size. Take frozen broccoli: you buy it in a bag of small florets. So you don’t have to prepare the broccoli yourself. It saves a huge amount of time (and frustration: who can actually cut broccoli easily?).
Of course, it is helpful if you also have room in your freezer. If you’re being obstructed by an irritatingly large block of ice in your freezer: here’s how to get it out. And this is definitely a cool hack for storing food in your freezer easily.
Also read:
- 10 things you can (also!) keep in the freezer
- 10 things chefs like to keep in the freezer
- Why does a refrigerator have a light, but a freezer doesn’t
