Have you ever had the experience of keeping spinach in the refrigerator, only to find them wilted before you know it? Compared to root vegetables, these vegetables tend to lose their freshness more easily. Here are some tips on how to choose spinach and how to preserve them for a long time.
How to choose spinach?
For spinach, it is best if the green color of the leaves is deep and firm.
The red color of the root of spinach is a sign of high nutrient content, so the red root is good. The stems should be firm and not too thick.
Keep refrigerated for up to one week.
If you leave them in the refrigerator as you bought them, the leaves will gradually lose their vigor in a few days. Keep spinach refrigerated for up to one week.
If you want to keep them longer than that, I recommend freezing them. If you buy spinach in bulk, you can eat them for about a month if you freeze them.
Refrigerated storage using kitchen paper and plastic bags
You can keep them fresh by storing them in this way.
1) Remove the spinach from the bag, fill a bowl with water, and put it in from the root.
2) Raise it to a colander and wipe off the water.
(3) Wrap in kitchen paper, put in a plastic bag, close the mouth lightly, and store upright in the refrigerator.
By soaking them in water first, the roots can be rehydrated before storing, which will keep them fresher than normal storage.
Since spinach does not like to dry out, wrapping them in kitchen paper will prevent them from drying out.
Hard-boil and quick-freeze for up to a month
When freezing spinach, be careful not to overcook them. It is OK to boil them just a little. It is OK to boil them just enough to make them a little tough.
After hard-boiling, cool the spinach in cold water, squeeze out the water, cut it into bite-sized pieces, wrap it in plastic wrap, place it on an aluminum bat, and put it in the freezer. Wrap in plastic wrap and place on the aluminum bathtub to freeze.
Points to note when thawing from frozen storage
When defrosting from frozen storage, the defrosting method differs depending on the dish.
Soaked vegetables can be defrosted naturally.
Soaked vegetables can be thawed naturally; it is best to leave them in the refrigerator for a day or half a day to thaw naturally. Drain off the excess water, mix with seasonings, and eat immediately.
2) For cooking that requires reheating, such as soups, put in frozen form.
For reheating dishes such as soups and stir-fries, you don’t need to defrost them. You can simply add them as frozen.
Since the vegetables are pre-boiled before freezing, there is no need to remove the acrid taste and they can be used as-is.
Make seasonal vegetables even more delicious!
Spinach is in season in winter. They can be eaten in summer as well, but they taste best and are rich in nutrition when they are in season.
It is good to keep the freshness of the vegetables you buy so that you can enjoy them at any time.