Product | Pre-freezing Preparation | Tips |
| Fruits |
| Apples | Wash, peel, core and slice | Dip in acidulated water (see eggplant) or toss with fruit fresh to prevent browning |
| Berries | Hull if necessary, wash gently and pat dry | Flash freeze for best results |
| Cherries | Stem and pit | Flash freeze for best results, freezing pit can produce bitterness. |
| Cranberries | Freeze in bags they are sold in |
| Peaches/nectarines | Blanch for 30 seconds. Remove skin | Dip in acidulated water (see eggplant) and pit then slice. or toss with fruit fresh |
| Pears | Wash, peel, core and halve or slice | Dip in acidulated water (see eggplant) or toss with fruit fresh |
| Plums | Sort, wash and pit, blanch only if you want to remove the skin |
| Rhubarb | Wash and cut off both ends, cut into l-inch (2.5-cm) lengths |
Product | Pre-freezing Preparation | Tips |
| Meat and poultry |
| Small cuts of meat | Wrap tightly in 2 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Defrost in plastic wrap overnight on a plate on the lower rack of refrigerator. |
| Large cuts of meat and poultry | Wrap tightly in 2 layers of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Defrost in plastic wrap overnight or over several days on a plate on the lower rack of the refrigerator |
Product | Pre-freezing Preparation | Tips |
| Fish and seafood |
| Fish fillets and shrimp | Wrap tightly in 2 layers of heavy- duty plastic wrap. Defrost shrimp by running under cold water until ice crystals disappear. Defrost other shellfish and fish fillets overnight on a plate on the lower rack of refrigerator. |
Product | Pre-freezing Preparation | Tips |
| Vegetables | | |
| Asparagus | Trim and blanch for: 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness | Alternate tips and ends in packages to get a tight fit |
| Beans (wax or green) | Blanch for 3 minutes |
| Beets | Wash, boil for 15 minutes then peel and remove roots and stems | Freeze only whole, sliced or diced baby beets since larger beets lose texture and flavor when frozen |
| Broccoli | Blanch florets for 3 minutes and drain well before freezing | Pack heads and stems alternately to ensure a tight fit |
| Carrots | Blanch whole baby carrots for 5 minutes and diced or sliced carrots for 3 minutes |
| Cauliflower | If fresh from the field, soak in salted water for 30 minutes to remove insects; blanch florets for 3 minutes |
| Corn kernels | Blanch ears for 4 minutes and cut kernels from cob | Flash freeze for easy use later |
| Corn on the cob | Blanch for 7 minutes | Wrap each ear individually, then group together in plastic storage bags; do not defrost, boil for 15 minutes |
| Eggplant | Blanch for 4 minutes in acidulated water (1/2 cup/125 mL vinegar to each liter of water). | Pat each piece or slice dry and freeze between pieces of plastic wrap |
| Herbs | No need to blanch. Just wash and spin dry | Place chopped herbs in ice cube trays then transfer to zip-top bags when frozen |
| Peas | Shell and blanch for 1 1/2 minutes | Best flash frozen |
| Peppers (sweet or hot) | No need to blanch, just quarter, remove seeds and ribs, then freeze |
| Tomatoes | Remove stems and flash freeze | Only good for cooked dishes once frozen, skins slip off when melting |
