Frozen dill for the winter
No dish is complete without dill, even in winter. But during the cold season, you have to make do with what you can find in stores—bags of dried dill, which has fewer vitamins than fresh or frozen. How do you freeze dill for the winter in the refrigerator? Here are a few ways.
In ice cubes
This method is good for easy defrosting and removing from the container. To successfully freeze dill in a bag for the winter, you'll need:
- a bag;
- 2 bunches of greens;
- a glass of water.
It's easy to do. You just need to finely chop the dill, then place it in water. Pack the dill and water into containers, then place them in a bag and freeze. Greens frozen this way in small containers are easy to remove and defrost. Why do you need to bag them? It's simple. The dill and water will absorb various odors. To prevent this, place the containers with the greens in a bag. This way, you can easily take them out of the refrigerator and cook various dishes with them throughout the winter.
Here's another way to freeze dill so it's tasty and ready for use in the winter.
In bars
For this, you'll need several plastic jars of store-bought sour cream. Here's how to freeze dill in a container for delicious, fresh winter storage.
You need to take:
- a bunch of dill;
- 2 glasses of water;
- 2 jars of sour cream.
Finely chop the herbs and remove the stems. Then cover with water and place in sour cream glasses. Cover with a plastic bag and tie with a rubber band. Freeze the glasses so they don't tip over. Wait until the water hardens and then place everything in the freezer. In winter, carefully remove the rubber band, then the bag, and place it on the counter. Break the glass and place it on the counter. Once the dill has thawed, place it in a container and use it in cooking.
Which is better: ice packs or ice cubes?
Many people use regular bags for freezing. However, this method of freezing dill for the winter has several drawbacks.
First of all, the bags can develop holes, and the contents can leak out at the most inopportune moment. Another drawback of this freezing method is that removing and chopping the dill can be very inconvenient. Pieces of the bag may end up in the finished product, which may not be noticeable during defrosting. Therefore, it's better to use special ice cube trays filled with water. They're inexpensive, but they allow you to conveniently and easily freeze the herbs into cubes. Removing them later is quick and easy. Here's how to make dill ice cubes at home.
To prepare dill you will need:
- ice cube tray;
- half a glass of water;
- a bunch of dill.
Clean the greens and carefully remove the stems. You can chop them for easy freezing. Then mix them with water and place them in the freezer. They will freeze, and the frozen mixture can be easily removed from the refrigerator in portions. This will create ice cubes without plastic wrap, which can be easily used in various dishes.
There's an interesting recipe for making dill butter. This method is great if you want to make a delicious dill butter that can be added to various dishes or spread on bread.
How to make dill oil
To prepare, you need to prepare the following products:
- butter;
- 2 bunches of dill;
- butter wrapper or container for shaping.
To make the butter, finely chop the herbs, remove or finely chop them, and then mix them with semi-frozen butter until smooth. Place everything in a mold, wrap it in a container or butter paper, and then freeze. This will give you delicious dill butter that you can use in a variety of dishes this winter.
Another way to prepare delicious herbs is in a container or plastic cup. It freezes quickly and takes up little space in the refrigerator. The ice at the top helps you remove the top of the cup to place the clean dill on the surface of the dish.
Dill in containers with an ice crust
To prepare delicious greens, you need to take:
- a bunch of dill;
- 2 glasses of water;
- a container or lid for closing.
If you're freezing the herbs in 500-gram plastic cups, you'll need to first add 2/3 of the dill. Then, freeze the water, and once you've formed ice cubes, add ice and cover the cups with a lid. You can use paper or plastic wrap, securing it with a rubber band. Then, refrigerate and freeze. When defrosting, it's easy to remove the lid, scrape away the ice, and then take out the dill without the wrap or plastic.
Here's how to freeze herbs in a container using a similar method. You'll need 2 bunches of dill and 2 cups of water. Freeze the water first until it turns into loose ice. Then, add finely chopped dill to the cup. Pour water over the top, close the container with a lid, and place it in the freezer. This winter, you'll have wonderful frozen dill, practically dry, which can be used in a variety of dishes, including salads.
Frozen greens pair beautifully with a variety of foods. Unlike dried greens, which you can buy in any store, they retain many vitamins and nutrients almost intact. They can be added to various salads and dishes with cucumbers and tomatoes, but their aroma and wonderful flavor are best revealed in hot dishes—soups, warm salads, pizza, and other dishes, especially baked, fried, and boiled. This way, their flavor unfolds to its fullest, unlike that of bagged dried greens. Therefore, they are worth freezing for the winter, even in small quantities.
You will also find other interesting things on our website. preparations for the winter.
