Freezing Strawberries

[Corona688]

The local grocery store is having an "OMFG 22 cases of strawberries why did they send us this I am not good with computer" sale. Like, ludicriously cheap strawberries. I'm tempted to stock up and freeze some. Do they freeze well?

[Qingdai]

They freeze very well. Plus you can use them frozen in pancakes and desserts (throw in batter) and drinks that are cold and blended without defrosting.

Rinse, let dry on a towel, then freeze on a cookie sheet, when frozen put in freezer bag to save room.

[Corona688]

Thanks for the save, I would've just frozen them all as one unusable lobulated mass.

[livius drusus]

Do you freeze them whole, Q, no matter what sizes they are?

[Qingdai]

Yes. Yes I do, because I roll like that, plus strawberry daquiris. I MEAN HEALTHFUL SMOOTHIES.

[Ari]

In theory the faster you freeze them the less the cells rupture and make them go gooey.
I don't have much experience with that as I normally chop mine, freeze them and then use them on Ice Cream so they never get the chance to thaw out again anyway.

[Corona688]

Operation Strawpocalypse is well underway, though some were slightly the wrong shade of red and had to be consumed immediately.

[Qingdai]

They still hold their shit together when frozen, so go team Corona!

[Zehava]

Originally Posted by Ari

In theory the faster you freeze them the less the cells rupture and make them go gooey.
I don't have much experience with that as I normally chop mine, freeze them and then use them on Ice Cream so they never get the chance to thaw out again anyway.

That's true and it's why any good commercial cannery will use an IQF process to freeze berries. Strawberries will still mush up some on thawing, but blackberries, blueberries, and even raspberries hold up quite well to IQF.