How to recover vegetables that get "refrigerator crisper chill"?
Sometimes my fridge is set to be too cold and if there is not much in it, I find the vegies in the back of the crisper start to freeze. This week it happened to mushrooms, bok choy, and radishes.
I tried to "recover" them a bit by letting them sit in warm water for 5-10 minutes before chopping up for a stirfry or pasta sauce (i.e. not heaps of cooking time). (Although not the mushrooms - I have some idea you're not supposed to wash mushrooms because they go slimy, although soaking might be different.)
The mushrooms were OK even though frozen...but the radishes were horrible. They still had heaps of ice crystals inside, and even some I cooked, I thought the ice would melt and they would be OK, but somehow they were unnaturally crunchy and it was quite unpleasant to eat them.
So is there anything else I should try in this case, or is prevention the only answer?
(And yes I turned up the temperature on the fridge ;))
Best Answer
I'm sorry to say this, but I think prevention is the best answer. Once you're vegetables freeze things happen at the cellular level that changes the nature of the vegetables. For example, ice crystals pierce cell walls which destroys some of the structure, which is responsible for the crispness and crunch of the vegetable. I don't think there is really a way to "fix" this, once it happens.
That said, cooking does something similar to vegetables. Cooking destroys cell walls, which is why cooked carrots are so much softer than raw carrots. I would think that vegetables that stand up to cooking would survive freezing the best (such as your mushrooms). On the other hand, somthing like lettuce is a lost cause, once frozen.
Pictures about "How to recover vegetables that get "refrigerator crisper chill"?"
Why do my vegetables get soft in the fridge?
Moisture in the fridge is what causes most fruit and veggies to lose their crisp texture and start to soften and go bad. By lining your fridge's veggie drawer, you'll absorb excess moisture and keep fresh produce crunchy for an extended period of time.Why are my fresh veggies freezing in the fridge?
Many factors can lead to frozen vegetables, from setting the refrigerator's temperature too low to storing the produce in the wrong place, said Martha Reek, the lead consumer scientist at the Whirlpool Corporation. \u201cThe first thing you should do is check the temperature setting,\u201d Ms.How do you salvage frozen vegetables?
In cases like this, simply chuck the whole thing into a pan of water, bring to a boil and then strain once cooked. This way you'll still be able to retain the flavor and the nutrients from the food that you still find too gross to eat.What is the best temperature for vegetables in the refrigerator?
Typically, your refrigerator should be kept at around 34\xb0F. Vegetables are best stored in the crisper section of your refrigerator....Refrigeration- cold (32-39\xb0F), moist storage.
- cool (40-50\xb0F), moist storage.
- cold (32-39\xb0F), dry storage.
- warm (50-60\xb0F), dry storage.
How To Keep Vegetables Fresh For Long? | Vegetable Storage Tips
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Robert Nagy, Kampus Production, Polina Tankilevitch, Kevin Malik