There’s a good chance you’ll be swamped with fresh tomatillos at home, lying on your kitchen counter. This could happen if you grow more tomatillos than you can use or if you found them on sale at a discounted price in a supermarket.
Tomatillos are fresh fruit that can be utilized in many dishes. You may need to preserve tomatillos appropriately to retain its nutritional value. And one effective way of doing so is freezing.
Can Tomatillos Be Frozen?
Yes, you can freeze tomatillos whole, chopped, or blended for up to 6 months. If you’re freezing whole or chopped tomatillos, make sure you’ve thoroughly washed them and they are in a hygienic state before frozen.
Handy Tip: A freezer-safe container can be used to store tomatillos, especially after they’ve been blended. Tomatillos can be used in soups or sauces after they’ve been made.
Frozen tomatillos may be used in a variety of ways. You may create a sauce out of them, or you can preserve them as a purée for later use. Some recipes call for the use of whole or sliced tomatillos, while others call for the use of chopped tomatillos.
There’s no need to worry about the tomatillos being mushy once frozen since they’ll heat up and become tender in the meal.
Tomatillos are quite simple to freeze. By doing so, you will be able to maintain them fresher and healthier for a longer time, extending their shelf life and having some available in the freezer anytime you need some to cook with.
Do Tomatillos Freeze Well?
Tomatillos, whether whole, chopped, or puréed, freeze quite well. This fruit is mainly water, which is why it freezes nicely. The primary problem with frozen tomatillos is that you’re restricted in what you can do with them.
If you intend to use them fresh, such as in a salad or as a garnish, you may not love it. On the other hand, they can be used to create soups, stews, smoothies, and other foods that need blending without any issues.
Tomatillos, which are related to gooseberries, ripen differently than tomatoes. Looking at its hue, you can’t tell whether a tomatillo is ripe, and this approach is unreliable since most tomatillos stay green when they are grown.
Handy Tip: Ripeness may also be determined by looking for signs such as a tomatillo that has filled its paper husk or has broken open on its own. This indicates that the tomatillo is ready to eat. The fruit is fully grown when the husk becomes brown, and the fruit is fully enclosed inside it.
Warning: Ripe or mature tomatillos may be frozen; however, unripe tomatillos should not be frozen. The tomatillos you want to freeze must be at least ripe before you may do so.
How To Freeze Tomatillos?
When you’ve used as many tomatillos as you can and need to freeze the remainder to extend their shelf life, you’ll need to know how to freeze them properly to retain their fresh flavor and superb quality when thawed.
Here’s the best technique to freeze tomatillos and keep them in the best shape possible:
Detach the husk
The tomatillos’ papery husks must be removed before freezing. Discard the husks, and any yellowed tomatillos, turned brown, become discolored, split, or are beyond their prime.
Warning: Make sure to completely cleanse away any dirt or grit from the tomatillos and any stickiness that has remained on the skins.
Allow to dry
After thoroughly washing the tomatillos, allow them to dry. They cannot be put in the refrigerator when moist, so leave them out to dry or wipe them gently with a napkin to allow them to dry completely.
Lay parchment paper:
Arrange some parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread out the dried tomatillos on the baking sheet, so they are not placed on top of each other. If you have many tomatillos to freeze, repeat the process or use several baking pans.
Flash freeze
Once the tomatillos are evenly distributed on the baking sheet, place them in the freezer. Check out if it is flat and not inclined because this would cause the tomatillos to slip to one side.
Please keep in the freezer for a few hours: Place the baking sheet with the tomatillos in the freezer for some hours or until they are completely frozen. Freeze them, then take them out.
Place in freezer bags
Once the tomatillos have frozen, take them from the baking sheet and place them in a freezer bag that can be sealed. You may put them all in one big bag or separate them into small bags for personal portions.
Label and mark
Label each freezer bag to designate when the tomatillos were put in the freezer and when they should be used.
However, even after freezing your tomatillos, there are ways it can be used alongside fresh tomatillos. Fresh tomatillos can also be used interchangeably with frozen ones.
The frozen tomatillos would need to be thawed before using salsa or a salad. To achieve this, defrost the tomatillos in the refrigerator for 12 hours or a day. This prevents the tomatillos from thawing at temperatures that might encourage the development of germs.
Handy Tip: To defrost, you may lay the tomatillos out at room temperature, but be careful not to leave them out for an extended time.
You don’t have to defrost frozen tomatillos before using them in soups or other hot recipes. They may be cooked until no longer frozen and warmed up in the dish by just placing them in the container. Refrigeration overnight is fine for thawing tomatillo. Please protect it from spoilage by preventing it from rising over a certain temperature.
How Do You Defrost Tomatillos?
It all depends on how you want to use the tomatillos. There’s no need to thaw them if you plan to use them in stews and soups. Take them out of the freezer and add them to the recipe while cooking.
Smoothies and sauces don’t need to be thawed as well. Extract the frozen tomatillos from the freezer and add them right into the blender as you’re preparing to blend the smoothies or sauce.
Handy Tip: There is a technique to store tomatillos in the refrigerator if they are not needed immediately. Take the desired quantity of tomatillos from the freezer and set them in the fridge. Put a dish below it to catch the melting water. Allow it to remain in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Can You Refreeze Tomatillos?
It is not advisable to refreeze tomatillos, and if you do, you could discover that the fruit isn’t particularly edible. When thawed, the texture will become mushy, and the taste will significantly diminish.
If the tomatillos haven’t entirely thawed, you may refreeze them. This indicates the tomatillos are about 80% frozen and are in the fridge. It’s a good idea to split them into smaller jars to avoid having to refreeze them. This way, you’ll have to take out what you need without constantly worrying about remnants and refreezing them.
How Long Can You Freeze Tomatillos?
If carefully stored, handled, and frozen, tomatillos may be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. They will still be safe to use beyond this period. However, the quality will deteriorate, and they will be less delightful to use when thawed.
Can You Freeze Tomatillos Salsa?
Tomatillos salsa may be frozen. When the salsa is defrosted properly, it will taste fresh. Pour the salsa in an airtight container, allowing approximately an inch of space at the top for expansion while freezing. Then, attach the lid to the container, label it with the day of freezing, and store it in the freezer.
Can You Freeze Tomatillo Sauce?
Tomatillo sauce does freeze well. In the future, you can save time by storing them in this manner. The sauce should be stored in a sealed container or freezer pack after being prepared.
Warning: Do not fill the bag more than one inch from the brim. This allows the sauce to stretch without causing the containers or pack to break.
Then put the container or bag in the freezer and seal it shut. For up to three months in the freezer, tomatillo sauce may be stored.
You should also be aware that canned tomatillos can also be frozen, but not in the tin in which they were originally packaged. The can will shatter if it is frozen. A lot of water is included in canned tomatillos, and thus they will begin to expand when frozen. To prepare for freezing, place the tomatillos in a sealed container first. Tomatillos need approximately an inch of room at the very top to grow.
Conclusion
Tomatillos may be stored in the freezer to guarantee that they aren’t wasted. It would be best to allow the tomatillos to be mature before washing and preparing them for freezing.
Tomatillos may be sliced, pureed, or left whole if you have a lot to freeze and want to utilize them in various cuisines and dinners. To preserve the freshness and quality of your tomatillos, store them in the freezer.
