Frozen lemon: benefits and harms

How to freeze lemon correctly? Recommendations

At the very peak of its ripeness, lemon lovers buy kilos of it and freeze it for the winter.
Many people are perplexed, but it turns out that lemons can be frozen. Why do this? After all, this product can be purchased at any time of the year. Only true connoisseurs and lovers of this sour fruit know that frozen lemon is ten times healthier than fresh lemon. Lemon has the following beneficial and important properties for the body:

It is also high in vitamin C and low in calories.

Before any method of freezing, the fruit must be thoroughly rinsed and carefully dried. If you ignore the last step, you may end up finding a large piece of ice instead of a lemon. How to freeze lemon correctly? This will be discussed further.

Use of frozen lemons

Frozen lemons can be used in different ways, depending on how they were prepared.

Slices

Frozen lemon slices look a little less attractive than fresh ones, so they are unlikely to be used as a decoration for holiday cocktails. But they are perfect for flavoring tea and enriching it with a huge amount of useful substances.

Lemon for fish is a classic of the genre. When baking fish, many recipes contain lemon (for example, slices are placed in the belly of mackerel, laid on top of salmon and trout, etc.). After defrosting, such slices can be added to jellied fish dishes - this will make them tastier, more beautiful and healthier.

Lemon, grated with zest, is an excellent filling for various pies. You can also add it to the finished cake, placing it between the cake layers right on top of the cream - you get a real lemongrass.

Original vitamin salad dressings are prepared using this slurry; In addition, the sourness will not interfere with heavy meat dishes, pastas, soups and desserts.

Zest

Frozen zest is a good alternative to candied fruits, which are also made from lemon peels. It can also be added to a variety of muffins and other baked goods.

Firstly, there is no added sugar, which means it is a more natural product; secondly, it was not subjected to heat treatment, and therefore retained all the beneficial substances. Of course, during baking the latter advantage is leveled out, but frozen zest can also be used cold. In particular, the same cakes and Easter cakes can simply be sprinkled with zest at the stage of decorating and preparing for serving, in which case all the benefits of the zest will remain intact. This powder will perfectly complement the taste of jelly, cottage cheese, salad, porridge or vegetable side dish, as well as meat and fish, especially if you add it directly to the plate.

Frozen zest is also used in drinks, particularly cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. For flavor, it can be added to jam and confiture - in fact, a light citrus note can enrich almost any dish. Interestingly, the use of lemon zest is not limited to cooking. It can also be used for non-food purposes, for example:

• to repel annoying insects;
• to get rid of an unpleasant smell (say, fishy) in the microwave or in the trash.

The zest can also be added to foot or hand baths before doing a pedicure (manicure), in which case the skin will soften much better, and in addition, the nails will become much stronger. Rinsing your mouth with lemon zest can help get rid of the signs of periodontal disease.

In a word, lemon zest, including frozen, is a truly irreplaceable thing in the household!

Lemon juice

A classic use for frozen lemon juice is to add it to cocktails or other drinks instead of regular ice cubes. In this case, when heated, the drink will only become better, acquiring additional taste, while ordinary ice, turning into water, seriously harms the quality of the drink.

Add lemon or lime ice to your mojito instead of plain ice, and the familiar drink will take on a special richness and additional charm. And if you want to impress your guests, make ice lemon crumble by blending pre-prepared cubes in a blender!

You can, of course, defrost the juice and use it in any recipes where such an ingredient is present, but lemon cubes or lemon crumbs are much more interesting.

To summarize, it is worth saying that frozen lemon is certainly not as healthy as fresh, but this preparation option is definitely better than any other one associated with heat treatment. In this case, certain losses in vitamins occur, but almost all minerals and natural antioxidants (bioflavonoids) are completely preserved at low temperatures. And one more thing: freeze lemons along with the zest, because it contains the main value of this amazing product given to us by nature!

Lemon consists of water, citric acid and many vitamins. This is mainly vitamin C (the juice contains 33% of the daily value, a tablespoon of zest contains 13%), there is also vitamin A, B1, B2, D, P. A person needs a large set of useful substances for productive activity.

Squeezed lemon juice into ice cubes

You can freeze lemons in the form of ice cubes, or rather, lemon juice. It will retain its value well in this form, and it will be convenient to add to tea. Using a juicer or on your own, squeeze the juice out of the fruit. Carefully pour into cells. One cube thrown into tea will perfectly replace a whole slice of lemon.

For lovers of various herbal supplements, you can combine business with pleasure. Fruit juice also fills the cells, only to the middle. Next is a layer of any herbs, for example, mint, and the cell is filled with lemon again. An interesting way to save space in the freezer and combine 2 useful components.

Frozen lemon juice cubes can be left in the molds, or transferred to any available container. Even in this form, lemon juice retains all vitamins.

In winter, juice frozen into cubes can be added to hot tea or any drinks, such as juices or alcoholic drinks, for a richer taste.

How to freeze lemon?

Lemons can be harvested and stored at sub-zero temperatures in several ways. Depending on the subsequent use (tea, powder, filling for pies, ingredient for sauces or meat dishes), whole grated lemon, zest, slices or juice squeezed from it are frozen.

Slices

It is recommended to cut clean dry lemons with peel into circles; each can be divided into 2 parts. A few hours in advance, you need to turn on the freezer in deep freeze mode to achieve maximum cooling.

The slices laid out on a flat plate must be placed in the freezer, and after a day, remove the plate, put the frozen slices into freezer bags, glass or plastic containers, close them tightly and return them for long-term storage.

It is very important to adhere to the “two-level” technology: slices placed in a bag without prior freezing will turn into one sticky lump. Slices frozen using this technology can be removed separately.

Zest

The zest (the yellow part of the lemon peel, not the whole skin) and lemon juice can be frozen separately.

To freeze the zest, follow these steps sequentially:

1. We take a lemon in one hand, and a regular grater or a special knife for removing zests in the other.
2. Carefully remove the shiny yellow outer skin.
3. Place the grated zest in a portioned plastic or glass container in the freezer.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice frozen in cubes retains its value and is convenient to add to tea. A cube thrown into tea will be a complete replacement for a whole slice of lemon.

Lemon juice is prepared using the following technology:

1. Squeeze out the juice.
2. Pour the resulting juice into special ice trays.
3. Leave the finished pieces in a plastic or glass container in the freezer.

Regular juicers are usually not suitable for citrus fruits. When squeezing lemon juice without a juicer, for example, using a regular fork, volatile beneficial substances are quickly destroyed, and minerals oxidize and lose their properties.

Considering these features, squeezing lemon juice should be done as quickly as possible and without the use of metal objects. With the help of special devices this can be done quickly, but the resulting product requires filtering.

More advanced devices have a high price.

You can freeze the whole thing by placing it in a zip-lock plastic bag. The fruit should fill three-quarters of the volume of the bag, and the air should be forced out of it.

Freeze lemon slices

Another good container for freezing healthy products is a silicone muffin mold. Thanks to the material, it is easy to remove the contents from the mold. Uniform distribution will prevent the slices from sticking together when frozen, as a result of which there will be no difficulty in removing them. But it’s still worth freezing them a little before distributing the lemon slices. The fruit is cut into equal round pieces and placed on a dry flat plate. Attention, the slices should not touch each other. A couple of hours will be enough for them. Then these circles are laid out in molds, and they will no longer stick together. You shouldn’t stack the pieces neatly on top of each other, it’s better to do it in the form of steps, then it’s easy to take out the lemon in slices without damaging it.

Freezing grated zest

Many housewives do not use the middle of a lemon, but its zest. It, too, like the juice, can be frozen for the winter. If necessary, it will always be at hand. The washed and dried lemon is placed in the freezer for some time. This is necessary to make it easier to use. After a few hours you can easily grate it. After peeling all the zest, carefully place it in molds. Baby food jars make great containers for storing frozen grated lemon. Convenient to store, easy to remove contents and takes up little space.

Grated lemon zest is often added to various dishes. It adds some piquancy to the taste. Therefore, many housewives prepare the components in advance so as not to waste time on it at the right time. It is enough to take out the contents and take the required amount of the component for the dish. Grated zest from the freezer does not lose a bit of its taste; it has the same refined taste as fresh zest.

Read also: How to use liquid vermicompost: instructions for use

Freezing methods

There are three main options for freezing lemons: in the form of slices, shavings and juice. Each has its own characteristics and implementation technology.

Zest

Before freezing lemons at home in the refrigerator in the form of shavings, you need to wash them thoroughly and dry them with a towel. Then put it in the freezer for five hours and only then grate it.

If you do this quickly enough, it will not have time to melt and will not stick, but will remain crumbly. Harvested lemon zest can be stored in plastic containers.

There are many ways to use it; the zest goes well with almost any baked goods; you can use it to decorate a finished cake, mix it with cream or dough. Some housewives use it as a spice for salads and meat dishes.

Lemon juice

The method of preparing frozen citrus fruits in the form of juice is very simple, even a novice housewife can handle it.

1. Cut the pre-washed lemons crosswise.
2. Squeeze the juice out of them using a juicer.
3. Pour the juice into ice cube trays.
4. Place in the freezer.

If you want the lemon juice to be less concentrated, then before freezing, dilute it with a small amount of clean boiled (not hot) water. Lemon ice is perfect for alcoholic cocktails and tea - it will not only add a special taste and aroma, but also cool the drink. You can also use lemon juice to make cream and fruit curd.

Slices

You can freeze lemons for the winter in slices - this is the most common way to serve them. To do this, follow these short instructions.

1. Wash citrus fruits.
2. Cut into slices of any convenient size.
3. Place on a flat tray.
4. Place in the freezer for a couple of hours.
5. Transfer to a container with a lid.
6. Place back in the freezer.

If you follow all the steps exactly, the lemon slices will not stick to each other and will become a table decoration, available at any time of the year. They can be used as an additive to drinks, as an addition to confectionery or other dishes.

Any of the listed ways to freeze lemons will help preserve all of the beneficial substances, so they will have the same health benefits as when consumed fresh.

One of the reasons for freezing lemons

Why is it necessary to freeze lemons for the winter? At this time of year, you can buy this fruit in any store, and the prices are affordable. Why do you want to have lemon in the freezer? The human factor is more important here. In cold weather, we get sick more often, the temperature rises, and weakness appears. As a rule, it is on these days that the healing component is not in the refrigerator. I don't have the strength to run to the store. That’s when you realize that it would be nice to freeze the lemon. A fruit that has retained its beneficial properties will help cope with the initial stage of a cold. Place a slice of lemon in warm tea, and then be sure to eat it with the peel. After all, this is where the most important vitamins are.

As you can see, freezing lemon is not at all difficult, but then you always have it on hand!

Is it possible to freeze lemons in the freezer?

"Hello!
Tell me if it’s possible to freeze lemons in the freezer for the winter and whether they will lose their beneficial properties.” Elena, Moscow.

Hello, Elena. Lemons can be frozen in the freezer.

When frozen, this storehouse of vitamins significantly increases shelf life. The beneficial properties of lemons in the freezer last for 3-4 months.

Frozen lemon is low in calories, has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties, and contains large amounts of vitamin C.

The fruit, which has retained its beneficial properties, will help cope with the onset of a cold. It is recommended to eat a slice of lemon placed in warm tea along with the peel, because the most important vitamins are there.

When discussing the benefits of frozen foods, it is important to clarify which technology is being referred to. Deep “shock” flash freezing, used in industrial conditions, involves placing the product in a place cooled to −40˚C.

A home refrigerator cannot achieve this effect, so the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in it is only a few months.

In any case, it is better to eat fresh lemons rather than frozen ones. But, compared to any other methods, when frozen, the product retains the maximum amount of healthy substances.

Initially, high-quality frozen fruits will definitely not cause any harm if they were stored for the required period and were not re-frozen.

Beneficial properties of frozen lemons

Everyone knows that the benefit of frozen lemon for the human body lies in the rich content of vitamin C. Thanks to its mineral composition containing potassium, pectin, flavonoids, magnesium, tangeritin, calcium, the fruit increases the body's resistance to infectious diseases, normalizes metabolism, cleanses blood vessels and blood.

However, not everyone knows that more than 22 compounds in the juice of this sunny fruit slow down cell oxidation and the development of oncology.

Frozen lemon has an impressive list of beneficial properties:

• restores the digestive process and metabolism;
• cleanse the intestines, blood vessels, liver;
• lower your temperature during a cold;
• relieve sore throat during sore throat;
• strengthen and maintain immunity;
• neutralize insomnia;
• improve overall well-being, thanks to nitrogenous compounds, which are a source of energy;
• create an alkaline environment in the body to fight cancer cells;
• regulate pulse, strengthen bone tissue;
• thanks to phytoncides, destroy microbes.

Frozen lemon: benefits, properties

Frozen lemon is valuable, first of all, because it goes into the freezer along with the peel and is then consumed with it. Usually we throw away the skins, but this is where a huge wealth of valuable components is hidden. The zest of this citrus fruit contains several times higher concentration of vitamins than the pulp. It also contains limonoids - phytochemical compounds that have powerful medicinal properties, in particular antioxidant ones. In this regard, you can freeze lemon and, by consuming it, get this effect. Fetus:

• cleanses the blood and promotes the removal of waste and toxins, preventing heart disease;
• destroys harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi;
• removes microbes and parasites from the gastrointestinal tract, helping it with better digestion and absorption of nutrients;
• citric acid facilitates digestion and increases the absorption of nutrients from food, helps dissolve kidney stones;
• high vitamin C content slows down the aging process and supports collagen production;
• Lately there has been a lot of talk about how effective frozen lemons are against cancer. Some sources write about these citrus fruits as a miracle product, a means of destroying cancer cells. It would probably be an exaggeration to call citrus fruits a panacea for such a serious disease. But the fact that the sunny fruit can serve very well is confirmed by both scientific research and simple logic. After all, lemon that has been frozen along with its zest is a treasure trove of vitamins and antioxidants. It destroys cancer cells without attacking healthy ones.

Lemon along with its peel is a complete set of nutrients, just as nature created it in its pure form. The famous Swiss doctor Max O. Bircher-Benner, who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, believed that the natural energy in food products is “contained” precisely in integral, undestroyed systems. Therefore, for example, whole grains of wheat, whole beets, apples, potatoes or eggs, a drop of fresh milk straight from the cow, and so on, have full energy value. Any food processing weakens its energy value or deprives it of it altogether. Unpeeled citrus fruits sent to the freezer fit perfectly into this concept of a healthy diet in the full sense.

Frozen lemon for cancer prevention

The benefits of frozen lemon in preventing the development of cancer tumors in humans have been confirmed by twenty years of scientific research. The juice of the fruit slows down the activity of cancerous formations, along with chemotherapy drugs.

Tests have demonstrated that the medicinal properties of frozen lemon are 10 thousand times higher than the pharmaceutical effect on humans of the medical product Adriamucin.

A whole lemon destroys cancer cells:

• in the intestines;
• rectum;
• digestive organs;
• lungs;
• women's mammary gland;
• prostate of men.

At the same time, unlike chemotherapy, healthy organs and cells are not negatively affected and retain their qualities and functions. You cannot rely on citrus fruits alone to treat such a serious illness. However, they are an excellent addition that slow down the appearance of metastases and successfully defeat bacteria and viruses that attack a weakened body.

Read also: Lingonberries in syrup for the winter: 3 recipes (reviews)

All about the benefits of frozen lemons

Recent studies have shown that the amount of nutrients in frozen slices is several times higher than in regular ones. This product is added to desserts and sauces, fish dishes and vegetable salads, rice and noodles, soups and so on. You can continue this list yourself.

1. Strengthen the immune system. It is frozen lemon that copes with infections and colds faster than other remedies. If you think that you can prepare the usual infusion or even tea, keep in mind that the fruit will lose about 40% of all its beneficial properties. And the frozen one will not only not lose, but will also increase!

2. Cleanse the body. If you want to lose weight without torturing your body, frozen lemons are ideal. They fight lipids that contribute to the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries.

3. Prevent cancer. But only if you consume lemons regularly for many years. It is impossible to cure cancer with lemons, because you need an integrated approach to treatment.

4. Relieve asthma symptoms. Indeed, if you suffer from such a disease, add frozen lemon to your favorite drinks. The therapeutic effect is guaranteed.

5. Struggling with anxiety and even depression. If anxiety persists, include frozen lemons in your diet. Lean on this fruit if you do not suffer from increased stomach sensitivity.

6. Cleanse the kidneys and liver. This is a real storehouse of useful properties. Lemon juice can dissolve stones and sand in the urinary tract, as well as improve liver function.

How to freeze lemon correctly

To freeze a lemon and then grate it, preserving the maximum benefit of its properties, it must be washed and dried well: lemon peel can absorb antisecticides and drugs that increase the shelf life of fruit.

Lemons are placed in a colander, watered with hot water, and cleaned with a special fruit brush (you can also purchase a toothbrush for this purpose). The fruits are blotted with a clean natural cloth or paper towel and dried for several hours until completely dry.

You can also wash fruits with a solution of apple cider vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 3:1.

Until the fruits are completely dry, they should not be placed in the freezer: excess moisture will form an ice crust, which will worsen the taste of the product. Absolutely dry citrus is wrapped in cling film.

How to freeze lemons for the winter

The freshness of fruits is preserved for a long time in the freezer.

Frozen juice:

• The fruits are washed.
• Cut into pieces.
• Grind in a juicer.
• The liquid is poured into molds and placed in the freezer.
• The juice is diluted with water if necessary.

Citrus shavings:

• The fruits go into the freezer for 5-6 hours.
• They grate very quickly.
• Added to baked goods, decorates confectionery products.

Citrus slices:

• Cut into slices, place on a plate, and freeze.
• Folds into a convenient container.
• They are added to cocktails, placed on cakes, decorated with desserts and various foods.

How to use frozen lemon

The amazing properties of frozen lemon slices perfectly complement a fruit salad with strawberries, raspberries, pieces of kiwi, pineapple, orange, apple and nuts.

In southern countries, sour citrus juice is poured over every vegetable salad and main dish. The taste of a lemon wedge perfectly complements baked fish, poultry, meat, and solyanka. Citrus will complement well a bouquet of natural green tea, coffee, fruit juice, and light wine.

Grated frozen lemon

Grated zest will decorate yoghurt for breakfast and add a pleasant flavor to fruit charlotte.

Frozen lemon with water or olive oil

The fruit, cut into thin slices, is laid out on a plate and placed in the freezer to freeze. The finished, frozen slices will no longer stick together; they can be used to fortify mineral water and cool fruit juices.

The ancient Greeks called a solution of olive oil and lemon “liquid gold.” The complex of oil elements in combination with an ideal collection of vitamins actively cleanses the body, liver, and eliminates intoxication. The mixture also improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, supports choleretic function, eliminates swelling, reduces asthenia, strengthens the heart, and facilitates the supply of oxygen to cells.

Frozen lemons

Useful vitamins and minerals remain in lemons no matter how they are stored, including freezing. The following article describes in detail how to store lemons in the freezer.

To begin, clean fruits are cut into thin circles or slices and laid out in one layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. In this form, citruses are sent to the freezer for 3 hours. After this, they can be transferred to a bag or container and sent to the freezer for storage throughout the year.

Frozen lemon can be used in preparing various dishes or drinks, added to tea, etc. It tastes almost no different from fresh fruit.

Harm of frozen lemons and contraindications

Like any product, all the rich benefits of sour fruit are combined with a number of contraindications:

• with individual intolerance;
• gastrointestinal diseases: stomach ulcers, acute gastritis, exacerbations;
• hypertension: citrus juice causes tension in the walls of blood vessels, which increases blood pressure;
• inflamed pancreas, the walls of which can be destroyed by the acid of the juice;
• during breastfeeding of a child whose digestive system is not ready for aggressive nutritional components;
• children under 3 years old.

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Properties of frozen lemon

Frozen lemons have the same beneficial properties as fresh ones. Even after long-term freezing, they retain the following elements:

• potassium and calcium, which help regulate heart rate and strengthen bones;
• magnesium and copper, which have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system;
• vitamins A, B, C and P, which have a complex effect on the human body;
• alkaline elements that restore body functions and improve the functioning of the gallbladder;
• nitrogenous substances, which are a source of energy for the body;
• phytoncides and other biologically active substances that kill or suppress the growth and development of bacteria in the body.

Doctors recommend consuming lemon with the peel, because lemon zest contains 10 times more vitamin C than pulp and juice.

Ascorbic acid, also called vitamin C, is destroyed by heat but is preserved when frozen. If you freeze a lemon, other vitamins included in its composition lose 25% of their usefulness.

All citrus microelements are resistant to freezer conditions and therefore remain unchanged.

Benefits of frozen lemon

The benefits of frozen lemon are:

• restoration of digestive processes;
• cleansing the intestines;
• decreased body temperature during colds;
• getting rid of sore throat due to ARVI;
• strengthening and maintaining immunity;
• neutralizing stress and depression.

Fresh and frozen lemons are healthy due to the juice, which retains 90% of the substances after storage in the freezer. Lemon juice contains vitamins and microelements that destroy bacteria, prevent the proliferation of viruses, and remove toxins from the blood, intestines, kidneys and liver. Ascorbic acid, included in the miraculous juice, also kills cancer cells and prevents the formation of tumors.

Contraindications to eating frozen lemon

Although frozen lemon is a natural product, in certain cases it should not be consumed. These include:

• presence of allergies to citrus fruits: even when frozen, this fruit is a strong allergen;
• presence of gastrointestinal diseases: ulcers, gastritis; citrus can aggravate problems;
• the presence of hypertension: citrus juice is able to regulate the tension of the walls of blood vessels, which sometimes leads to an increase in blood pressure;
• inflammation of the pancreas: lemon juice stimulates the work of an important organ of the digestive system, and its enzymes, instead of dissolving food, begin to destroy the walls of the pancreas;
• Breastfeeding period: in infancy, the gastrointestinal tract has not yet formed, so substances reaching them through breast milk cause colic or other stomach problems.

Also, doctors do not recommend giving frozen citrus to children under 3 years of age: before this age period, the gastrointestinal tract is in the process of formation. It cannot be used as an additional treatment for ARVI or colds in its raw form, but it is allowed to be added to tea.