How to store pears at home, can they be placed together with apples or grapes, how to preserve fruits for the winter until the New Year

Is it possible to freeze pears?

You can freeze pears, but to do this you need to follow the freezing rules so that you don’t end up with a homogeneous, sticky porridge that can only be added as a puree to pies.

To prepare pears in reserve, you should give preference to the following varieties:

Severyanka;
August dew;
Cathedral;
Saratovka;
Kondratyevka;
Rossoshanskaya;
Hera;
Veles;
Red-sided;
Muscovite.

These species belong to the winter or late summer varieties, are distinguished by their density and smooth skin, without scales. Softer types are only suitable for making purees, jams and preserves. They can be used, but it should be taken into account that they will undergo deformation when thawed.

Useful tips

To preserve a fresh harvest for as long as possible, it is recommended:

do not wait for the fruits to fully ripen, harvest in the technical maturity phase;
pick fruits together with the stalk, wearing fabric gloves;
carefully inspect the fruits before storing them: you cannot keep specimens with signs of disease or mechanical damage, as they will ruin the entire harvest;
put fruits in wooden boxes or cardboard boxes if there are few fruits;
harvest in dry weather.

How to save the harvest until the New Year

Due to their harder skin, winter pear varieties are characterized by long-lasting shelf life . In proper conditions (dark, well-ventilated room with air temperature 0...+5°C and humidity 80–90%), they retain their taste and commercial quality until the New Year.

Early winter varieties (Kure, Nart, Elena, Noyabrskaya, Bere) are stored until January, late winter varieties (Dekanka winter, Tikhonovka, Izumrudnaya, Maria) - until May; they take a long time to gain flavor and are unsuitable for eating before December-January.

The benefits and harms of frozen pears

It is worth taking a closer look at the beneficial components of this frozen fruit. Vitamins included:

Groups B - contribute to the improvement of the body and regeneration of cellular metabolism;
Vitamin C - supports the body's immune system. Helps with iron absorption;
Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins; it performs many functions in the body: it has an excellent effect on the skin and hair, can improve vision and resist viral infections.

It is worth mentioning that pear also contains useful microelements, such as:

It also contains essential oils:

Benefits digestion;
Help stabilize blood cholesterol;
Fight infections and inflammation.

But still, there are some contraindications for which you should not use it:

Gastrointestinal disease: ulcer, gastritis, colitis;
Chronic constipation (tannins will aggravate the situation).

With caution:

Use on an empty stomach;
Combination with dairy products and fatty foods;
Do not drink sparkling water.

Features of freezing pears for the winter

In order to freeze a product for the winter, you need to properly prepare the fruits. Before you start preparing pears, you should decide which variety you need to pick and when.

If the pears are too green, then they will not taste good when frozen; if they are overripe, then it will be difficult to freeze them.

Features of freezing fruits in the refrigerator:

It is recommended to cut the pears, in some cases you should get rid of the skin.
The fruit retains its structure and taste when thawed. At the same time, beneficial properties are preserved.
Before laying, sprinkle the sliced workpiece with lemon juice or add citric acid.
There are many ways to freeze, you should choose the most suitable one for your family.

You don’t have to do anything special, the main thing is to follow the proportions and recommendations of experienced chefs. And the tasty, healthy preparation will last for at least a year.

What varieties are used?

It is recommended to use seasonal pears for freezing, collected during the period of mass harvest. Winter varieties are also sold in late autumn or early winter - they are also used for freezing.

When choosing ripe fruits, it is necessary to take into account that most pear varieties suitable for freezing, for example Seckel, Comice, Bosc and Anjou, do not change their color when ripe. Bartlett changes color from green to yellow as it matures.

Selection and preparation of pears

There are a lot of varieties of pears. To freeze fruits, you need to choose a type and wait until the fruit reaches the required state. Then carefully assemble and begin preparation.

Preparing the Freezer

Every home has refrigerators, but not every housewife has a large area at her disposal for storing frozen foods. Those who have the opportunity to store a large volume of such products freeze all possible types of fruits, berries and vegetables.

Thawed in the middle of winter, in cooked dishes they taste not much different from freshly picked products.

The freezer must be powerful; if it is a standard refrigerator, then the top shelf of the freezer is prepared for freezing pears. Intensive freezing occurs in it; the faster the pear freezes, the more useful substances it will retain.

Containers for freezing

You can use a regular cellophane bag or one with a zip fastener. If you heat-treat the fruits, be sure to use a container so as not to bruise the fruits.

It's easy to freeze pears at home. Try different methods and choose the most convenient one. The main thing is that even on winter days you will keep a bag of healthy sweet slices in your refrigerator, which will give you the necessary supply of energy.

Freezing methods

What is the best way to freeze pears: in slices, whole pears or another way? You can freeze pears in any way convenient for you. There is no universal or best way, it all depends on how you like it best and how you will subsequently use your frozen product.

If you want to cook compote, it is preferable to choose freezing in slices; if you want to please your family and friends with a delicious pie with pear filling, then you should choose freezing in slices.

Is it possible to freeze pears in sugar for the winter? If you want to make delicious pear jam or make jam or confiture, then freezing pears cut into halves in sugar syrup is perfect. If you are a housewife whose time is very limited and there are no assistants on hand, then pear fruits can be frozen whole.

The most important thing to note is that any freezing method you choose does not affect the final result of freezing at all. In any form, pears will retain all their nutrients and beneficial substances.

At what temperature should I freeze?

By observing strict temperature conditions, you can freeze pears for the winter. Storage in the refrigerator, where the temperature does not drop below +2 degrees, is prohibited. The product must be frozen quickly; for this, use a freezer or refrigerated island that can hold a lot of fruits and vegetables at once. Fruits should be frozen at a temperature of at least -18 degrees.

How to freeze pears for the winter so they don't turn brown

Pears, like other catechin-containing fruits, begin to darken when exposed to oxygen, taking on an unappetizing appearance that resembles rot. How to avoid browning reaction when cooking pears? The secret is citric acid. When preparing fruits, cutting into slices or beating with a blender, you should spray the fruit with citric acid diluted with water from a spray bottle.

The second way is to soak them in a solution containing citric acid for an hour. This will slow down the catechin reaction during preparation and freezing. If you use slices, you can grate them with lemon, orange, tangerine or other citrus fruits. When sour fruits are not available, ascorbic acid can be added as an alternative.

Is it possible to freeze pears and apples together?

You can freeze pears or apples in the freezer together, but subject to a number of rules:

The temperature in the freezer should be at least -18 degrees to preserve the beneficial properties of frozen fruits.
Ordinary plastic bags, food containers, and boxes are suitable as dishes.
If you decide to freeze the fruits, then it is better to do this immediately after purchase (picking from trees), without allowing them to stagnate.

Advice! Every housewife should adopt the golden rule: you need to freeze fruits and berries quickly, and defrost them slowly.

Pears quickly darken and take on an unappetizing appearance from exposure to oxygen.

Before cutting them into cubes or slices, you need to spray them with citric acid from a spray bottle or soak them in a lemon solution for 1 hour to slow down the reaction with oxygen in the air.

Freezing secrets

Pear preparations are used in many dishes. If you freeze it for desserts or ice cream, you can first blanch the fruit in sugar water to make it sweeter and softer. Whole fruits are only suitable for making compote, because when defrosted they will become dark in color and will be too soft.

How to freeze pears at home: step-by-step instructions

There are several ways to carry out this procedure. It is important to choose a method that will best suit the needs of the family.

Even whole fruits can be frozen. But subsequently it is possible to use them only for cooking compotes, various drinks and fruit drinks.

For fillings in pies or for decorating baked goods, it is recommended to freeze chopped fruits with the addition of additional ingredients.

How to freeze fresh pears for the winter

In order for food to remain fresh during defrosting and retain its taste, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the choice of fruits. Fruits should be selected whole, without insect holes or rotten sides. Then follow this order:

Wash under running water and dry on a towel. They must be dry so as not to freeze the water along with the fruits.
Next, peel the fruits and cut into slices, cubes, strips or into 4 parts.
Cut out the core and problem areas.
Place on a flat dish, grease with citric acid and place in the freezer for 2 hours.
After the first freezing, place the pieces in a special ziplock bag, squeeze out the air and continue to store in the freezer for no more than 10 months.

The product will survive freezing successfully.

In syrup

The more complex the cooking process, the tastier the finished product turns out. It's better to spend a little more time freezing it in syrup rather than just throwing in the slices.

Components:

pears;
water;
sugar;
lemon juice.

The fruits are washed and cut into slices. Put water on the fire. After boiling, lower the chopped workpiece and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and place in prepared containers.

At the same time, cook the syrup. For 2 kg of fruit take 0.3 liters of water and 0.5 kg of sugar. Let it boil well. Remove from heat.

Blanched fruits are sprinkled with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and syrup is added on top. Leave until completely cool, then put in the freezer to freeze.

Slices or pieces

This method is a little easier and faster to prepare. Pre-wash the fruits, dry them and cut them randomly.

Lay out in one row on cling film and sprinkle with lemon juice. Then leave it at room temperature to dry a little.

Instead of lemon juice, some housewives use apple cider vinegar. The action is the same, the pieces do not darken, maintaining a presentable appearance.

The finished slices are laid out on a baking sheet or wooden board and placed in the freezer for several days. The frozen pieces are placed in a bag, the remaining air is removed and stored.

Cubes

This method helps to further reduce the volume of fruit. They will be conveniently stored in a small bowl or food container. Sequencing:

Cut the fruit into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent blackness on the cut.
Place on a wooden board in 1 layer, wrap in cling film or paper.
Freeze in the freezer for up to 3 hours.
Separate the cubes from the paper (cling film) and place them in a container or bag, releasing excess air.

The note! It is important to lightly freeze the pears first so that during the defrosting process they do not stick together, turn into a single lump and lose their original shape.

Only after freezing can fruits (the same applies to any berries and vegetables) be scattered into bags and placed in the freezer.

It is best if the refrigerator is equipped with a separate compartment for super-fast freezing, so that the fruit does not have time to transfer the specific smell from nearby products (meat, fish).

Cubes with sugar

This option is suitable for future use in the preparation of jelly, compotes, and pies filled with pears. Sequencing:

Cut the fruit into cubes and place in a container.
Sprinkle sugar on top.
Close tightly and place in the freezer.

Straws

In some cases, the workpiece in the form of straws will be a priority over cubes. To do this you need:

Rinse the pears with running water.
Dry by placing on a towel.
To peel.
Separate problem areas, remove the heart part.
Cut into strips.
Place in a flat bowl greased with citric acid.
Place in the freezer for up to 3 hours.
Place the straw in a plastic bag, squeezing out the air.
Place in the freezer for 8-10 months.

Freezing pears for the winter with sugar

Freezing pears for the winter with sugar is as easy as freezing them in syrup. Add plenty of sugar. Having cut the fruit beautifully, you should wet them, but do not dry them, as with the usual method. Sugar will stick better to wet slices and will not fall off to the bottom of the dish.

Pears should be frozen. At this point, add the first sugar layer. First on a flat dish, and then on top of the slices. In this form they will stand in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the pears and place in a final container or freezer bag. Sprinkle the fruit with sugar again. There is no need to shake so as not to damage the pieces.

Recipe for freezing with vanilla

To freeze pears this way we will need the following ingredients:

pears – 1.5 kg;
sugar – 0.5 kg;
vanilla sugar – 1 sachet;
lemon juice – 1 teaspoon.

a novice housewife can handle it . First of all, we thoroughly rinse the pears and dry them so that all excess liquid drips off as much as possible. Next, cut the pears into halves and cut out the core and trim the tails.

Sprinkle the halves with lemon juice so that our fruits do not lose their color and begin to place them in containers.

We take a pre-prepared sealed food container and begin to layer our pears, not forgetting to sprinkle the pears with sugar .

After you complete this fairly simple procedure, put the pears in the freezer and store them until the right time.

Recipe for freezing whole pears

Number of servings: 3

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Step by step description

We choose firm and whole fruits.
Wash thoroughly and place on a paper or linen towel until completely dry. To save time, you can manually blot each fruit.
Place the fruit in a plastic bag, release the air and tie it tightly. Place in the freezer for storage.

In sugar

Many housewives prepare fruit this way. For this method you need a little granulated sugar and a pear. Cut them into slices and lay them out so that they do not touch each other. Sprinkle sugar on top.

Place in the refrigerator and leave to freeze for several days. Then they are collected into bags and placed in the freezer.

How to freeze pears for pies

For pies, compotes and fruit salads, you can freeze pears with sugar. It's very easy to do. After defrosting, the pears will taste like fresh. This option is especially suitable for freezing sour pears. Once defrosted they will be sweet and juicy.

So, how to freeze pears in the freezer for the winter, a simple recipe

Ingredients: – pears, – sugar.

Depending on their further use, pears can be prepared in different ways: they can be cut into small cubes, into larger cubes, or into slices. Rinse the pears and peel them. Cut in half and remove the pits. Cut as needed.

Fold into a container so that there is 2-3 centimeters left to the top. If you want to store pears in containers all winter, take small containers. It’s better, of course, to take a big one, and then put the frozen pears into bags. You will also save space in the freezer and use the containers to freeze other vegetables or fruits.

Close the lid and shake well to distribute the sugar evenly throughout all the pear pieces.

Place the containers with pears in the freezer, set the temperature to minimum, turn on the fast freezing mode, if available. Food freezes fastest on the top shelf of the freezer, where containers with ice are placed. It will take about an hour to freeze.

Then, when the pears are frozen, you can transfer them from containers to resealable bags. The main thing is that each bag contains as many pears as you will defrost at a time. Don't skimp on bags. On each one, write the date when the pears were frozen, or the expiration date. Pears frozen with sugar can be stored for 9 months without loss of taste. Defrost in the refrigerator. This will take 6 hours, no less. Do not open the bag or container until completely defrosted. Thanks to this, the pears will taste like fresh.

You can freeze apples in the same way. And in general, you can freeze all the fruits separately for a fruit salad. See how to freeze red currants with berries. Oranges and bananas probably don’t need to be frozen. Their price does not depend on the season and is always approximately the same. And frozen oranges are unlikely to retain their appearance.

How to save pears for a child

Children love ripe, juicy pears. To please them with a delicacy in the winter season, it is important to freeze fruits in stages, following some rules:

Free up space in the freezer for long-term storage of pears.
Choose dishes: plastic containers, sealed plastic bags.
Rinse with cold water and dry the pears.
Cut in half, into wedges or slices, remove the core.
Leave on a cutting board to dry for 10-15 minutes.
Place on a baking sheet in one layer so that they do not touch each other.
Sprinkle with lemon juice on all sides, place in the freezer for 1 hour, setting the thermostat to -18-20 degrees.
Take out slightly frozen fruits and place them in prepared portion containers.
Sign the freezing date. Place in the freezer again; for deep freezing, use a temperature of -8 degrees.

Storage methods

The easiest way to store pears is to layer them with paper . To prevent fruits from losing their taste and commercial quality for as long as possible, they are sprinkled with sand, sawdust, straw or a mixture of slaked lime and sawdust to prevent moisture loss.

When the harvest is small, each fruit is wrapped in wrapping paper . Newspapers are not used due to the toxicity of printing ink.

Can it be stored with apples and grapes?

The high content of ethylene in pears, which accelerates the ripening of fruits , will lead to premature spoilage of products stored nearby. Therefore, when planting vegetables and fruits, take into account the rules of their compatibility.

It is permissible to store pears and apples at a temperature of 0...+2°C and air humidity of 90–95%. Only fruits that are not fully ripened are placed in boxes, which are sorted and inspected at least 2 times a month, promptly removing spoiled and darkened specimens.

Reference! Pears are not kept next to potatoes, cabbage, onions, celery, garlic and carrots.

It is allowed to keep pears and grapes in the refrigerator for 10–15 days , but always in separate paper bags.

What can you cook from frozen pears?

From thawed fruits you can prepare dishes such as charlotte, pear puree, and compotes. They are added to pies, buns, dumplings, and puff pastries. For compotes and pies, you shouldn’t wait for slow defrosting; you can throw them, frozen pieces, directly into boiling water and dough.

According to culinary experts, by freezing pears for the winter, you can prepare a delicious dish - pear changeling, which is prepared with honey. The product should be baked like a regular pie with sugar, flour and eggs, only you need to add honey to the filling. Place the dough on the arranged pears and bake until done.

Using the refrigerator

A regular home refrigerator is perfect for freezing pears for the winter. More precisely, a freezer. The air temperature in it reaches up to -18 degrees. Therefore, we can confidently say that the products will be well preserved for several months and will not lose any useful elements.

There are several types of freezing:

Shock (also called instant);
Regular.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the first option at home. For this procedure, you need a special blast freezing cabinet; such units are installed at enterprises.

Read also: Recipe for cabbage with vinegar and sugar, a method of cooking without vinegar with the addition of salt and carrots

The second option is suitable for home use; in this case, it is advisable to use a regular freezer.

Freezing in stages:

Defrosting fruit

It is not enough to freeze fruits correctly and know the shelf life; it is also very important to know how to properly defrost frozen fruits so that they do not lose their beneficial properties.

To achieve the most effective results, follow the “golden” rule: freeze quickly - defrost slowly .

Never, under any circumstances, re-freeze defrosted fruit; it is better to immediately throw it in the trash.

Since the benefit from such fruits will be equal to 0. To avoid this situation, defrost pears in small quantities , knowing exactly what you are using, and you will save yourself from the temptation to re-freeze the leftovers that were not used. There are two ways to defrost pears:

Defrosting at room temperature is the most natural and optimal method. For faster defrosting, you can place frozen vegetables under a thin stream of warm water. It is important that with this type of defrosting the loss of vitamins will be very small.
Defrosting in a microwave oven is a traditional method, but the least optimal. Despite the fact that it is very fast, its main disadvantage is that in this case the pears are subjected to heat treatment, which significantly reduces the amount of vitamins in the finished product.