John Myers
If your eyes were bigger than the salad bowl when you went shopping, or if the home-grown heads of lettuce are all ready to harvest at once, the question arises: where to put all the lettuce? Many types of vegetables such as beans, peas, carrots, or zucchini can easily be frozen and eaten at a later time. The best way to do this is to clean, wash and blanch the vegetables and place them in bags or cans on ice. When preparing recipes, you only take as much as you need and put the frozen food directly into the pot or pan for cooking. We usually eat lettuce raw and as fresh as possible from the field. Different rules, therefore, apply to leaf, cut, and head lettuce such as oak leaf, romaine, and lollo rosso or bionda when it comes to freezing and thawing. We reveal whether you can freeze lettuce and give tips on how to store it properly.
Can you freeze green salad?
Because the common types of lettuce have a high water content, they are not suitable for the freezer. The water would expand when it freezes and destroy the cell structure of the lettuce leaves. As a result, the lettuce becomes mushy when thawed and is no longer edible raw. Although the name suggests otherwise, iceberg lettuce is also not suitable for preservation in the freezer. The lettuce variety with the cracking green leaves also loses shape, color, and flavor due to frost. Lamb’s lettuce and endive salads are also not made for the refrigerator. The situation is similar with spinach or kale, whose fresh, young leaves spice up mixed salads in terms of taste and appearance. Once thawed, the healthy leafy greens also become mushy and are therefore better enjoyed cooked once frozen.
Freezing lettuce: the most important things in brief
The common varieties of leaf, cut and head lettuce such as oak leaf, romaine or lollo rosso have high water content. Because the water expands when it freezes and destroys the cell structure, most salads are not suitable for the freezer. It is a good idea to keep lettuce wrapped in a damp cloth in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. It stays there for a few days, but gradually loses nutrients, consistency, and taste. It is best to eat lettuce as fresh as possible.
Which salads can you freeze?
As with many things, there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to salads. For example with radicchio. It also loses its structure due to frost and is no longer suitable for preparing crispy salads after it has thawed. However, if you want to preserve it for several months in order to use it for pasta, risotto, or other warm recipes, you can put radicchio in the freezer. You should clean it, wash it, blanch it in salt water or fry it briefly in a pan and then freeze it in portions. Chicory is also suitable for freezing and later cooking. Cleaned and blanched, it can be stored in the freezer for a good ten months. Rocket or rocket, on the other hand, is better cut into small pieces and placed in ice cube molds with water to preserve. For example, you can use it to make smoothies.
What is the best way to store lettuce?
Fresh lettuce contains the most vitamins, making it particularly healthy and tastiest. But often the lettuce harvest cannot be eaten all at once. Our tips: In this case, it is best to wrap whole heads of lettuce in a damp cloth and place them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. Radicchio can be stored in this way for up to a month. Arugula and lose lettuce leaves stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week. You should wash them and spin them dry slightly. The best way to store lettuce is in plastic bags, foil bags, or in a vegetable box.
