John Myers
You can store spinach – but this is only possible in the freezer for a longer period of time. The healthy green is recommended for quick processing, but should be an integral part of the food in your kitchen. We have summarized everything you need to know about this.
Keep fresh spinach – this is how it works
Unfortunately, you can only keep the healthy leafy greens fresh for a short time in the refrigerator or in another cool place. There are a few storage options to keep the healthy and tasty vegetables. First of all, it should be said that a long storage time is only possible in the frozen state in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator.
- Unfortunately, the fresh spinach leaves wilt and become soft in a very short time.
- However, you cannot leave spinach in the refrigerator for a longer storage period, i.e. for more than two to four days. If you have just bought it, process it as soon as possible.
- If this is not possible, make sure that you handle the leaves very carefully. This already applies on the way home from the shop. Place the spinach loosely and without pressure in the shopping bag. Make sure that there are no heavy foods on top of the vegetables.
- When you get home, take the green leaves out of the pack and shake them out gently so that they lie loosely and have almost no pressure points.
- Then place the spinach in the crisper of your refrigerator. There it is dry and cool.
- Store the green leaves loosely in a well-dampened cotton towel, much like you should store asparagus. The moisture prevents the leaves from wilting too quickly.
Spinach lasts longer in the freezer
It is best to only buy as much spinach as you will use in the near future if you want to enjoy the vegetables fresh. However, if you want to stock up and serve spinach out of season, you need to freeze it.
- Spinach impresses, among other things, with its rich green color. You should blanch the vegetables so that the leaves retain their color when frozen.
- Two minutes in boiling water is enough. This is followed by the obligatory bath in ice water to interrupt the cooking process.
- If you were to put the leaves straight into the freezer afterwards, the water would significantly reduce the taste. So it’s important that you dry the spinach thoroughly after blanching.
- You can use a salad spinner, but careful drying on and with kitchen paper is more gentle.
- If the spinach is dry, put it in freezer bags or freezer boxes. It is best to freeze the vegetables in several portions.
- Spinach prepared in this way will keep in the freezer for up to a year. Be sure to note the freezing date on the freezer bag so you know when this time is up. Then the healthy spinach also loses many vitamins.
- However, it is best not to exhaust the whole year. After about half a year in the freezer, you not only have to reckon with losses in terms of the rich color of the vegetables.
