Mangetout peas are one of my favourite snacks and the perfect addition to a stir fry or salad. You can grow them in your garden in the vast majority of US states or purchase them from the store. However, in some cases, you might not be able to use your mangetout before they expire and instead want to freeze them.
While there are many ways to freeze mangetout, my personal favourite is to blanche them, lay them on a baking sheet for 2 – 4 hours and then transfer them into a freezer bag or container.
However, depending on how you plan to use your mangetout (snacking, cooking etc.) you may want to adjust the way in which you choose to freeze them.
Tools & Equipment For Freezing Food
These are my tried and tested tools and equipment for freezing food.
Whether it’s fresh fruits or completely prepared meals these tools will make the process easier, and the food last longer and taste better!
Containers – We opt for glass containers as they are better for the environment, much higher quality and don’t stain like plastic, however they are an investment.
So if you’re short on money buy high-quality plastic containers in the meantime.
Just be sure that you buy your containers in a range of sizes as you’ll be using them to freeze and store a range of different foods.
Ziplock Bags – Invest in quality freezer bags and they’ll help keep out air, prevent frost and keep your food fresh for longer.
The majority of the high-quality ziplock bags come with a small area for you to write information about the food (i.e. what it is, when it was frozen and defrosting instructions) on the bag.
Ice Cube Trays – Ice cube trays can help you freeze more than just water. Instead, we use them for freezing small portions of food such as egg whites, tomato sauce, pesto etc.
Simply add the food to the tray, freeze and once frozen pop the food out and into a ziplock bag, then you can simply take one or two portions of food out and defrost as needed.
Foil Baking Containers – We use foil baking containers when we’re batch cooking frozen meals.
They are affordable, durable and come in a variety of sizes allowing you to portion out or put everything in one large container to be cooked at a later date.
If all that wasn’t enough, the majority of meals are safe to be cooked in the oven with the foil container. This reduces the amount of hassle, time and washing up you’ll have to do – winner!
How To Freeze Mangtout
Whether you have grown your own or simply bought a larger amount at the supermarket always start by washing the mangetout.
Cleaning them will get rid of any remaining dirt or insects from the garden, this is an essential step on how to freeze mangetout.
The prep time is roughly 10 minutes.
Let the mangetout dry a little in a sieve or colander before moving onto the next step.
Using a pan of boiling hot water, blanch the mangetout. They don’t require long, roughly 30 seconds.
Remove them from the boiling water and place in a colander to strain away the excess water.
Use the water for up to 5 blanchings to save reboiling water and wasting.
Quickly throw them into a large bowl with ice and cold water. Leave them in the bowl for no longer than a minute.
Strain again using a sieve or colander and give it a light shake to remove the water.
Transfer to a baking tray and spread the mangetout out so that they are all flat and not overlapping.
Place flat in the freezer, they should take roughly 2 hours, depending on your freezer and your settings.
Remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the mangetouts from the tray into a long term storage solution.
Ziploc bags are the most suitable storage method for mangetouts. Make sure all the air is removed before sealing and placing back in the freezer.
Remember to place the date of freezing on the bag with a label or sharpie and use within 9 months.
Once you removed the desired amount, you can defrost the mangetout by putting them in the fridge for 12-24 hours, so that there is no sudden temperature change.
Pay attention to the thawing liquid: put the food on saucers or inside containers. To prevent odour, use a sealed container.
Alternatively, you can use the mangetouts straight from the freezer and cook them into a meal.
They work well in stir fry dishes, vegetable curry dishes and in salads.
To cook for a salad you can either let them defrost naturally or cook them in boiling water with added pinch of salt for 2 minutes.
Another method to cook the mangetout is to steam them for 5 – 10 minutes. The less time they are steamed for the more bite and crunch they will have.
If you plan to use them in a stir fry simply remove from the freezer and packaging and place in the wok along with the other ingredients. The steam and heat of the wok will naturally cook them.
Hi all! I’m Cora Benson, and I’ve been blogging about food, recipes and things that happen in my kitchen since 2019.