Frozen Veggies, are they cooked?

[giggler]

Are the frozen veggies like corn, green beans, etc all ready cooked? Or are they just Blanched and require the pkg. direction of Boil or Steam for 10 minutes?


I ask, becuase I would like to make some of these salads, like Corn and Bean salad.



And several of the recipies I have seen say use Canned Beans, but then a bag of Thawed frozen corn, as it is more crunchy than Canned Corn.


Thanks, Eric. Austin Tx.

 

[Linda0818]

As far as I know, the veggies are already cooked. Sometimes I use frozen corn and peas in salads and I don't even bother cooking them. Instead, I toss them in a bowl and run water over them until they're thawed. Ready for salads at that point.

 

[skilletlicker]

Are the frozen veggies like corn, green beans, etc all ready cooked? Or are they just Blanched and require the pkg. direction of Boil or Steam for 10 minutes?


I ask, becuase I would like to make some of these salads, like Corn and Bean salad.



And several of the recipies I have seen say use Canned Beans, but then a bag of Thawed frozen corn, as it is more crunchy than Canned Corn.


Thanks, Eric. Austin Tx.

I think they're blanched. Folks who insist on not going into the pool within half an hour of eating say they're unsafe to eat without further cooking.

I'd say you pays yer money, you takes yer chance.
...
But, I'd cook 'em some more before feeding them to grandkids.

 

[taxlady]

I'm pretty sure they are just blanched to stop the enzymes. For a salad, I don't bother cooking the corn or peas. They are yummy once thawed. I under cook the other vegis for salads. I don't use lima beans, but those have to be cooked. As I understand it, they are toxic until cooked.

 

[Cheryl J]

I keep frozen corn, peas, and lima beans (love them) in the freezer, but never broccoli, cauliflower or carrots. They are way over-cooked and are mush even before they're gently steamed, IMO.

 

[caseydog]

These days, frozen veggies are "flash frozen" way below freezing temperature. Blanching isn't necessarily part of the process, anymore.

If the veggies are processed in sanitary conditions, they will be just as safe as fresh veggies processed in sanitary conditions. Frozen peas and corn will be just as safe as peas and corn right off the plant.

I personally prefer frozen veggies for things like peas and corn, to canned. The texture is closer to fresh. On the other hand, beans need to be cooked just to be edible, so canned beans are fine. But, dried beans also have a great shelf life, so it's more a choice of how hard you want to work for your bean dish.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

taxy I did not know about Lima Beans, thanks!

With further research here's an interesting article on toxic common foods we eat. Most will know some of them but some of them might be a surprise.

eaters beware

So again, I'm guessing giggler you've now got your answer. Corn and green beans will be fine. I rinse them under cold water and throw them in the salad too.

 

[Linda0818]

I keep frozen corn, peas, and lima beans (love them) in the freezer, but never broccoli, cauliflower or carrots. They are way over-cooked and are mush even before they're gently steamed, IMO.

I don't mind frozen broccoli and cauliflower. But I do NOT like frozen carrots. Can't stand the texture. I either cook them from fresh or eat them canned. Most canned vegetables I don't mind, but some I won't touch, like canned spinach. That has to be fresh or frozen.

These days, frozen veggies are "flash frozen" way below freezing temperature. Blanching isn't necessarily part of the process, anymore.

If the veggies are processed in sanitary conditions, they will be just as safe as fresh veggies processed in sanitary conditions. Frozen peas and corn will be just as safe as peas and corn right off the plant.

I personally prefer frozen veggies for things like peas and corn, to canned. The texture is closer to fresh. On the other hand, beans need to be cooked just to be edible, so canned beans are fine. But, dried beans also have a great shelf life, so it's more a choice of how hard you want to work for your bean dish.

CD

And this is why they say frozen veg is actually more nutrient-dense than fresh veg because for every hour, every day, that the fresh produce sits in the store, it's losing nutritional value.

 

[caseydog]

I don't mind frozen broccoli and cauliflower. But I do NOT like frozen carrots. Can't stand the texture. I either cook them from fresh or eat them canned. Most canned vegetables I don't mind, but some I won't touch, like canned spinach. That has to be fresh or frozen.



And this is why they say frozen veg is actually more nutrient-dense than fresh veg because for every hour, every day, that the fresh produce sits in the store, it's losing nutritional value.

Frozen and canned vegetables lose nutritional value, too. Cooking vegetables diminishes nutritional values. But, any vegetables are better than no vegetables as part of a balanced diet.

CD

 

[GotGarlic]

As Casey said, frozen veggies do lose nutritional value over time - longer than three months - but nothing is ever optimal. As long as you're eating a variety of foods each day, your nutrition should balance out over time.

 

[Linda0818]

Frozen and canned vegetables lose nutritional value, too. Cooking vegetables diminishes nutritional values. But, any vegetables are better than no vegetables as part of a balanced diet.

CD

Well, yeah. All produce loses nutritional value over time. I'm just saying that frozen veggies supposedly have more nutritional value than fresh. Unless you pick it yourself or maybe buy from a local farm market where they can tell you how long ago it was picked. With the produce you buy at a grocery store, you have no idea how long it's been sitting there.

 

[jennyema]

I think they're blanched. Folks who insist on not going into the pool within half an hour of eating say they're unsafe to eat without further cooking.

I'd say you pays yer money, you takes yer chance.
...
But, I'd cook 'em some more before feeding them to grandkids.

Since vegetables are safe to eat raw, frozen veggies are perfectly safe to eat without cooking.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

No. Uncooked frozen vegetables are not safe to eat without cooking. They are packaged as a ready to cook food, and not a ready to eat food.

Commercially canned foods can be safely eaten straight from the can as long as the container is intact. They are already cooked right in the can and vacuum sealed, so they can be eaten cold, or you can heat them right in the liquid they came in, probably for no more than 4 minutes in a saucepan or a minute or two in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish. PLEASE DO NOT PUT THE CAN IN THE MICROWAVE!

 

[GotGarlic]

No. Uncooked frozen vegetables are not safe to eat without cooking. They are packaged as a ready to cook food, and not a ready to eat food.

Why would they be unsafe to eat without cooking? Freezing prevents any pathogen growth, so they wouldn't be any less safe than they were before they were frozen.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Why would they be unsafe to eat without cooking? Freezing prevents any pathogen growth, so they wouldn't be any less safe than they were before they were frozen.

Most vegetables are blanched with water or steam, and then cooled in a water bath before freezing. This process is NOT a validated pathogen kill step, and because vegetables are field grown, they carry a risk of salmonella(animals), listeria(soil), and E. coli(soil/water/animals).Many illnesses have been tied to consumers using frozen fruits and vegetables raw.

 

[GotGarlic]

Most vegetables are blanched with water or steam, and then cooled in a water bath before freezing. This process is NOT a validated pathogen kill step, and because vegetables are field grown, they carry a risk of salmonella(animals), listeria(soil), and E. coli(soil/water/animals).Many illnesses have been tied to consumers using frozen fruits and vegetables raw.

All vegetables, whether frozen or fresh, are field-grown (unless they're grown hydyoponically). The body can kill a certain amount of pathogens - since they're always on everything, we ingest them all the time. But the immune system attacks and kills them. So the question is how long they sat in the danger zone, giving the pathogens time to grow to dangerous levels. They aren't left for very long before freezing, so I'd guess that if people got sick from them, it was because of mishandling by the consumer rather than being unsafe right out of the package.

 

[GotGarlic]

This article has interesting details on how frozen vegetables are processed.

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Frozen-Vegetable.html

 

[taxlady]

Most vegetables are blanched with water or steam, and then cooled in a water bath before freezing. This process is NOT a validated pathogen kill step, and because vegetables are field grown, they carry a risk of salmonella(animals), listeria(soil), and E. coli(soil/water/animals).Many illnesses have been tied to consumers using frozen fruits and vegetables raw.

Yeah, now that you mention it, I am a bit concerned about the micro-organisms on the frozen veg.

 

[Linda0818]

I hear about illnesses coming from eating fresh produce rather than frozen. Not saying it doesn't happen with frozen. I've just never heard of it before.

99% of the time, I cook my frozen veggies before I eat them. But I often thaw peas and dump them on salads.