Selecting High-Quality Celery: Celery loses its crisp texture when frozen, but it still suitable for use in cooked dishes. Select crisp, green, tender stalks, free from coarse strings. The ribs should be firm and rigid, snapping crisply when broken in half.
Preparing for Freezing: Wash thoroughly, trim and cut stalks into l-inch lengths. Stalks can also be left whole for tray freezing.
Blanching Time: Water-blanch for 3 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and package leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze. Celery stalks can also be frozen without blanching.
Best Freezing Method(s):
Tray Packs: Clean and prepare celery stalks. Lay in a single layer of chopped pieces or whole stalks on cookie sheets and place them in the freezer. When fully frozen (12 to 24 hours), portion them into suitable containers and freeze. Leave no headspace.
Dry Packs: Transfer blanched or raw celery directly into suitable containers for freezing. Leave no headspace.
Suitable Packaging: Freezer containers should be moisture and vapor resistant and should not be prone to cracking or breaking at low temperatures. Containers should provide protection against absorbing flavors or odors and should be easy to label. Suitable packaging for freezing celery includes freezer-grade plastic bags, rigid plastic containers or glass containers and heavy duty-aluminum foil.
Maximum Storage Time: 10 to 12 months at 0ºF.
Thawing: Add frozen celery directly to dishes while cooking.
Tips & Shortcuts: Tray freezing is almost always preferable to Dry Packs because vegetables will not freeze together in clumps, making it easy to access the precise amount you need without thawing out a whole container.
Refrigerating Celery: Wrap celery stalks in a damp paper towel and then aluminum foil to keep it fresh in the refrigerator 4 weeks.
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Request: Freezing Celery
Archived on 11/30/2005
I got a bargain on celery today. Can I freeze it? I will only be using it in casserols and cooked foods. Also, how can I give it a long refrigerator life? I don't use it often.
Thanks for any help.
Annette from Maine
Answers:
RE: Freezing Celery
11/30/2005
Yes, you can freeze celery. Wash and dry it very well, then slice or dice it as you would for your cooked recipe. Spread the diced celery on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until frozen. Transfer to a freezer bag or other container for storage.
Also, if you want to keep some fresh in the fridge, wrap it in aluminum foil. It will keep several weeks like that.
Annette, I freeze celery . I just stick the bag it comes in , inside a couple bread sacks to protect from freezer burn, and put it in the freezer. Then I just break off how much I need , chop or dice, when I need it. I can't tell the difference in the cooked recipes. It would not however, be crunchy like it is when it is fresh. Carol
Be sure to lay your celery on a cookie sheet or plate to freeze first, like LanaAnn says, or you'll have to chisel it off of the ball that it'll be in if you toss it all in a baggie before freezing it, like I did. I'll be much easier the other way. It's hard to chisel the correct amount you need. Much easier to reach in or pour out how much you need.
I watched martha stewart on TV once. She said if you wrap the celery completely in foil it will last 3 weeks in your refrigerator. i tried this and it really works.
By debbie (Guest Post)
RE: Freezing Celery
01/04/2006
As with freezing a lot of things, the texture will change. I suppose would be okay for cooked recipes though.
I always wrap my fresh celery in foil. I found that to work very, very well.
If you have fresh celery that has already become limp, cut the root end off and sitck all the stocks into a container of water and place in the fridge. The stalks will drink the water up and be rejuventated.
