Frozen vegetables are a key product when it comes to preparing healthy and balanced dishes, according to the Secretary General of the Spanish Association of Cooked Vegetable Manufacturers Alvaro Aguilar.
"Frozen vegetables retain all their nutritional properties when cooked, which is today a real luxury," Aguilar said, in the case of a deep freeze at minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Here are five common myths about frozen vegetables denied by experts at FutureLife 21:
Frozen vegetables are not as healthy as fresh
Frozen vegetables and grains are harvested at the peak of maturity and transported from the fields in less than three hours to the factory, where they are washed and packed to freeze. Many studies indicate that there is no difference between fresh and frozen vegetables on the level of vitamins.
2- Foods rich in food additives and preservatives
Frozen vegetables available on the market are completely free of preservatives and food additives, because they are preserved by cooling.
3 - cooking takes a long time
It is wrong to believe that cooking frozen vegetables takes time. It is a practical and easy solution to a healthy diet and is available in all seasons.
Difficulty thawing them
It is not necessary to thaw vegetables before cooking unless they are large, so that they are all cooked evenly. Vegetables should be consumed after the ice is thawed within a maximum of 24 hours, but not frozen again.
5. The same results can be obtained if the vegetables are frozen at home
Regular refrigerators allow freezing of fresh or cooked foods, but they can not freeze food at the desired temperature and in a short period such as freezing.
Air freezing is usually done at minus 40 ° C, allowing the product to quickly reach minus 20 ° C, a process that prevents tissue damage and loss of fluid, allowing all product properties such as color, smell, flavor and texture to be maintained.