Maximizing the Use of Frozen Vegetables

I have a hard time getting vegetables into my diet, and, I’m sure, so do you. Especially since COVID has wormed itself into every single facet of our lives, going out to the store every three or four days is no longer an option. In our house, we only hit the shops every fortnight if we can manage it.

As a result, I’ve fully embraced using frozen vegetables.

I’ve written before about food snobbery – I think that it’s a whole lot of hogwash – and I think that frozen veg gets a really bad rap. The argument against frozen vegetables is, essentially, that they’re just not as good as fresh vegetables. Fair argument, in my opinion: the phrase ‘fresh vegetables’ conjures up images of glistening, vibrant vegetables, people with perfect teeth laughing into their salads, and incredibly fit people doing yoga.

Frozen vegetables, on the other hand, conjure up images of – well – freezer burn. When something that was once alive is now frozen, we tend to make a mental association with cryogenic freezing rather than something good and healthy. I’m here to convince you to throw those assumptions out the door!

Why Frozen Foods Have Value

For one thing, frozen vegetables last longer. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I always fall into the trap of seeing some delicious-looking peppers at the store, buying them, and then forgetting about them in the fridge after using half of one to add to my quesadilla. When I finally do remember the peppers, they’re soft at best and liquified at worst. Instead of having fresh, delicious vegetables that will guarantee a feeling of being ‘holier than thou’, I’ve got a bunch of fuzzy, mushy peppers, a dirty fridge, and a bad mood.

Ready to make soup with frozen veggies? Find them in this Sweet Corn Chowder recipe here!

Frozen vegetables may not be superstars of any dish you make, but they certainly do the work to keep you healthy. Their lack of freshness doesn’t bother me, and I know that if I am in a pinch and in need of some vegetables to go with a meal, I can bust out a bag of green beans, peas, corn, or even Brussels sprout. It’s also been proven that frozen vegetables retain most, if not all, of their nutritional value despite their perception as the ‘less healthy’ option when compared to fresh.

Frozen Veggies and the Environment

Photo: Devin Rajaran /Unsplash

Sure, I suppose that I could be a better and more environmentally conscious human being by not buying frozen vegetables in sealed plastic packages and rather buy fresh vegetables without packaging that is harmful to the environment. But there are a lot of positive connotations around frozen vegetables that people don’t think about – they’re cheaper than fresh most of the time, they aren’t limited by what is ‘in season’, and there is a wild diversity of options when it comes to frozen veg.

The world is a busy place and especially now, we don’t really have the option to go out and get fresh produce every couple of days. We need to be economical with our food choices – so I urge you to consider maximizing frozen vegetables! What’s your favourite frozen veg?