How to Store Brussels Sprouts?
Brussels sprouts are small cabbages that grow in rows along tough long stems. In this blog, we will discuss how to store Brussels sprouts for a long time. When you buy sprouts, make sure they are fresh because they can be stored longer. Fresh sprouts are best when they are small and the leaves are well folded.
How to store sprouts?
Here are some storing tips for sprouts:
- Keep fresh on the fruit bowl for 3-5 days
- Brussels sprouts can be kept for 6 to 8 days in the refrigerator
- In a plastic bag, in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
- Brussels sprouts can be kept for 12 months in the freezer.
- Prepared Brussels sprouts can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 day, but in the freezer for 3 months.
So sprouts can be stored in different ways. But what should you pay attention to when you are going to store sprouts? That is described in this blog.
Buy Brussels sprouts
Firstly, it should be said that when we buy old sprouts, they are large, the leaves are yellowish and the leaves no longer blend well with the other leaves. It goes without saying that old sprouts have a shorter shelf life than fresh sprouts.
Fresh sprouts are small and the leaves are light green and fit tightly around the other leaves. In this blog, we assume fresh sprouts. It is recommended to eat the sprouts on the day of purchase when they are the freshest and the tastiest.
Store sprouts
Brussels sprouts that you keep without refrigeration can be stored for 4 to 5 days. Do not place the Brussels sprouts near heating or in a warm place. This ensures that the sprouts will lose their freshness more quickly. Outside the refrigerator, the leaves will turn yellow faster, but you can eat them as usual.
Cut off the bottom of the Brussels sprouts and remove the yellow leaves from the Brussels sprouts. This way you can use the Brussels sprouts again.
Store Sprouts in the Refrigerator
Brussels sprouts that you keep in the refrigerator can be kept in the vegetable drawer for about 6 to 8 days.
Put the sprouts in a paper bag to keep them fresh for the longest time. Place the bag in the crisper drawer. The temperature in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator is at its lowest there and ensures that the sprouts stay nice and fresh and that you can store them longer.
Make sure the vegetable drawer is dry, otherwise the sprouts will still be moist. This is a source of bacteria and the sprouts will spoil quickly.
If you don’t have a paper bag available, put the sprouts in a bowl with kitchen paper in the fridge. This way the sprouts stay nice and dry and you can store them for 6 to 8 days.
Also Read this: How to store eggplant
Brussels sprouts that you are going to keep in a plastic bag will stay fresh for a shorter period in the refrigerator, wherever you put them. They are deteriorating rapidly. Plastic retains moisture which evaporates from the sprouts. They can then be kept for 2-3 days.
That moisture in turn ensures that the sprouts will spoil more quickly. If necessary, keep the sprouts loose in the vegetable drawer which is dry, which is better than in plastic.
After keeping the Brussels sprouts for a few days, check to see if they are moldy. Then the advice is to throw away the sprouts.
Store Brussels Sprouts in Freezer
Brussels sprouts that you have bought fresh can be stored in the freezer. There should be no rotten spots on it and loose yellow leaves should be removed. Under no circumstances should they be left at room temperature for a long time before going into the freezer. Wash and dry the sprouts before putting them in the freezer.
Blanching and Freezing Brussels Sprouts
Most people prefer to blanch the sprouts and then freeze them. The blanching will sweeten the Brussels sprouts and shorten the cooking time after defrosting.
Blanching is an easy technique: Clean the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the bottom and removing loose and/or yellow leaves. Boil the water in a saucepan, without salt, and put the Brussels sprouts in the boiling water. Then wait about 3 minutes and drain the Brussels sprouts in a colander.
Immediately after draining, dip the Brussels sprouts into a bowl of ice-cold water and let them cool. Now that they have cooled, drain the sprouts on kitchen paper. Pat them dry and the Brussels sprouts can be stored in the freezer for 1 year.
When your Brussels sprouts are freezing portions, you don’t have to defrost the entire package of sprouts, unless that’s the intention of course. Provide a good freezer container with lid or freezer bag.
Place a sticker on the freezer container and write the date of freezing on it. After a year, the taste of spraying diminishes, but by then they are probably gone, right?
If you want to use the sprouts again, put the frozen Brussels sprouts in a pan with boiling water and let it cook until tender (see preparing Brussels sprouts).
Keep Boiled Brussels Sprouts In Refrigerator
If you have leftover boiled Brussels sprouts, you can keep them in the fridge for 1 day. Put the cooked Brussels sprouts in a tightly closed refrigerator box and stick a sticker on it. Write down the date of cooking and what’s in it here.
It happens that the boiled Brussels sprouts end up in the back of the fridge and are out of sight for a while. Great if you know when and if they are Brussels sprouts before you open them.
If you have not applied a sticker and you do not know exactly when it was cooked, smell, look and taste for a while before heating the sprouts completely again. This will cause any alarms to go off automatically or not.
Freezing Boiled Brussels Sprouts
Boiled Brussels sprouts, which are left, can be frozen in the freezer and can be stored for 3 months. This freezer should be on: minus 18 degrees Celsius. In this way, the sprouts can really be stored for 3 months.
Do not leave cooked Brussels sprouts out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours to chill. Then put the Brussels sprouts in a freezer container or bag that can be closed tightly.
Stick a freezer sticker on the container or bag of the Brussels sprouts and write the date of cooking on it. Always write on that sticker what is inside.
Always useful to know when you can freeze the Brussels sprouts. After 3 months, the Brussels sprouts lose their flavor.
Store Brussels sprouts at home
There are plenty of houses that have a cellar or a shed where the temperature is lower than in the house near the stove or heating. The sprouts could be kept there for about 3 to 4 days.
Just make sure that the sprouts cannot freeze due to the freezing cold (for example at night) and thaw again during the day. This really doesn’t do the sprouts any good. This way they can quickly go moldy.
So when it starts to freeze, the sprouts have to be put inside and stored in a different way.
