Why should you freeze fruit anyway?
Its useful if you have a surplus of something, or if you find fruit on a crazy sale.
But the key things to remember are these: Moisture and air are the enemy of frozen foods.
Wash and dry your fruit thoroughly.
If the fruit has a skin, peel it.
Carve away any bruises, gashes, or other undesirable spots.
If your fruit is larger than bite-sized, cut or slice it into uniformly-sized pieces of your chosen size.
Pat your fruit dry again with a towel or paper towel.
Aim to remove as much moisture as possible.
Transfer fruit to a tray covered with parchment paper (this is where abench scrapercomes in handy).
Spread fruit into a single layer.
Cover with plastic cling wrap, transfer tray to the freezer, and freeze for several hours or overnight.
Remove your tray from freezer.
Gently peel fruit off the parchment paper and transfer to labeled freezer bags.
Squeezeas much air as you canout of freezer bags before sealing them.
Your fruits ready to go, and will keep in the freezer for 6 to 9 months.
Bananas: Peel and slice before freezing.
(Strawberries take well to being sliced, too.)
Juice the citrus and transfer juice to an ice cube tray to freeze.
(You could also freeze in a seal-tight plastic bag and lay it flat to freeze.)
Kiwi: Peel and slice before freezing.
Mangoes:Peel and cut your mangobefore freezing it.
Pineapple: Peel and core pineapple before slicing and cutting, then freeze.
If your pineapple is particularly ripe, save the leftover juice and freeze that too.
Stone fruit: Peel peaches, plums, and pluots before slicing and freezing.
Apricots do not require peeling.
Cherries should be pitted before freezing.
First, a disclaimer: I buy frozen fruit all the time.
The same goes for mango pieces.
Freezing your own fruit also allows you to control for variables like size and cut.
