Are Frozen Cherries Good For You?

This article answers the question, “Are Frozen Cherries Good For You?” with details about frozen cherries, methods of preparing frozen cherries at home, and their use in baking.

Are Frozen Cherries Good For You?

Yes, frozen cherries are good. They not only taste good but also contain considerable amounts of antioxidants and nutrients that contribute to overall health and wellbeing. Frozen cherries are a healthy option to satisfy sugar cravings. They contain 110 kcal in 3/4th cup.

Cherries are an imported fruit in South Korea, which is witnessing an increasing trend of cherry imports. The volume of cherry imports was only about 5000 tons in 2011; however, it increased to 18,000 tons in 2018, with an average annual growth rate of 20.2%. Cherry imports are also expected to increase in the future, as Korean consumers have a strong preference for them. Korea’s main import partner for cherries is the U.S., and the proportion of U.S. cherries (90%) is far higher than that of cherries from other small partners such as Uzbekistan and Chile (1).

A Little Bit About Frozen Cherries

Sweet cherries are abundant in minerals, vitamins, phenolics and anthocyanins. It has been shown that sweet cherries exert various biological functions, such as antioxidants, anticancer and anti-inflammatory. Previous studies reported the total and individual contents of such bioactives in various sweet cherry cultivars from different geographic regions. As sweet cherries are seasonal fruit, proper preservation technologies are required (2).

If you appreciate eating or preparing with sweet cherries, you realize that these stone fruits are at their top in July and August. While you can in some cases discover cherries at different seasons, these natural products are being flown in from across the world.

The taste fails to measure up to the delicious, tasty berries of summer also being significantly more costly. However, you don’t need to bid farewell to succulent, sweet cherries when summer closes.

Although frozen cherries are available in the market you can set aside cash and eat all the more occasionally by freezing cherries while they are in season and promptly available.

With the right method and supportive equipment, cherries hold up like a fantasy. What’s more, frozen cherries work similarly to fresh cherries in baking, preparation of sauces, and your morning smoothie.

Thermal processing and freezing are traditional methods applied to reduce biochemical, chemical and microbiological deterioration. A study showed a drastic degradation in anthocyanin pigments of sweet cherry during frozen storage at −18°C for six months compared with phenolics, which retained approximately half of their amounts. Anthocyanin degradation during frozen storage was considered to be related to enzymatic transformations, in particular due to the native polyphenol oxidase (2).

How To Freeze Cherries At Home

No need to buy expensive and commercially processed frozen cherries when you can freeze cherries in the safety of your home. There are two methods of freezing cherries (3).

Method 1

This is a simple method.

Step 1

Delicately wash cherries in cool water. That is the first step in the preparation of frozen cherries.

 Step 2

Remove the excess water. Permit cherries to air-dry totally or dry them utilizing paper towels. Eliminate and dispose of any rotten or soft cherry to prevent other cherries from rotting.

Step 3

The next step is pitting or removing the seeds from cherries. Pit them utilizing whatever method you like.

Step 4

To freeze cherries, spread a baking sheet in the freezer and place the pitted cherries in a layer on the sheet that fits. Allow the cherries to harden and freeze completely in the freezer overnight.

When cherries are firm, you can move them into containers for long-term storage. They can be stored for up to 6 months.

Important Tip

It is significant, to let the cherries freeze properly first. Because if you place cherries in the container while they are still delicate, the ones on the top will squash the ones on the base, before they freeze. So be careful to follow every step.

Method 2

For this strategy for freezing cherries, you will require plastic storage boxes, with covers. The best size is the one that holds about a cup. This is an incredible way of reusing old holders that held margarine, spreads, or something like that.

You will require sugar, water, and cherries. With this formula, we make an exceptionally light sugar syrup. Cherries are incredibly sweet, so we suggest utilizing as little sugar as you can use.

Wash 4 cups of cherries and carefully dry. Pit the cherries if you prefer. To set up the syrup, measure out 4 cups of water into a pot. Add one cup of sugar. Let it boil. Add the cherries and heat back to the point of boiling.

Then let the preparation cool for around 15 – 20 minutes. Tenderly scoop the cherries and fluid into storage containers. Let it cool to room temperature. Put the containers in the freezer.

After totally frozen, pull out and let defrost for a couple of moments, before consuming. In case you’ve left the pits in, simply make sure to be cautious when eating not to nibble into one.

Caution for diabetics

Diets high in sugars have not been shown to cause diabetes. The most common type of diabetes occurs in overweight adults. In case you are diabetic, you can replace the sugar with sweetener or avoid it altogether. Sweeteners act as preservatives and maintain desirable appearance, flavor, color and body in the products. Altering the type and amount of sugar in standardized preservation recipes will alter these characteristics. The principal sweeteners used in the industry are sugar (sucrose), and corn syrup. The noncaloric sweetener, saccharin, is found in dietetic foods. Aspartame and Acesulfame K, noncaloric sweeteners, are approved for use in a limited number of foods (4). Since sweeteners for the most part are a lot sweeter than sugar, use only half the amount. In this way, for every 4 cups of water, add ½ cup of sweetener. You can likewise take a stab at freezing with no sugar. Simply heat the water, add the cherries, heat back to the point of boiling, and afterward spoon out when sufficiently cool to work with.

Use Of Frozen Cherries In Baking:

Likewise, frozen cherries are as great as fresh cherries especially when it comes to baking. Freezing makes cherries lose a portion of their dampness, which is good for baking. Because the moisture of cherries can negatively affect the texture of cake batter.

One more flavorful use for frozen berries is a sweet sauce. Raise a basic pound cake or a bowl of vanilla frozen yogurt into an exquisite sweet with a thick, polished cherry sauce. Since the sauce is cooked in the oven, new or frozen cherries work the same. In the case of utilizing frozen cherries, there is no compelling reason to defrost them first. Simply put them straight into the pan

Conclusion:

In this short article, we have answered the question, “Are frozen cherries good for you?” with an in-depth analysis of frozen cherries, methods of preparing frozen cherries at home, and their use in baking.

References