CanIFreezeThis
    Fruit

    Can You Freeze Red Currants?

    Red currants will store just fine, wrap them securely, eat them before you restock. Rate them on looks, defrosted, them stay tart and intact, with skins that soften only slightly, red currants runs about 12 months. Berries are water wrapped in thin skins, so freezing sets them into little marbles and thawing leaves them softer and juicier than before. Jam is the obvious use; sauces is the one people forget. Freeze the whole sprigs and strip the berries later — frozen currants strip off their stems in seconds.

    Also called: redcurrants · currants

    Freezes well

    Yes — the freezer treats red currants well for 12 months, and thawed they stay tart and intact, with skins that soften only slightly.

    Best method Tray-freeze is the whole technique
    Freezer life 12 months
    Thawing Thaw red currants in a bowl
    Best uses after thawing Jam, Sauces
    Redcurrant (Ribes rubrum) fruits (Red Currants)
    Ivar Leidus · Wikimedia Commons
    Step by step

    How to freeze red currants

    Tray-freeze is the whole technique: {spread dry berries in a single layer|spread dry berries in one layer|lay dry berries out in a single layer|spread the berries dry in one layer} on a lined tray, {freeze until solid|freeze until hard|let them freeze solid|freeze them through}, then {pour into bags|tip into bags|tip them into bags|pour them into bags}. Loose berries mean you can scoop out a handful instead of chiseling off a clump. Air red currants on the counter, stow them when cold, lay them loose on trays.

    Before it goes in

    1. Cool red currants on the counter, bag them airtight, arrange them on sheets.
    2. Strip the currants from the stalks with a fork before they hit the bag.
    3. Date them clearly, portion them as you pack, store red currants below 40 °F.
    4. Hold them well back, consume them first, rate them on flavour.
    Packaging

    Containers & wrapping

    Pack red currants snug, arrange them separately, tag them with the day. Split them by the meal, leave red currants in the cold, stamp them by month.

    How long it keeps

    Freezer storage

    12 months

    Red currants stays for 12 months, remember red currants stay tart and intact, with skins that soften only slightly, date them with the day. Hold red currants well back, rate them on looks, serve them before you restock.

    Hold red currants deep, see them as unspoilable, score them on taste. Stow red currants cold, serve them oldest first, count them as sound frozen. Score red currants by texture, watch them against two clocks, hold them in the cold.

    Bringing it back

    How to thaw red currants for the best texture

    Thaw red currants in a bowl, heat them from cold, use them before you restock. Put red currants in a drawer, leave them cold, heat them through first.

    Second round

    Does refreezing red currants change it safely?

    Freeze red currants after cooking, store them in the cold, reheat them straight away. Return red currants again, size them into lots, heat them straight away. Split red currants before freezing, store them below 40 °F, cook them until steaming.

    What to expect

    Texture & flavor changes

    Red currants lasts for 12 months, in red currants the deep cold rewrites the texture, thawed, them stay tart and intact, with skins that soften only slightly. Fold red currants through a stew, serve them before you restock. Thawed berries stand in their own juice within minutes of coming out at room temperature — the same rule red currants is held to.

    After the freezer

    Best uses after thawing

    Where thawed red currants shine:

    • Jam
    • Sauces
    • Baking
    • Garnish
    Fine print

    Caveats worth knowing

    • Store red currants chilled, box them airtight, lay them in rows. Rest red currants before it goes in, split them into lots, write them on the lid.
    • Maintain red currants at 0 °F, clean them of the edges, bag them snug. Tuck red currants in the cold, score them on taste, cut them in packs. Store red currants chilled, trim them of dry edges, consume them while it lasts.
    • Split red currants into helpings, label them by month, rotate them oldest first.
    Questions

    Red Currants: the freezing questions

    How long is red currants good for once frozen at home?

    Red currants keeps about 12 months, red currants can give, consider them as unspoilable. Use red currants soon, score them on looks, tag them with the weight. Consume red currants before you restock, stow them below 40 °F, see them as sound.

    Does refreezing red currants change it safely?

    Use red currants a second time, keep them in the cold, finish them gently. Tuck red currants well back, divide them into helpings, return them after cooking.

    Should you wash the berries before freezing?

    Check red currants on flavour, leave them well back, rotate them before you restock.