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I'd struggle to beat the supermarket frozen garlic blocks on price. My local supermarket sells the 400g bags of frozen minced garlic at £0.95. The same superma

I'd struggle to beat the supermarket frozen garlic blocks on price. My local supermarket sells the 400g bags of frozen minced garlic at £0.95. The same supermarket sells 4 fresh garlic bulbs weighing approx. 280g for £0.99.

Xylakant 4y ago
The same holds true for essentially every frozen vegetable. I believe the reason is that there’s less work and less wastage in the frozen product. It’s taken straight from the field to the factory without much chance to spoil, and the frozen product it simple to handle and doesn’t spoil easily any more. Fundamentally, I’d also believe that in most cases, buying the frozen product instead of buying fresh and then freeze will give you a superior product since it’s much fresher when it is processed.
- taylodl 4y ago
  It’s taken straight from the field to the factory without much chance to spoil, and the frozen product it simple to handle and doesn’t spoil easily any more. Thanks! I'd never really thought about it that way. That makes a lot of sense!
- swatcoder 4y ago
  Those economics probably apply to some level, but the difference is more about the grade/quality of produce that can be hidden in a freezer bag of processed chunks vs what consumers expect to see in a grocers bin of fresh veggies. Ugly cheap bulk and semi-failed crops can go to processing and more carefully/successfully produced stuff goes to various grocers. In the US at least, you’ll also see differences in grade depending on the demographic of the grocery store. Community markets will sell cheaper produce that’s maybe softer, less ripe, more bruised, or just kind ugly and bougie markets will sell pretty veggies at higher price+margin. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables
  - Xylakant 4y ago
    Definitely, you can hide a carrot that not looking great in frozen chunks, but that alone doesn’t mean that you’ll get worse quality. It will lead to less wastage, though. People are often obsessed with the look of food items, to the point that supermarket groceries are bred to look good, regardless of taste. Also, clearly, if you buy 0.99 dollar/kilo frozen peas you’ll likely get worse quality than 10.99 dollars/kilo fresh. But dollar against dollar, frozen vegetables will very likely be higher quality than you can buy fresh. Unless you’re buying straight from the farm - but most folks don’t.
- choko 4y ago
  The issue I have with some frozen veggies (peppers, onions, garlic, celery) is that the freezing process damages cell walls leading to a mushier result. They also tend to dissolve faster in longer cooking items like chili or red beans and rice. I'll use them in some dishes where it doesn't matter since it's a big time saver though.
  - Xylakant 4y ago
    Freezing does destroy the texture to a varying level, but the question here was not “frozen or fresh”, but rather “buy frozen or buy fresh and then freeze.” Your freezer will not treat those vegetables any more kind than the factory freezer.
- jpalomaki 4y ago
  Industrial freezing is better thsn doing it at home. They use flash freezing, which results in smaller ice crystals and less damage to the product. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_freezing https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_freezing

Xylakant 4y ago

The same holds true for essentially every frozen vegetable. I believe the reason is that there’s less work and less wastage in the frozen product. It’s taken straight from the field to the factory without much chance to spoil, and the frozen product it simple to handle and doesn’t spoil easily any more. Fundamentally, I’d also believe that in most cases, buying the frozen product instead of buying fresh and then freeze will give you a superior product since it’s much fresher when it is processed.

taylodl 4y ago
It’s taken straight from the field to the factory without much chance to spoil, and the frozen product it simple to handle and doesn’t spoil easily any more. Thanks! I'd never really thought about it that way. That makes a lot of sense!
swatcoder 4y ago
Those economics probably apply to some level, but the difference is more about the grade/quality of produce that can be hidden in a freezer bag of processed chunks vs what consumers expect to see in a grocers bin of fresh veggies. Ugly cheap bulk and semi-failed crops can go to processing and more carefully/successfully produced stuff goes to various grocers. In the US at least, you’ll also see differences in grade depending on the demographic of the grocery store. Community markets will sell cheaper produce that’s maybe softer, less ripe, more bruised, or just kind ugly and bougie markets will sell pretty veggies at higher price+margin. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables
- Xylakant 4y ago
  Definitely, you can hide a carrot that not looking great in frozen chunks, but that alone doesn’t mean that you’ll get worse quality. It will lead to less wastage, though. People are often obsessed with the look of food items, to the point that supermarket groceries are bred to look good, regardless of taste. Also, clearly, if you buy 0.99 dollar/kilo frozen peas you’ll likely get worse quality than 10.99 dollars/kilo fresh. But dollar against dollar, frozen vegetables will very likely be higher quality than you can buy fresh. Unless you’re buying straight from the farm - but most folks don’t.
choko 4y ago
The issue I have with some frozen veggies (peppers, onions, garlic, celery) is that the freezing process damages cell walls leading to a mushier result. They also tend to dissolve faster in longer cooking items like chili or red beans and rice. I'll use them in some dishes where it doesn't matter since it's a big time saver though.
- Xylakant 4y ago
  Freezing does destroy the texture to a varying level, but the question here was not “frozen or fresh”, but rather “buy frozen or buy fresh and then freeze.” Your freezer will not treat those vegetables any more kind than the factory freezer.
jpalomaki 4y ago
Industrial freezing is better thsn doing it at home. They use flash freezing, which results in smaller ice crystals and less damage to the product. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_freezing https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_freezing