Froza-tillos.
December 10, 2008 11:34 AM   Subscribe

Got some tomatillos that got frozen but have thawed out. Should I bother cooking them?

It got really cold the other day and we haven't turned the heater on yet, and apparently the fridge didn't compensate. So it froze a few things. One of them was a couple of pounds of tomatillos. I've adjusted the fridge temperature and now everything is hunky dory in there. If I cook the tomatillos, will they come out ok, or should I just chuck 'em in the trash? (Prepaing tomatillos consists of taking the leaf wrappers off, cooking them in hot water for 15 mins or so until soft, and then putting them in a blender.)
posted by azpenguin to Food & Drink (7 answers total)
 
Dont see any reason why they wouldnt be fine - just cook them very soon. The freezing/thaw would have burst the cell walls, so they will go bad quickly.
posted by elendil71 at 11:37 AM on December 10, 2008


While the consistency might not be perfect now, I see no reason you couldn't use them in something like salsa.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:40 AM on December 10, 2008


They're not really good for anything but cooking once they've frozen. Make a cooked salsa and/or verde sauce (which should then freeze okay) out of them.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:44 AM on December 10, 2008


The texture will be funky, but they'll break down when cooking so you won't be able to tell.

Best tomatillo salsa ever:

Put whole tomatillos and a whole jalapeno (or two) in a baking dish. In a separate baking dish, place some sliced onions. Put baking dishes under the broiler. Remove onions when they turn brown. (They'll cook faster than the others.) When they're brown on one side, turn the tomatillos and jalapeno(s) so that they can brown on other side. When nicely charred, remove.

Throw tomatillos, jalapeno, and onions in a blender or food processor. Whirrrrrrrrrrr.

Will keep for a week or so in the fridge. Is really yummy.
posted by mudpuppie at 11:49 AM on December 10, 2008 [10 favorites]


I agree. They will be just fine for your stated recipe, as long as you cook 'em quick.
posted by vorfeed at 12:06 PM on December 10, 2008


I freeze tomatillo salsa all the time, so you should be fine.
posted by TedW at 1:35 PM on December 10, 2008


Yep, they'll be fine as long as you're cooking them. (As far as texture and taste go.) They'd be mealy without cooking, but once cooked...you're golden.
posted by dejah420 at 5:02 PM on December 10, 2008


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