Frozen Peas and Carrots Recipe • Longbourn Farm (2024)

FAQs

Should frozen peas be thawed before cooking? ›

Frozen peas – Cook from FROZEN, not thawed! Well, it's fine if they are thawed but there is no need to. Baby vs regular – The recipe works for either. Baby peas (called petite peas in some countries) are slightly sweeter with a slightly softer skin.

Don't overcook otherwise peas will shrivel and become tough. Season after cooking - once cooked, immediately add lemon juice (highly recommended) and seasoning(s) of choice. Many recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of sugar per pound of frozen peas to bring out the sweetness but I haven't found this to be necessary.

Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed and, indeed, the food may have reached optimal temperatures for bacteria to grow. After thawing in the microwave, always cook immediately after, whether microwave cooking, by conventional oven, or grilling.

Thaw in the Microwave

To do so, Bruning recommends using the defrost or low-power setting to avoid cooking the food in hot spots while the rest remains frozen. "Stop the microwave and stir the vegetable around every 30 to 60 seconds so that it thaws evenly without cooking the food," Bruning says.

To cook frozen peas on the stove, bring 3-4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Carefully pour the peas from the bag into the boiling water. Stir them gently and let the peas boil, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes. After they're cooked, drain the water from the peas, then season the peas to taste.

Boiling frozen peas

So when you bust open a bag of frozen peas and boil them in water, you're actually overcooking them. If you leave them in there long enough, you might even notice that they become quite starchy, or even break down.

Frozen peas are flash-steamed before they're frozen, so they're already ready to eat—you just want to warm them very quickly so they maintain their slight bounce and bright color. Despite what their packages say, if you cook frozen peas for longer than a minute, they lose their sweetness and that delicious pea "pop."

Frozen peas are usually preserved at an early stage, so that they taste good for a longer period of time, whereas fresh peas become mushy and turn starchy within a few days.

The bitterness can be caused by a variety of things, among them, irregular watering. Be sure to keep your peas well watered, and provide a mulch to keep the soil evenly moist. Another major cause of bitterness in peas is temperature. Plants like peas, spinach, and lettuce like cool weather where they grow slowly.

How do you cook frozen veggies so they are not mushy? ›

Additionally, defrosting frozen vegetables can cause them to lose the flavor and nutrients that are sealed in from their freezing process, especially if you defrost them a day or two prior to cooking. The bottom line: DON'T defrost frozen vegetables before you prepare them and add them to your meals.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 lbs frozen peas, 10 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and the minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the butter is all melted and the peas are cooked (about 5-8 minutes). Serve. Portion into individual servings, then season with salt and black pepper.

Skip the Thawing!

If a recipe calls for thawing frozen vegetables like peas or corn before cooking them further, I just skip that step completely. These tiny vegetables cook so quickly that any simmering soup or stew will heat them through in just a few minutes.

Don't Eat the Frozen Peas (unless they were cooked first!)

So, when you see salad bars that have the fresh green peas that were frozen, now they must be cooked and cooled before putting directly on the salad bar. They cannot be put on the salad bar without cooking.

When you freeze fruits and vegetables you actually are freezing the water in the plant cells. When the water freezes, it expands and the ice crystals cause the cell walls to rupture. So the texture of thawed produce is much softer than when it was raw.