Grape leaves are an integral part of dolma. And although this oriental dish in many respects resembles stuffed cabbage traditional for Slavic cuisine, white cabbage cannot be replaced. In order to enjoy the spicy taste of the dish all year round, you should prepare the future “wrapper” for the rice-meat filling in advance for the winter. Is it possible to freeze it, and how to do it correctly, find out further from the article.

Important! Use the freezer correctly: the upper compartments are designed to freeze products, and the lower ones for storage. Move the contents of the crates in a timely manner to prevent contact between freeze-dried and fresh packaging.

Is it possible to freeze grape leaves for dolma?

In oriental cuisine, grape foliage has long been popular, due to its specific pleasant taste and useful properties. It has been proven that the consumption of such an ingredient eases pain during varicose veins, relieves swelling, stimulates blood circulation, and enriches the body with valuable vitamins and minerals. It is important that during long-term storage, the workpiece retains the maximum amount of nutrients in the composition, therefore, many housewives prefer freezing of the existing methods.

For these purposes, it is better to choose young specimens of medium size with small veins. It is better to choose the 5-7th leaf from the top of the vine. It is easy to work with such a wrapper, which cannot be said about too small or large. Tearing leaves is necessary in the period from late spring to mid-June, when they reach a peak of growth. Healthy, well-developed specimens of the correct form without damage and signs of disease are preferred.

Foliage is considered unsuitable for cooking:

• from wild (girlish and ornamental) grapes;
• affected by sunburn, mold, fungi and pests;
• with a suspicious yellowish, whitish or cream color;
• old (dangerous due to components harmful to human health);
• growing on a vine near busy roads and industrial production.

Did you know? Dolma became the cause of an international dispute: the Azerbaijan National Culinary Center accused Armenia of “appropriating” the dish, and recently the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee recognized the traditions of its preparation in Azerbaijan as one of the elements of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind .

How to prepare a freezer for freezing?

This process seems elementary: I washed the freezer, turned on the refrigerator and that's it. But soon, when frozen foods acquire an unusual smell, they lose their taste, and their packaging crumbles from the cold, mistakes made at the preparatory stage become apparent.

The rules will help to avoid such consequences:

1. Before laying products, the freezer is thawed in manual or automatic mode. With manual thawing, a layer of frost up to 3 cm thick should be removed using a special scraper. If an ice crust up to 6 cm thick has formed on the surface, a complete defrost is required with the unit disconnected from the power supply. Freezers with automatic defrosting do not require a defrosting procedure, but they must be washed every six months.
2. The freezer is washed after disconnecting it from the power supply and completely emptying it. The remaining moisture is collected with a sponge and wiped with a sponge moistened in a solution of baking soda (1 tbsp. Powder in 1.2 l of warm water). Then re-wash all the compartments of the chamber with clean water and wipe dry with a kitchen towel.
3. If an unpleasant odor appears during the storage of products in the freezer, it is eliminated at the time of defrosting by wiping the walls with vinegar (prepared in the ratio of 1 cup of table vinegar to 4.5 liters of cold water). Alternatively, you can use purchased antibacterial aroma absorbers. Today jelly products based on charcoal and bamboo powder are popular. To start their action, you need to remove the lid from the plastic container, remove the foil and close the container. When its volume decreases, the absorber must be changed.
4. In a freezer connected to the network, it is important to initially select the correct freezing mode. Pay attention to the options "Freeze" and "Storage". The first involves freezing a large volume of fresh produce and manually set at least 24 hours before loading the camera. After the specified time, fill the freezer with packages of stickers and set the second mode, which ensures high-quality preservation of the contents, provided that its weight does not exceed 4 kg.
5. When adjusting the temperature inside the chamber, keep in mind that the intensity of freezing increases in the reverse order. That is, the value “1” is the maximum, and “7” is the minimum. The choice of temperature depends on the location of the refrigerator, the characteristics of the room, the total weight of the stored products and how often the freezer door opens.

Important! Do not stuff the freezer tightly. There should be space between the contents for air circulation .

The process of freezing grape leaves

Before freezing, it is advisable to prepare the right packaging. Remember that thin polyethylene and cling film undergo crumbling under prolonged conditions of low temperatures. In this regard, dense packages are preferred.

Leaf preparation

To properly freeze grape leaves, you need:

• completely trim the ponytails;
• thoroughly rinse the workpiece on both sides;
• to dry.

Packaging

Dry foliage is stacked on top of each other 10 pieces and rolled into a roll. In this form, it is packed in bags and sent to the freezer. It is important that there is as little air as possible inside the package. This will protect the product from foreign odors, allow it to cool faster and better preserve. It’s not worth folding all the collected leaves into a tube, since in the future you will encounter the problem of a mismatch between the required and thawed number of “wrappers” for the planned dolma. In addition, repeated freezing is not recommended.

Did you know? Dolma was a dish from the Ottoman court.

How long can frozen leaves be stored?

Given the juiciness of grape foliage, with prolonged freezing, it can lose taste. In this regard, it is advised not to store such products for more than 8 months. For ease of control, attach a sticker with the date of loading to the package.

Defrost Features

If you want to cook dolma, carefully remove the leaves from the freezer. Try not to press it, as the product is fragile and crumbles upon the slightest impact. To prevent the frozen “wrapper” from breaking up into small pieces, without unwinding, pour boiling water over the leafy roll and allow it to absorb the necessary moisture for several minutes. Then the product can be used for its intended purpose.

You will be interested to learn about other ways to harvest dolma leaves.

Dolma can be prepared at any time of the year thanks to properly prepared raw materials for future use. Following our recommendations, you can easily provide yourself and your loved ones with this opportunity.