Which is Better? Fresh or Frozen Strawberries (other berries)

[In the Kitchen]

Which would you buy? Strawberries fresh in the store, or frozen ones? I have been buying fresh for long time. Always white on the inside. I tried frozen package and the flavor and color were both better. Was just like someone hit me on the head and said 'wake up stupid'. I am not going to bother w/fresh any longer. In fact, the blueberries tasted fresh and sweeter. Anyone agree? Times I feel like I am in a rut when I go shopping at the store. Always wonder how much the bill will be? Got to pay it no matter how high it is.

 

[kitchenelf]

I buy fresh strawberries only when they smell ripe in the container. A white strawberry is totally unripe unless I just don't know about white strawberries.

Frozen fruit certainly has its place. Sam's Club sells frozen mixed fruit that is absolutely wonderful.

 

[Chef_Jen]

ya i grow a lot of berries etc. i REFUSE to buy fresh strawberries in grocery stores out of season they taste like water!

I dont cook a lot with berries out of season but ive used frozen ones for Smoothies etc. they have their place for sure!

 

[bullseye]

I always go for frozen berries unless I can get ripe, local produce. I feel, based on taste and research, that the preserved produce are fresher when they are processed than the "fresh" offering that is picked green and artificially ripened. It's the same with tomatoes. Out of season, canned tomatoes have a much better flavor than the nice, red, tasteless ones in the produce aisle. I find my nose to be a good indicator; if it doesn't smell like what it is, leave it there.

 

[VeraBlue]

It depends on the season and where you are buying from. Please don't turn your back on fresh berries, especially when they are in season!
Berries that you get frozen were picked at their peak of flavour and then flash frozen. (The same is true of frozen vegetables, too!) It's hard to compare with the best of the crop and handled gently for future use. In fact, I bought frozen strawberries today for a grilled sandwich of chocolate bread, mascarpone cheese and strawberry slices. Normally, I only make this dish in the summer when berries are in season, and locally grown for quick sales. But, I had a desire to give summer one last hurrah before I have to turn the heat on....so I bought frozen berries.
I'd never buy frozen berries in July or August. If you can get the berries from a good produce dealer (and not all supermarkets are good producer dealers), then you really should go with fresh, especially if you need firm slices. Frozen looses some shape once it defrosts.

So, my point is, frozen is usually a good buy, but when something is in season, I'll always buy fresh.

 

[TATTRAT]

When something is readily available I try to buy fresh. Frozen does have its place in the kitchen though.

 

[middie]

Lately we've been going with frozen because the quality of the fresh berries have been terrible this year.

 

[Andy M.]

Learn when different berries are in season and how to tell when they are ripe and at their peak. Buy them only then.

Frozen berries can be an excellent alternative, especially in the off seasons for fresh berries. Depending on the recipe, no one will be able to tell the difference.

 

[college_cook]

Yeah fresh berries have been pretty terrible this year, well strawberries anyways. I could not not buy a box of berries without them growing mold within a day, not to mention that they just didn't have a good flavor this year. I ended up buying fresh strawberries, slicing them, and freezing them in a very light syrup. They turned out a bit on the sweet side, but better than they would have been otherwise. I think next year I'm going to try to get out to the local farmer's market on saturday mornings.

 

[urmaniac13]

Fresh berries in season are real treats, and we try to take the advantage to the max while they are available.
However out of the season they cost so much and, as the others mentioned, they are not the same at all and taste so bland. So if I feel like doing some berry treats during, say, winter, I will go for the frozen ones. The quality is usually okay, though they are no match for the freshly ripe ones straight from the forest...

 

[Gretchen]

I never buy frozen fruit. If I can't get what I want and the quality I want fresh, I just don't use it. I will say that I have found that if a melon or strawberries or fruit is just a tad "under taste", a sprinkle of nutrasweet really enhances the flavor (if you aren't sensitive to NS). It isn't really sweetening it--it is more of an enhancer. And I don't ever sweeten fruit with sugar either--got to taste the fruit!!

 

[lulu]

Berries need to be eaten in season, and like most fresh produce they taste best the fresher they are. Local sources rather than big chain supermarkets buying bulk at cheap cost, will have better tasting berries in general. This stuff is alive, and every moment its off the plant is heading towards its end!

That said, I freeze a lot of berries. Strawbarries are the ONE berry I don't freeze. Its when the thoroughly English side of me comes out. Strawberries get the texture of slugs if they are frozen, and so you HAVE to choose to process them in someway. The very best way to eat strawberries is fresh and raw....I make strawberry jam but its my least favourite. So whilst we live off other frozen berries happily through the off season, strawberries are pretty much a summer delight for us.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Texture

I microwaved the berrie just to the point of getting mushy. These were whole and when I cut them they were not mushy. I believe that if the berries are sliced that is when they get that way. The berries I get in the store look like a picture and taste like one too. They come from California. The leaves remind me of felt like and ink blotter. I know there is local farm here that sells them and it is worth it to buy when in season. However, not making the effort to go there which takes time is my fault. So I will continue to buy the frozen until I can buy fresh at the farm.