Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bart1_gw

Preserving Roasted Red Peppers - Methods?

bart1
11 years ago

I really enjoy roasted red peppers and I'd like to find some way to preserve them through the winter and spring. I'm talking about they types you get in little glass jars in delis and markets. These are the kind you make by roasting on a grill until the skin is black and then you seal them in a container to let them "steam", and then peel the charred skin off.

Anyhow, I know they'll keep for a few weeks in the 'fridge in olive oil, but I'd like to find a way to keep them much longer.

I've seen some canning recipies, but most use vinegar in the jars and I'm worried that will change the roasted flavor to a pickled flavor.

I have a recipe that came with my canner that has them packed in water, but that's the only place I've seen only water used, so I'm wondering if that's not a good way to go.

I've also read that you can freeze them, but I'm worried that they will lose their texture when they are thawed.

What's the best way to preserve roasted red peppers for 6 or 12 months, and have them taste like they just came off the grill?

Does the vinegar method change the taste too much?

Does the water-only method really work?

How do the frozen ones hold up after thawing?

Thanks!

Bart

Comments (7)

  • tangrene
    11 years ago

    I freeze mine after roasting and peeling.

    I put them on a cookie sheet single layer till they are solid, then I put them inside vacuum sealed bags that way I can take out 1 or more peppers as needed.

    OR I will pack them into pint sized or smaller freezer containers. The texture is very similar to the jars of roasted peppers in my opinion.

    I like to roast them with some cumin seeds although a little messy when it comes to peeling. YUM!

    I don't particularly like to just eat them as is after thawing...I do however smash or chop them frozen or barely thawed to add to sauces or quickly saute them in some olive oil to make a tampenade for crostini.

  • noinwi
    11 years ago

    I roast, peel and freeze also. Roasting or grilling really brings out the sweetness. I freeze strips on a sheet and then into a freezer bag. Easy to take out what you need for a dish. They pretty much disintegrate if they're cooked for very long, so adding them last to your recipe helps to keep them from doing so. Still a nice way to get that flavor into a dish. I like to use them for pizza toppings, chicken salad, cream sauces, scrambled eggs,etc.

  • dgkritch
    11 years ago

    I also roast, peel and freeze.

    However, they may be canned in water. You must pressure can as they are low acid. Link below for instructions.
    They are going to be very soft though.

    They may be pickled (vinegar recipes), but that will significantly change the flavor. Really good on sandwiches, in salads, etc. Pickled peppers may be canned in BWB.

    There are recipes for Roasted Red Pepper Spread as well, but that one adds a lot of sugar and turns it into a jam as far as I'm concerned. Very, very good, but not what I want for certain recipes.

    Just depends on what you intend to do with them later.

    Deanna

    Here is a link that might be useful: Canning peppers

  • JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
    11 years ago

    I freeze them, but I also pickle a few jars using the recipe in Small Batch Preserving. That recipe is floating around in the archives of this forum although it uses water, wine, and vinegar while the original recipe uses just wine and vinegar. The pickled red pepper strips are tasty in sandwiches. I just finished last year's batch.

  • cannond
    11 years ago

    Dave, Ball Complete has a Roasted Red Pepper Spread that only uses 1 tablespoon of sugar for 6 pounds red peppers and a pound of tomatoes. I made it the other night and it's pretty good.

    I can't taste the tomato, but the basil and onion round out the flavor. It isn't sweet.

    Deborah

  • bart1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for all the input folks! Freezing it is!!

  • JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
    11 years ago

    I also make pasta sauce with tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and olive oil, but I freeze it.