Because we love frozen vegetables so much…and we’re more than a little obsessed, you might say, we’ve taken a look back at were frozen food started, and how they’ve been getting better and better over the years. From exciting new flavors and medleys to options for all kinds of diets, today’s frozen products are not your grandmother’s frozen vegetables!
What Makes Frozen Foods Great?
We’re always big cheerleaders of frozen foods, but you may not know the reasons why. Of course, there are a lot of things to love about frozen food, but some things just stand out. For us, those are factors like availability, variety, convenience, nutrition, and sustainability.
Availability
Frozen food was introduced to the public in 1930. Since then, stores have been filling their freezer aisles with more products than ever. From local markets to big chains, you can easily find your favorite frozen fruits, veggies, and more. And thanks to social media and store locators, brands can show you exactly where to find them near you.
Variety
Not only is it so much easier to find your favorite frozen foods, but it’s also easy to find the kind you want! Your local freezer aisle has products that range from pre-made frozen meals to ingredients for your smoothies. Many brands can even cater to your specific diet needs, whether it’s vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, or Whole30.
You can also find frozen replacements for other foods, like veggie nuggets, noodles, and fries. These can help you change up the way you enjoy nutritious food. The possibilities for new recipes are endless with all the options you can pick up at the grocery store. Who knows, you may even be able to sneak some vegetables on your kids’ plates or turn your friends into veggie super fans.
There are also a variety of ways that you can prepare frozen foods. Grilling, sauteeing, and roasting are all simple and effective ways of getting a meal together, no matter how busy your day.
Convenience
Another great part of frozen foods is their convenience. This is more than just the ease of picking them up in a wide variety of stores or finding flavors that everyone will love, it’s also the ease of preparing them! Frozen foods, like ours, can be taken out of the freezer, cooked, and put on your table in 10 minutes or less. Most of them are also pre-washed, pre-cut, and pre-seasoned, saving you even more time in the kitchen.
Nutrition
Today’s frozen foods are also available in much more nutritionally sound choices. The process of freezing actually locks in vitamins and minerals at their peak. And because they’re locked in, your frozen foods won’t lose these nutritional elements while in transit to the store or being stored in your freezer.
Plus, a variety of frozen food brands are becoming more transparent with the way they label their foods. These new labels have come from a greater understanding of nutrition, and the value in being clear with consumers about what they’re eating. This helps us feel good about the frozen food we’re buying, especially when we can clearly see that it’s vegan, low-sodium or grown without GMOs.
Sustainability
Lastly, frozen food is a sustainable way of buying and preparing food. With its long shelf-life, which can be up to 2 years, frozen food doesn’t get thrown out like the rest. And even if you can’t use all of your products in one meal, you can easily portion it out and keep the rest in your freezer for later. This reduces the amount of food that’s wasted and sent to landfills each year. Frozen veggies even go a step further by only preparing and freezing the parts of the vegetables that you actually eat.
In addition, freezing food is actually the most natural way to preserve foods! That’s because when food is frozen, there’s no need for preservatives or chemical additives. This keeps the land where food is grown healthy, which is just another reason that buying frozen is sustainable (not even grandma knew that!).
Want More on All Things Frozen?
Whether you’re new to the frozen food aisle or have been including the products in your meals for years, frozen foods are always changing and getting better. We love seeing commitments to sustainability, greater access to nutritious food, and the convenience of more home cooked meals.
If you want to know more about frozen food, and why we believe in it, check out our Why Frozen page. You can also take a look at our super tips All About Frozen Vegetables for more blog posts on the awesomeness of frozen.
How do you use frozen food? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
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