Best easy strawberry recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to do with fresh strawberries before they go bad? ›

Rinse with vinegar solution: Soak strawberries in a vinegar solution (one-part white vinegar and three parts water) for a few minutes. Then drain them, pat them dry, and place them on a clean paper towel in a glass container. Loosely place the lid on and store in the refrigerator.

Add a little sugar and salt! Wash your strawberries, cut them, and hit them with a pinch of salt and a couple good three-finger pinches of granulated sugar, give them a little tossy-toss, and watch them magically start to darken and get extra juicy.

Strawberries will stay their freshest when dry and cold, and any added moisture will soften the strawberries and encourage mold growth. So instead of washing all of your berries right when you get home from the store, wash them as you plan to eat or prepare them.

Where is the best place to store strawberries? Unless you plan to use the strawberries right away, it's best to store them in your refrigerator to preserve freshness. Unrefrigerated, berries will last only a few days; stored in the fridge, they could last up to a week.

Beyond that, studies have shown that while washing produce in a baking soda solution can reduce pesticide residues by 66.7–98.9%, washing in tap water alone can reduce by 26.7–62.9%.

Soaking strawberries in salt water will help dislodge any hidden dirt or bugs. (Gross, we know.) That said, it's normal for there to be some earthy residue on the berries, but if you're particularly concerned about bugs, give them a soak in salt water.

Add 1 tsp. of baking soda to 4 cups of water, and soak your strawberries in a large bowl for five minutes. Then, rinse your strawberries with cold running water and pat them dry. Baking soda helps remove dirt, traces of pesticides, and more from fresh fruits and vegetables.

Soaking strawberries in sugar releases their natural juices, but adding bourbon, dark brown sugar, and vanilla makes for a decidedly more grown-up treat than standard macerated strawberries and shortcakes.

In addition to mint, you may also consider complementary herbs such as lavender, tarragon, rosemary, angelica, fennel and lemon grass.

You can technically do either, but it's a good idea to slice or at least halve the strawberries before you freeze them so they are easier to work with when you eventually use them. And no matter what you do, be sure to remove the green stems before freezing.

Can I freeze strawberries in Ziploc bags? ›

Methods of Freezing Strawberries

For whole berries: Freeze the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet to keep them from getting stuck together. Once they're solid, transfer the berries to a container, such as FreezerWare™, or a zip freezer bag such as Glad® Freezer Zipper Gallon Bags.

Strawberries frozen without sugar will keep, but may lose some of their flavor, texture, and color. However, unsweetened packs are desirable for sugar-free diets and for making jams later. Here're some suggestions that have worked for us.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Place the strawberries, cut side down, on the sheet, leaving space between each berry. Transfer the sheet, uncovered, to the freezer. Freeze until hard, about six hours.

Tightly seal the container and place it in the refrigerator.

Dry, airtight strawberries should last in the refrigerator for seven days or longer. For the freshest flavor, however, you'll want to eat them sooner than that.

You can technically do either, but it's a good idea to slice or at least halve the strawberries before you freeze them so they are easier to work with when you eventually use them. And no matter what you do, be sure to remove the green stems before freezing.