Peppers add intense spiciness to a wide variety of dishes. They are very aromatic - and should remain so even when preserved for a long time. If you have too many pepperoni left over to use in the next few days, it's best to freeze them. We present you the options, all of which are very simple.
How to preserve hot peppers?
To preserve hot peppers, you can freeze them whole, sliced or pureed. Frozen peppers retain their heat and flavor for up to a year, while alternative preservation methods such as pickling or drying may affect the taste.
How to freeze pepperoni
There are three ways to freeze pepperoni:
- as a whole
- sliced
- as puree
Freeze pepperoni whole
- Wash the peppers thoroughly.
- Dry the pods carefully. The best way to do this is to use kitchen towels to simply dab the peppers until they are completely dry.
- Put the pepperoni whole into freezer bags or containers. It is advisable to use small bags in which you can put a maximum of two pods in order to give them enough space. Remove the air from the bags using a vacuum sealer or your mouth.
- Close the containers you use airtight. How to prevent freezer burn.
- Put the packaged pepperoni in the freezer.
Freeze sliced pepperoni
With this variant, you basically proceed in the same way as method 1. However, there is a difference: Before you put the pods in a freezer box, cut them into slices with a kitchen knife.
Freeze pepperoni as puree
If you would like to later use the frozen peppers to make exotic, spicy soups or special jam, we advise you to puree the peppers before freezing. Once again, follow the basic instructions of our Method 1 when it comes to washing and drying. The next steps at a glance:
- Cut the washed and dried peppers into as small pieces as possible.
- Put the pieces in a pot and warm them up a little. This makes them soft. Be careful not to subject the peppers to too much heat so as not to destroy the good substances.
- Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat to puree the pepperoni pieces. Ideally, you should use a powerful hand blender for this.
- Let the fiery pepperoni puree cool down.
- Pour the puree into a container that is suitable for the freezer - preferably a glass one.
Note: Regardless of the variant you choose, pepperoni will keep for a good year in the freezer. During this time they lose none of their spiciness - that means they remain wonderfully aromatic and still have what it takes to spice up your dishes.
Why freezing is the ideal preservation technique
Although frozen pepperoni no longer have the crunchy consistency after thawing, the intense taste remains almost completely intact - it is still present months later. With alternative preservation techniques such as pickling or drying, the juiciness of the pulp is lost, which is also reflected in the aroma. For this reason - and because freezing is the least expensive solution - you should preserve your pepperoni frozen.
