Vegetable Broth is made from kitchen scraps. It is very easy to make, although many people don’t know how to make it or bother to make it. Why bother when you could get a can from the store. Home-made cooking is great as the flavor or taste can be tailored to one’s desire. The home-made vegetable broth tastes better than the store-bought one, trust me.
Vegetable broth can go in a lot of recipes, so it is a great idea to have some on hand. The store-bought vegetable broth would be in cans or cartons and would last for about 4-5 months if left unopened. However, most of these store-bought vegetable broth brands would state clearly on the cans that you consume the contents within 4-5 days of opening the container.
The homemade vegetable broth might taste better but it doesn’t last any longer than its store-bought counterpart. The homemade vegetable broth would last for about 5-7 days when refrigerated but with time it goes bad.
Making the homemade vegetable broth is a very great idea as the broth could be tailored to your recipes. But you could have a great deal of leftover. Even though you have made the broth from kitchen scraps, it isn’t right to just throw it away. So you turn to the different methods of food storage that you know.
Can you freeze vegetable broth? Yes, you can. Although, when you freeze it is advisable you consume it within 2 months of freezing as it would still be at its best quality within this period. Your vegetable broth should be slightly cooled before you freeze. But you should not let it cool for more than an hour or two before you decide to freeze so that you can preserve its freshness and flavor.
Vegetable broth that has been thawed in the fridge should be consumed within 3 to 4 days of freezing. Vegetable broth doesn’t take too well to repeated freezing and thawing. So, after thawing, do not refreeze. Bacteria grow very fast at 40°F – 140°F temperature so you should immediately get to eating frozen vegetable broth that has been thawed.
How to Freeze Vegetable Broth
Measurement is very important in recipes. As constant freezing and thawing don’t sit too well with vegetable broth, the manner of freezing is very important to lasting storage. The best way to freeze vegetable broth to make it easier to be measured in its frozen state is by using ice cube trays. Each cubicle in an ice cube tray is about two teaspoons, and with that knowledge, the measurement would not be a problem.
Step 1: Cooling
The Vegetable broth should be allowed to cool before you decide how you want to freeze it. Allow your broth to cool for no longer than an hour so you can keep in the flavor and aroma.
Step 2: Storage
You would need ice cube trays and freezer bags for this part. After allowing your broth to cool, you have to pour it into the ice cube trays. Take care to leave some headspace as liquid expands when frozen. Leave the ice cube trays with the broth in the freezer for a few hours so it can freeze.
When that’s done, get your ice cube vegetable broth and put them into freezer bags for proper storage. This doesn’t only help you with measurement, it also helps you to save space in your freezer. Glass jars or freezer containers can take up more space than you intend, in your freezer.
You can double the freezer bags if you feel they are not durable enough. Also, ensure to place the ice cube vegetable broth where it wouldn’t be easily squashed by heavier food items. Always remember to label your freezer bags with the date of storage and the contents so that you don’t lose track of how long it has been in storage.
How to Thaw Frozen Vegetable Broth
Thawing is an easy affair. Ice cube vegetable broth can be used without thawing if you are adding the broth to a recipe. You can just pick out the measurement of broth you would need and put it into your crockpot.
If you need to thaw, you can remove the bags and leave them in the fridge to thaw overnight. However, if you are in a big rush, you could just microwave it. If you don’t have a microwave or do not want to go through the trouble, you can thaw the broth in a pot on the stove.
Does Vegetable Broth Go Bad?
Canned goods tend to last longer than cartons. Store-bought vegetable broth contains preservatives and the duration of storage of each brand would differ from one another. In any case, Vegetable Broth can go bad. If you are not sure what a bad vegetable broth would look like, let’s tell you.
If it is an unopened container; check the best before date first. A best before date doesn’t mean a literal expiration date as most goods can still be consumed after that date. It just means that the product can and will last past that date. A bulging or leaky can may indicate bad contents. It’s good to be on the safer side and just dispose of such cans.
Homemade vegetable broth does not have a can to give you tell-tale signs. So, the bad vegetable broth would have mold on it or an odd appearance. It could be giving off a less pleasant odor too. If everything still seems okay to you, a taste would tell you for sure if the vegetable broth is good to eat or not. It is good to be sure if your vegetable broth is safe to eat rather than cooking a soup that would taste wrong or ruin a recipe.