It’s worth carving out more room in your freezer.
Published September 16, 2024
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I have a dish that I make that rises to the top of recipe requests from friends. My friends are all pretty relieved when they see the recipe and learn that they typically have all the ingredients in their pantry and freezer already. It’s that kind of recipe.
The star of the show? Frozen peas. I always keep them stocked in the freezer, loading up on organic frozen sweet peas at Trader Joe’s on my weekly run. And before I move on, my “famous” recipe (according to my friends) is a spin-off of pea pesto.
I’m not alone—frozen peas are a convenient staple in many kitchens. Their origins date back to the 1920s, when Clarence Birdseye, inspired by Inuit methods of flash-freezing fish, developed the technology to quickly freeze vegetables and retain their flavor and nutrients. Peas were one of the first vegetables to be commercially frozen, revolutionizing the food industry and making nutritious, out-of-season produce available year-round. Frozen peas continue to be valued for their sweet taste, vibrant color, and versatility in various dishes.
It got me thinking about the power of frozen veggies, and I wanted to chat with chefs to see which frozen vegetable they believe is better frozen than fresh. The answer was not surprising to me.
The Experts
- Anthea: Chef, recipe developer, and cookbook author behind Rainbow Nourishments
- Grace Bianco: Chef and recipe developer behind Tastefully Grace
- Michelle Williams: Chef and recipe developer behind Coffee and Champagne
- Dan Pelosi: Known as @grossypelosi, author of the cookbook Let’s Eat: 101 Recipes to Fill Your Heart & Home
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The Vegetable That’s Better Frozen Than Fresh, According to the Experts
“The effort-to-reward ratio isn’t in our favor with fresh peas,” says Anthea. She leaves those pesky pods behind and goes for frozen peas. “They aren’t only easier and more convenient, but fresh peas can have an unpleasant texture.”
“Fresh peas can lose their natural sweetness and become starchy if not eaten quickly,” agrees Bianco. “Frozen peas maintain a sweeter flavor and a better texture, thanks to being flash-frozen at their peak ripeness. Since they come pre-shelled and ready to use, they also save me time in the kitchen. Plus, they’re available all year, whereas fresh peas are more seasonal and not always easy to find in top condition.”
“Any time I’ve gotten peas fresh, I’ve felt the need to cook them immediately. It’s like a race against the aging process,” says Williams. “Wait too long and the next time you look at them they will have softened and dimpled. Frozen peas, however, wait perfectly preserved until you are ready to incorporate them into a dish at your leisure. Love!”
Dan Pelosi, aka Grossy Pelosi, always keeps frozen peas in his freezer to add at the last minute “to pretty much anything I am making,” he says: the last two minutes of a pot of boiling pasta; rice that has just finished cooking; takeout butter chicken, a dish he declares “my comfort food” once the frozen peas are tossed in. “They defrost so fast that you barely have to cook them at all.” There’s only one dish, ironically, where frozen peas won’t do for Dan, and on this we disagree. “I honestly don’t think I use fresh peas at all,” he says, “except maybe to make a pea pesto!”
