Storing Roasted Peppers
What is the best way to
store roasted red peppers and how long will
they last?
We roasted a number of red bell peppers under the broiler
until
charred, cooled them in a covered bowl and seeded them. We
then took
the large strips of roasted pepper and stored one
batch in olive oil,
a second batch in balsamic vinegar and a
third batch in a mixture of
two parts water to one part white
wine vinegar (this is similar to
the packing liquid used in many
commercial bottles of roasted
peppers).
All three
batches of refrigerated peppers remained free of mold for
several weeks, but the flavors were markedly different. The
peppers
store in olive oil retained their pure roasted pepper
flavor, with
the oil contributing little more than a silky
texture, which could be
rinsed off if desired. The peppers store
in balsamic vinegar had a
strong vinegar flavor that could be
partially lessened by rinsing the
peppers. Because the flavor of
balsamic vinegar complements roasted
peppers nicely, this added
flavor wasn't too bad but it would pose a
problem in some
recipes. The batch of peppers packed in white wine
vinegar
solution were way too acidic and lacked any real pepper
flavor.
We also tried freezing roasted peppers in a tightly covered
container. This worked surprisingly well. When thawed, the
peppers
tasted virtually the same as freshly roasted ones, with
perhaps a
slight loss of texture.
Our recommendation for
storing peppers is simple. If you are roasting
many and want to
store them indefinitely, try freezing them. Layer
the peppers
between sheets of wax paper in a plastic container for
easy
removal. and thaw as many as needed. Stored this way, roasted
peppers should last for several months. If you have a small
amount of
leftover peppers that you plan to use within a week or
two, place
them in a small container, cover them with olive oil,
and refrigerate
them.
Cook's Illustrated May-June 1995
