Stop What You’re Doing and Freeze Your Cranberries
I was the person who bought two bags of cranberries five days early, only to find that 50% of them were a horrible, slimy mess when it came time to cook. Unfortunately, I was also the person who waited until the day before Thanksgiving to find that the cranberry shelf had completely slammed shut. Neither looks good: avoid this fate, stock up on a few bags now and freeze them. (Before everyone else does.)
No matter how you feel about the cranberry sauce debate, whole fresh cranberries are a cold weather gem. Use them in cookies, cakes, pies or cool drinks with them . Once you’ve bought a (hopefully) first-class, firm, unspoiled cranberry, you need to test it out. It is important to do this now, and not just toss the whole bag into the freezer. Once they’re frozen, you can’t easily tell if they’ve gone bad or not. I usually open one packet at a time and roll them out on a baking sheet. Squeeze them gently and roll them around to find the ones that are broken, badly wrinkled, or look like water balloons. These berries are already running out, if not completely rotted. A good cranberry is firm with a dense, shiny skin. They can range in color from light pink to almost black, so don’t rely too much on the color. Put the keepers in a bowl and move on to the next bag.
After you have sorted the berries, put them on a clean plate, and put the entire plate in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Although this step is an extra precaution, it allows the berries to separate from each other. Then take semi-frozen berries and pour them into a container or freezer bag. Keep them in the freezer until you need them.
When you’re ready to use them, measure out the frozen berries right in your recipe. They do not need to be thawed, they can be used directly from the frozen state. Pour them into a saucepan to make a sauce, or toss a few drops into your champagne to keep it cool and festive.