Vegetables, Frozen, Thawing – Why Not Keep Frozen Vegetables in the Refrigerator?

Absolutely. That is probably exactly the best use for them if they are still perfectly edible (as they would be if kept frozen), but past their prime. The trick is to choose what vegetables to put together. For instance, if I had a bunch of asparagus I would make a stock specifically for cream of asparagus soup. If I had frozen onions I'd add those to that stock, but I wouldn't throw in carrots, peas or bell peppers. I could freeze that stock for as long as it takes for beautiful, fresh, in-season and inexpensive asparagus to come my way. Then I'd have the key ingredients to make fabulous soup.

Some veggies would add great flavor to chicken stock, others would be best in other applications. Can you be more specific about what vegetables you have?

Unless you freeze them yourself and don't wash them first, no, you should not need to wash commercially processed frozen vegetables. Part of the process for freezing includes cleaning/trimming preparing the vegetables. Washing is unnecessary.

Info here:

The actual process of freezing a food item varies somewhat depending on what is to be frozen. Peas are the most common frozen vegetable, having virtually replaced fresh peas in the American supermarket. The pea process is typical for many vegetables. A typical process for a frozen entrée follows.

Picking and washing

• 2 The peas may be picked by hand or automatically. Then, a machine called a viner removes them from their shells. If the processing plant is adjacent to the fields, the peas are carted there. If truck transport is necessary, they are cooled with ice water and then packed in ice for transport. At the plant, the peas are dumped into beds and sprayed with water to remove dust and dirt.