N. Thornton wrote:

isnt it a risk to freeze things without boiling them first?


No. Virtually nothing in my freezer was boiled before freezing.

Boiling, or more likely par-boiling, may be used for certain products to
help preserve color or texture, but it won't help for tomatoes. It
would, however, be appropriate for vegetables like green beans, peas,
corn, etc. Generally if you can buy a vegetable frozen, par-boiling
before freezing would probably be appropriate.

If you intended to peal the tomatoes before freezing, par-boiling would
allow you to remove the skin without removing the meat, but it's not
necessary.

As for the safety aspect, even for the vegetables that you would
par-boil, it has nothing to do with safety. A brief bath in boiling
water isn't going to do anything that a brief bath in cold water
wouldn't also accomplish safety-wise.

--
Warren H.

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