The Vegetable Bobby Flay Prefers Frozen Over Fresh

Chef, author, and Food Network personality Bobby Flay has plenty of hot takes. He despises fancy burger upgrades, adds oregano to his not-so-classic guacamole, and even eschews ice when mixing together a margarita. But when it comes to a certain spring vegetable, his stance is one that's more universally acknowledged. "A lot of chefs will tell you that frozen green peas sort of trump fresh peas," he shares in a collaboration with Misfits Market on Instagram. Green peas have a fairly short growing season, especially in certain parts of the country, so it's a challenge for home cooks and celebrity chefs alike to capture them at peak freshness. "Fresh peas are wonderful, but they get starchy very, very quickly," Flay says. "So if they're not utilized almost immediately, the starch kind of grows." And even if you've picked the perfect peas, shelling them might take more time than you care to spend.

That's why Flay opts for frozen peas over fresh ones any day. "Frozen peas are frozen at their very, very peak sweetness," he explains, so you don't have to stress about their starch, shells, or standard of quality. "Green peas are one of those things where I have to say, 90% of the time, I like frozen peas better than fresh peas," he concludes.

For the chilled green pea soup he made in the Instagram collaboration, Bobby Flay calls for frozen green peas that have been completely thawed. Some cooks will tell you this step is unnecessary, and sometimes it is. But when you're making something like soup, which is sensitive to adding too much liquid, it's better to thaw and drain those peas so you don't introduce too much water.

The ideal way to thaw peas is at a constant temperature in the refrigerator. If you plan ahead, you can thaw your peas overnight, but for a small bag of frozen peas a few hours will do the trick. For a quicker thaw, you can also place your frozen peas in a colander and run them under cold water for several minutes. You can also bring your peas up to room temperature in the microwave, but be sure to stop well shy of cooking them.

Now that you've got some delicious, fully thawed peas in hand, you're set to make a delicious spring pasta dish, a lemony risotto, a vegetable-laden frittata, a pea and prosciutto salad, or anything your heart desires (and at any time of year).