How to dry porcini mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms are a popular type that has good taste and is easy to heat treatment. Many different dishes are made on its basis. Also, the product is used as an addition to the side dish. To properly dry porcini mushrooms, you should prepare them and follow the cooking technology.
How to dry porcini mushroom
Preparation for drying
For dried porcini mushrooms to be of high quality, it is important to remember the following points:
- Cut off only those mushrooms that have no visible damage.
- Do not cook with worm or rotten food.
- After cutting, the boletus is carefully examined, then dust, sand, remnants of moss and needles are cleaned from the surface of the leg. Advice. It is better to collect medium-sized fruit bodies: large ones often contain toxic substances.
- Before drying, porcini mushrooms are wiped with a damp cloth or rag. Attention! It is forbidden to wash the product under running water or even soak it. A mushroom is, if I may say so, a natural sponge. If it absorbs too much moisture, it becomes impossible to dry.
Drying in the sun
Porcini mushrooms, dried in the sun, are preferred by mushroom pickers who go on a hike for several days. Cooking starts already in the forest. For drying, a stand is made with holes for the knitting needles. They are placed vertically and horizontally. They should be made of stainless steel or wood. When planning to use metal knitting needles for drying porcini mushrooms, it is advisable not to forget that, in contact with the porcini mushroom dried in the sun, they cause an oxidation process in the pulp, which causes darkening and changes in the taste of the product.
Large mushrooms are divided into caps and legs, small ones are not cut. The pieces are pushed onto the knitting needles so that they do not touch each other.
The stand is exposed to the sun. The place should be well ventilated so that flies and other insects do not sit on the mushrooms. Also, the product is covered with a thin cloth or gauze to protect it from pests and not block the access of air and sunlight.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
For drying in the sun, in addition to stringing on knitting needles, a canvas or nylon thread is usually used - this is a more familiar and familiar method for us. At the same time, in large mushrooms, the leg is cut off by about 2/3 and this "residue" is also cut into circles and strung. This method is applicable only for dry and hot weather, but it can also be used at home - the main thing is that none of the household, in the person of small children or pets, reaches the blanks.
Sun-dried porcini mushrooms are ready after 3 days, but they need to be brought to perfect condition at home - in the oven or stove.
Drying in the oven
This method of cooking dried porcini mushrooms at home is also effective. Our ancestors used it in the hoary antiquity, and the modern owners of the Russian stove do not forget about it even now. Before cooking, the product is cut into small pieces, after cutting the fruit body into 2 parts lengthwise, and then into small plates. Small ones do not touch, leaving whole.
There is also a recipe for dried porcini mushrooms in the oven in the form of noodles. To do this, the product is cut into small, long and thin strips. These mushrooms have a long shelf life and dry faster.
It is better to cover the baking sheet with straw or use foil. If this is not done, the mushrooms darken and taste bitter. Next, lay out a layer of mushroom plates. The hats are placed with the cut down. The oven is slightly warmed up. The ideal temperature to dry mushrooms with high quality is + 52 ° C. When the product becomes elastic, the oven should be heated up to + 65 ... + 70 ° С, and after a few hours it should be lowered again and slowly cooked up.
The oven damper should always be slightly open. This is necessary so that a sufficient amount of air flows to the boletus and they do not rot. The slightly open flap allows moisture evaporating from the fruit bodies or their parts to escape. The product must be free of burns, traces of charcoal or ash. Also, when pressed, moisture should not appear on them.
Ready-made mushrooms bend, do not crumble or break. Such a product retains its entire energy and nutritional value. Shelf life at home is several weeks.
Drying in the oven
Dried mushrooms have a long shelf life
The prepared plates are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment or foil in 1 layer. Put the whole mushrooms upside down.
The baking sheet is placed in the oven and gradually warmed up to + 53 ° C. In such conditions, the mushrooms need to be dried for 3-4 hours. When they are a little dry, they are taken out of the oven and cooled to room temperature. Then it is placed in the oven again, but the temperature is raised to + 70 ° C, and at the very end of cooking it is lowered to + 40 ° C.
The cabinet must have an air circulation system. If this is not included in your oven design, you will need to keep the oven door slightly open. Porcini mushrooms, dried under such conditions, have a low calorie content and high nutritional value. The long shelf life allows them to be stored for a long time.
Drying in an oven
Porcini mushrooms, dried in a special cabinet, cook quickly. To do this, use devices without a bottom and with upper holes. The product is prepared and laid out on a stainless steel sieve in one layer. The cabinet is placed on the stove. If several sieves are being dried at the same time, they are periodically interchanged so that the product cooks evenly.
Cooking method in an electric dryer:
- prepare records;
- spread out on pallets in 1 layer;
- heat the dryer up to + 55 ... + 62 ° С;
- depending on the thickness of the plates, dry for 3-5 hours.
The advantage of this method is the speed and uniformity of drying. Also, the cabinet has a low cost and takes up little space.
Microwave drying
The porcini mushroom is effective for microwave cooking due to its drying speed. Such a product stands in room conditions for a long time.
Cooking method:
- cut mushrooms into slices;
- put on a plate in 1 layer;
- set the power to 150 W and cook for 17-20 minutes;
- take out and let cool;
- repeat until fully cooked.
Microwave-dried porcini mushrooms are stored wrapped in gauze or placed in special bags.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Dry mushroom storage bags can be made from burlap, linen, or cotton. Before use, they must be boiled in a saline solution, dried and ironed.
Also, the product is strung on a string or fishing line and hung in a dry and ventilated place. It is best not to store dried porcini next to foods that have a strong aroma.
Conclusion
Dried porcini mushrooms make a delicious and satisfying soup. It is also useful to eat them when losing weight due to their low calorie content.
If the product becomes wet, it must be additionally dried. It is also processed into mushroom powder, which is used as a seasoning. Sealed dry mushrooms are stored for several years.
