Freezing mushrooms for the winter
People in the summer-autumn period do a lot of homework for the winter. Methods are chosen for this very different: salted, fermented, pickled. To store vegetables and berries throughout the winter, many began to use freezers. Also, housewives practice freezing mushrooms.
Freezing mushrooms for the winter
Harvesting raw mushrooms
Tubular mushrooms can be frozen, but they do not need to be boiled. The fact is that the lower cap layer is porous (its second name is spongy) and is able to retain a lot of water in itself. If such mushrooms are boiled, then in winter, after defrosting, a shapeless watery mass will turn out. There is another option for harvesting: boil the mushrooms, and then squeeze them well and let the remaining water drain. In this case, the frozen fruit bodies will retain their shape and look more appetizing in the dish.
To freeze forest mushrooms for the winter, some housewives wash the fruit bodies with running water. This is not enough to make a good harvest. After washing, they are placed in a 1% NaCl solution (table salt) for a few minutes. Then the water is drained, and the raw mushrooms are rinsed again. So they are finally cleared of worms, bugs and parasites that were invisible on the surface of the fruit bodies. Freezing mushrooms in this case will be of better quality.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Often, when a recipe is introduced into life, one can read: "Use a solution of such and such a concentration." But not everyone remembers from the school chemistry course what kind of beast this is - “concentration”. Therefore, just take into account that if you want to prepare a 1% solution of a substance, then you need to take 10 g of this substance (for example, table salt) and dissolve it in 1 liter of water (or 100 g in 10 liters). To obtain a 2% solution, take 20 g of the substance per 1 liter of water, etc.
Fruit bodies (except for small ones) are cut into pieces. Everything is put in a colander for several hours and dries up, or raw mushrooms are dried with a towel. The prepared mass is distributed in packages (containers) and frozen. The temperature in the freezer should be between -18 ° C and below. At high temperatures, it will not be possible to freeze the mushrooms for the winter, the fruits will begin to rot. To prevent the fruiting bodies from sticking together, they are laid out in a thin layer on a flat surface and kept until solidified in the chamber. After a few hours, the frozen mushrooms are placed in a container or bag.
The name of the type of fresh fruit bodies, the date of freezing and the shelf life of the frozen mushrooms are written on the container. The container is filled entirely. The less air there is inside, the longer the frozen mushrooms will last. The same goes for packages. The remaining air should be squeezed out of them so that the freezing is of good quality.
Preparation of boiled (fried, stewed) mushrooms
There are different ways to freeze mushroom mass. Fruit bodies can be boiled, stewed, fried and even baked.
For cooking, the mushroom mass should be carefully sorted out, sorted by type, size. Then cut into slices. Boil for 5-10 minutes in boiling water.The stem of the fruiting bodies is stiffer, it is cut into smaller pieces. Throw away the blue or blackened leg. Frozen fruit bodies must be clean and firm.
Transfer the boiled mushrooms to a colander, drain and dry. When cool, squeeze them slightly, divide into parts and put in bags. Food frozen in this way takes up much less space in the chamber than food in containers.
Only fresh mushrooms are suitable for freezing.
The broth remaining after honey agaric must be poured out, and the liquid in which the white and redheads were cooked is used to prepare the first courses. Some make freezing mushroom stews. This requires:
- clean food;
- wash;
- boil in salted liquid;
- add spices, vegetables;
- simmer ¼ h;
- cool;
- pour it into containers along with the liquid to the very top so that there is no air left;
- place in the freezer compartment;
- set -18 ° C and below;
- shelf life in the freezer is no more than 3 months.
By the way. Before placing the mass, the container can be lined with polyethylene. Then, after freezing, you can easily remove the briquettes (they are placed in bags) and you can use the container for other purposes.
Freezing of forest mushrooms for the winter is also carried out in a fried form. In this case, both tubular and plate types are used. Processing is as follows: the mushroom mass is cleaned of debris, washed several times with water; dried, then cut into plates or cubes, fried for 20 minutes until golden brown in a small amount of vegetable oil, without spices. Freezes only chilled.
These mushrooms are ready to eat as soon as they are removed from the chamber. They are added to soups, salads, stewed cabbage, fried potatoes, stuffing for pies and more.
Mushrooms baked in the oven on a baking sheet are well stored in the freezer. To do this, they are laid out in an even thin layer, while vegetable oil is not used. After baking, the mushroom mass is cooled to room temperature and frozen in portioned bags. Many people use plastic containers, cups, and more.
Such mushrooms do not deteriorate in a regular freezer for about 3 months. The shelf life is extended under certain storage conditions:
- compliance with the required temperature;
- integrity of the packaging.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
When putting mushrooms prepared for freezing into packages, do not forget that 1 package = 1 dish. Therefore, make half bags of 300-500 g, and half of 0.5-1 kg.
Attention! Only young fruit bodies, unspoiled by insects and rot, are subject to freezing. Quality food will last much longer.
Defrosting rules
Defrosting fresh mushrooms must be taken care of in advance (usually in the evening). Prepare a bag of fruit bodies by placing it on the lower shelf in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, it is enough to hold the frozen mushrooms at room temperature for an hour. In this case, it is advisable to place them in a colander with a tray so that the melted liquid does not spread.
It is advisable to defrost it in this way. Otherwise, many useful substances will be lost. Boiled or fried fresh-frozen fruit bodies are immediately added to prepared dishes. They no longer need additional processing.
If you need to defrost a mushroom bag quickly in time, put it in a colander and put it under running cold water. Another way is to use the microwave. It has a defrosting mode, but this is not the best technology, although it is fast.
Conclusion
The freezer is suitable for storing all types of mushrooms, but most of all - for boletus, boletus, redheads, chanterelles, honey agarics and champignons. Proper harvesting of fresh mushrooms will allow them to retain their beneficial properties for the whole winter. Therefore, it is necessary to approach their freezing with knowledge of the matter.If the mushrooms have been frozen correctly, then their shelf life in the refrigerator reaches a year or more.
