How long can you keep frozen mushrooms at home in the freezer
Mushrooms are a delicious and healthy gift from the forest if properly prepared and stored. A perishable product absorbs moisture and odors, it needs to be boiled, fried or salted urgently. But a large harvest is difficult to deal with immediately. And not everyone likes pickles. Simply dry the mushrooms. Freezing is a universal way to preserve raw and cooked mushrooms. To do this, you need to know the rules for preparing a delicate product, which varieties to choose and how much frozen mushrooms can be stored in the freezer.
First steps after collection
All the specimens seen, with the exception of the frankly poisonous and shady ones, often fall into the basket. Therefore, forest and purchased mushrooms sort out and discard lazy, overripe, wormy and false, poisonous specimens. Minor damage is removed. The lower part of the legs is trimmed and peeled.
Wet mushrooms should be cleaned immediately after rain. Dry cultures can be stored in a cool cellar for 12 hours.
Sorting
After collection, sorting is carried out according to types - lamellar, tubular or spongy. Some varieties are more suitable for pickles, others for drying, so they are divided according to the type of further processing: for freezing, salting or cooking boiled and fried foods.
to have bitterness
Conditionally edible bitter mushrooms: milk mushrooms, volnushki, russula. They are salted and pickled. To remove the bitter aftertaste, boil the mushrooms in an enamel saucepan. Treatment methods:
- pour half a tablespoon of salt into a liter of boiling water, cook the mushrooms for 15 minutes, then cool them in cold water;
- pour the mushrooms into cold salted water, after boiling, remove from heat and cool in the same pan;
- peeled mushrooms are soaked for up to 6 hours in cold water with salt or vinegar, then scalded or boiled.
The broth, which has absorbed the bitterness, can no longer be used in cooking.
lamellar
The inner side of the caps is divided by plates with milk mushrooms, russules. Before cooking, they are soaked in water for 2 hours, adding a tablespoon of salt.
Spongy
The caps on the reverse are porous and resemble a sponge made of porcini mushrooms, oil. The spongy structure quickly absorbs moisture, so they are soaked for 1-2 minutes or simply rinsed under running water.
Chanterelles
Orange mushrooms will not deteriorate in a day at 10-12 degrees heat. They accumulate most nutrients within the first 5 hours after collection.
Umbrellas
Edible umbellate mushrooms differ from inedible mushrooms in having a movable "skirt" that wraps around the leg. Only hats are suitable for cooking. Smooth specimens are rinsed with water, rough ones are scraped with a knife and then washed.
Coaching
After distribution, the mushrooms are ready for the next stage of processing: they are cleaned of adherent foliage, soil and the skin is scraped off with a knife. To keep them frozen, the mushrooms are rinsed with water and then carefully dried.
Before cooking and frying, mushrooms are soaked in salt solution for a day. Such quarantine will rid the product of insects that have lodged inside.
The minimum soaking time is 6 hours.
Optimal storage conditions
Frozen mushrooms stay crispy and tasty at 18°C stability. Lower temperatures will destroy nutrients. Drying and preservation is stored in a dark, dry room at 10-15 degrees Celsius.
How to properly store at home
To prevent mushrooms from absorbing foreign odors, they should be stored in an airtight container. The best way to store mushrooms is to put them in the fridge or freezer.
In the fridge
The refrigerator is a universal storage for raw, cooked and canned mushrooms.
Costs
Storage conditions for raw mushrooms:
- after cleaning, they are placed in a glass jar and tightly closed with a lid;
- shelf life at 7-10 degrees - 12-17 hours;
- For 3-4 days, mushrooms can be stored at 0 ... + 5 degrees;
- enamel dishes, paper bag, cotton cloth are suitable as containers.
If you store the mushroom broth longer than the prescribed period, it will become stained and dry. Polythene is poor packaging for mushrooms because it traps air.
Boiled
Boiled mushrooms are placed in an enamel pan, plastic containers, glass jars.They will stay on the bottom shelf for 2-3 days.
Fried
It is better not to store fried mushrooms for a long time, but to eat it in a day. If you have a lot of dishes, you can keep them cool for 3 days, spreading them well on glass containers. They should be placed in the coldest area.
To keep the roast longer, it should be placed in sterilized jars, filled with vegetable oil. Filled containers should be sterilized in boiling water and then rolled up. In this form, fried mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
pickled or canned in a jar
Home preservation of mushrooms is stored at +18 degrees for up to 2 years. In the refrigerator, at a lower temperature, the sealed jars will also last 2 years. It is better to close them with glass lids, since iron ones shorten the shelf life to 1 year.
Dirty
Salted mushrooms in glass containers, when stored in the refrigerator, will not deteriorate for a year.
Dried
Dry chanterelles, boletus, mushrooms love air, so for storage in the refrigerator they can be placed in fabric bags without the risk of insects appearing inside. But you can not store products with a strong aroma, spices, fish, dishes with onions, garlic nearby.
If the refrigeration chamber is small and an undesirable neighborhood cannot be avoided, then it is better to put the mushrooms to dry in tightly closed glass containers.
In the freezer
Fresh mushrooms will keep for up to 1 year. The shelf life of fried, boiled, salted and dried mushrooms is 12-18 months in the freezer. Forest mushrooms can be stored frozen for 6 months.
How to freeze fresh in the freezer
Squishy varieties are best for freezing raw. The slats must first be welded. Chanterelles and porcini mushrooms are less resistant to low temperatures. The thawed chanterelles are bitter and the porcini mushrooms fall apart.
First, the mushrooms are laid out on a cutting board or a flat container covered with cling film and placed in the freezer for 2 hours. Then they are distributed in zip-packs and sent back for long-term storage. Large specimens can be cut or separated from the plugs.
How to properly freeze french fries
When fried, the spongy and plate varieties can be frozen. Mushrooms are cut into cubes or strips, fried for 20 minutes in vegetable oil without salt and spices. After frying, the mushrooms are cooled and sent to the freezer, sorted into bags.
You can keep porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, mushrooms, fried pure or with onions. At -18 degrees, they will lie for a year. Rapid freezing and a temperature of -20 will extend the shelf life up to 2 years.
Freeze cooked
For later storage in the freezer, the mushrooms are also cut before cooking. After boiling, they are thrown into a colander so that the water is well in glass. The product is placed in bags and containers after cooling and put in the freezer.
The path to beautiful freezing as a whole
Mushrooms, honey mushrooms, small and medium-sized boletus are suitable for whole freezing. They retain their shape and density better than other varieties after thawing. Peeled dry mushrooms should be spread in a layer in a plastic container and put in the freezer for 5-7 days.Then they need to be put in bags in portions and stored in the freezer.
In the cellar
How to Store Mushroom Pickle Stocks:
- salted mushrooms in cups, buckets, barrels and pans are stored in a dry room at + 4 ... + 6 degrees. At 0 degrees, mushroom pickles freeze, break, and lose flavor;
- do not cover the container with plastic wrap and parchment paper. A mold-friendly environment is created under the dense cover;
- gauze, cotton fabric lets oxygen through and protects food from insects. The fabric can be pre-moistened with vodka;
- pickles in barrels are stored for six months at a temperature of +2 degrees.
Rolled salted mushrooms can be stored for up to a year. The more salt, the longer the shelf life.
In the attic
It is good to dry mushrooms in the warmth of the attic. In a small amount, it is laid out in bags made of natural linen, cotton fabric. Once a week they do an inventory audit so bugs don't get triggered inside.
Several kilograms of dried mushrooms are packed in wooden boxes covered with paper and sealed tightly.
The hat and leg string bundles are not disassembled. They can be stored wrapped in fabric. Drying mushrooms will be stored in a dry attic for a long time. If the room is damp, the mushrooms will absorb moisture and mold. Vacuum containers protect the dryer from insects and mold. Glass jars with tight lids, up to 1 litre, are also suitable for storage. In large containers, the mushrooms don't get enough oxygen and they go mouldy. Insects start out in linen bags, so their contents should be examined weekly.
In the flat
Mushrooms can be stored in closed kitchen cupboards away from stoves, sinks and radiators. Any dry, ventilated place with a constant temperature of 18 degrees, where there are no spices, garlic and lingering aromas, will do. Drying can be kept from 12 months to 3 years. If the product has not lost its taste and presentability, it can be eaten even after a longer period.
Storage characteristics of different types
Spongy and lamellar varieties differ slightly in storage methods, as they absorb moisture to varying degrees.
Chanterelles
How to store orange mushrooms:
- do not wash before freezing - the variety absorbs moisture, then releases it in a closed bag and the product molds;
- cooking will relieve the chanterelles from bitterness;
- only the hats are dried;
- the variety is stored for a long time in sterilized jars.
Sterilization method: pour the mushrooms into the container, wipe the lid from the inside with alcohol, set the jar on fire and close it.
Mushroom
How to store French mushrooms after purchase:
- unwashed and unpeeled mushrooms can be stored on the middle shelf of the refrigerator in an open container for up to 3 days;
- 5-6 days, the product is stored in paper at a temperature of +2 degrees;
- it is not necessary to peel the mushrooms, but without the top skin they taste milder;
- shelf life in the freezer - 6 months;
- the dried product is usable for 12 months.
A bag of raw mushrooms should not be moved to the refrigerator often, since dark spots appear on the surface of the caps due to mechanical stress. Blackened mushrooms are dangerous due to accumulated toxins.
white mushrooms
How to store porcini mushrooms:
- collected items are stored in the cellar until 12 noon;
- peeled mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days;
- cut the bottom of the thigh before cooking;
- porcini mushrooms, dried in the sun or in a dryer, can be kept for a year;
- mushroom powder is good for 3 years.
It is best to freeze raw porcini mushrooms, as fresh they keep longer than boiled.
Veselky
The variety is used in folk medicine against skin, oncological and bronchopulmonary diseases. In cooking, they use young specimens that have not yet come out of an arrow leg. Veselki are dried, ground into a powder or a medicinal alcohol tincture is prepared from an egg-shaped base.
Mushrooms cannot be found in stores, only in the forest, from May to October, or they can be purchased from a familiar mushroom picker. How to prepare and store a “funny” mushroom:
- for cooking, the ovoid base is cleaned of the shell, as a medicine it is fully used;
- dried at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees;
- harvested mushrooms are wiped with a damp cloth, without rinsing with water;
- dried veselki are stored for 2 years in tightly closed glass jars in a dark, dry place.
The tincture is stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 years.
Oyster mushrooms
How to store the variety of woody mushrooms:
- do not soak before freezing, otherwise, due to excess moisture, the taste will be lost;
- at -2 degrees, sealed packaging can be kept for 3 weeks in a cool place;
- in warmer conditions, the shelf life is reduced to 5 days;
- frozen boiled oyster mushrooms are stored for 8 months;
- pickled mushrooms are edible for 1 year.
Whole capsules retain aroma and flavor better.
Tips & Tricks
Basic rules for freezing mushrooms for the winter:
- during frying, the juice should come out;
- freezing the product at room temperature;
- put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for thawing;
- keep in portions for a dish.
Refrozen mushrooms lose their flavor and firmness. Therefore, you need to thaw one portion that can be eaten at a time.