Drying is a common and convenient way to prepare mushrooms for the winter. Unlike preservation, which loses up to 70% of the beneficial properties of mushrooms, it retains most of the vitamins and minerals. Despite its apparent simplicity, drying mushrooms has its secrets. We will tell you about them.

What mushrooms can be dried?

During drying, mushrooms with lamellar caps (milk mushrooms, russula, chanterelles, etc.) acquire a bitter taste. That's why experienced mushroom pickers It is recommended to dry only tubular mushrooms (boletus, boletus, boletus, etc.).

Preparation

Mushrooms intended for drying should not be washed. Their tubular structure easily absorbs moisture. As a result, the procedure will take much longer.

Carry out all work with mushrooms with a plastic or ceramic knife, since when they come into contact with metal, their surface instantly oxidizes.

1. Carefully clean off any remaining soil, needles and leaves from the surface of the mushroom. Be careful not to damage the skin of the cap.
2. Sort processed mushrooms by size. This will allow the whole batch to dry evenly.
3. Cut each mushroom in half. In boletus, boletus, boletus and moss mushrooms, carefully separate the stem from the cap. Cut the boletus crosswise along with the stem. This is done in order to get rid of worms if there are any inside.

Air drying

The easiest and most convenient way.

1. Prepare a needle with a large eye and strong thread or fishing line.
2. String the mushrooms so that they do not touch each other.
3. Hang the collected garlands in a sunny place.
4. Cover them with gauze or mesh nylon to protect the workpieces from insects.
5. Dry the mushrooms for 7–10 days. Then remove them from the hem, place them in glass jars and close tightly.

Drying over the stove

Suitable for those who do not have the opportunity to hang garlands outside.

Try to hang supplies as high as possible. With the stove on 24 hours a day, the mushrooms will dry out in 2–3 days. However, this method has one significant drawback: it is not recommended to cook anything during drying, otherwise the mushrooms will become saturated with the smell of food. If you remove and put away the garlands while you are cooking, the drying procedure may take about a week.

Oven drying

At home, it is most convenient to dry mushrooms on a wire rack in the oven. It is not recommended to use a baking sheet for these purposes.

1. Arrange the mushrooms in one layer and place in an oven preheated to +45 °C. Leave the door slightly open to allow excess moisture to evaporate freely.
2. After 1–1.5 hours, turn over the dried mushrooms and increase the temperature to +70 ... +80 °C.
3. Dry the workpieces for another 4–5 hours. Don't forget to turn them over periodically. Remember that the caps dry out much earlier than the stems. Therefore, you need to remove them from the oven 1–1.5 hours earlier.

Microwave drying

If necessary, the mushroom drying procedure can be accelerated using microwave oven.

1. Place the prepared mushrooms in a single layer on the bottom of the plate.
2. Set the temperature to +100 °C.
3. Dry for 20 minutes.
4. Open the oven door for 7-10 minutes to release excess moisture.
5. Repeat the drying procedure again.

Thanks to this method, one batch of mushrooms can be dried in one hour.

Remember: properly dried mushrooms do not crumble or break; they are elastic and bend easily. In a dry, cool, dark place, the products can be stored for several years without loss of taste and quality.

People started drying mushrooms a long time ago. Drying is one of the best ways to prepare them. Because after some simple manipulations they can not only be stored longer than fresh ones, but also acquire a very pleasant and interesting taste and aroma that will add zest to the dish. Besides, dried mushrooms much more nutritious than salted or pickled ones. And due to the fact that they dry, lose weight and decrease in size, they are much more convenient and easier to store.

So that the preparations will delight you and your loved ones more than once great taste V various dishes and stored for a long time, it is very important to know how to properly dry mushrooms.

Why are dried mushrooms needed and where to use them?

It would seem why you might need dried mushrooms, which have absolutely unappetizing look? Well, they may not look very beautiful, but when cooking they are capable of the most ordinary dish turn it into a real culinary masterpiece.

Dried preparations can be used for stews or casseroles. They are also ideal for making soups. Besides, dried mushrooms can be ground in a blender and as a result you get a powder from which you can make delicious sauces and gravy.

If you want to prepare a light and satisfying soup, then there is nothing better than this kind of seasoning, which will give your dish delicate aroma And rich taste. And besides, the dried product is not as heavy as fresh mushrooms.

It is also good to use the powder for preparing those dishes in which mushrooms are not usually added, but in which a slight specific flavor would be very useful. For example, borscht and puree soups.

It is very easy to use this preparation. Simply pour warm water over the dry powder and let it sit for about thirty minutes. After this, it can be added to dishes during cooking.

What to dry?

Have you decided to dry mushrooms and don’t know where to start? Of course, from sorting everything that you have collected. Knowing which types are suitable for harvesting is no less important than knowing how to dry mushrooms. Yes, not all of them are suitable for drying, because they contain bitterness, which does not disappear, and then the dishes become bad taste. If you want your preparation to be not only aromatic, but also tasty, you need to figure out what mushrooms are dried.

Tubular and marsupial mushrooms are ideal for this. These include white boletus, boletus, boletus, and moss mushrooms. You can also dry boletus, morels, truffles, chanterelles, honey mushrooms and many others. There is no difference between drying chanterelle and porcini mushrooms. You can choose the method that seems most suitable to you.

Pay due attention to product sorting. Mushrooms should be fairly fresh, not old, strong and healthy.

How to dry mushrooms correctly

The most important thing is to prepare the product correctly. This is the key to success. Let's look at the basic rules.

• The first thing to do is, of course, to clean the selected mushrooms from various dirt: soil, leaves and grass.
• Next you will need a dry cloth or napkin. It is necessary to wipe them very carefully and gently so that they become dry. There is no need to wash them before drying.
• All prepared mushrooms need to be cut into small thin slices half a centimeter thick.
• These slices need to be put on a fishing line or any strong thread and hung in those places where there is the most sun. The mushrooms dry for at least a week.

Remember that this procedure can only be carried out outdoors on hot, clear and sunny days, otherwise the product will not dry to the desired condition.

Other options

In addition to the above, the most simple way, there are other options for drying mushrooms. For example, this can be done in an oven, regular oven, which is in every home. Or you can purchase a special electric dryer.

But in the best possible way It is considered one when the fungi are first slightly dried in the sun, outside, and then dried in the oven. This way they turn out more tasty, and it takes much less time to prepare. However, this method cannot be called economical. Why? Let's consider.

Using the oven to dry mushrooms

Oven - universal device. You can not only fry chicken and bake cakes in it - it is also perfect for drying a particular product. Let's figure out how to dry mushrooms in the oven.

We carry out all the steps described above, cut the mushrooms into plates, but do not string them on a thread. We will need a baking sheet covered with parchment, on which we need to carefully place the slices so that they do not touch.

Now all that remains is to put the container in the oven, heated to 45 degrees, and wait until the mushrooms begin to stick a little to the paper. After this, the temperature must be increased to 70 degrees. The most important thing is not to close the door all the way so that air can circulate.

Drying in the oven lasts two days, with breaks for cooling. As you can see, this is not a very convenient method. Firstly, the stove will have to work for a long time, gas or electricity is consumed, depending on who you are. And secondly, when the house is hot, a preheated oven heats the air even more, because the stove door cannot be closed all the way.

Drying mushrooms in an electric dryer

If preparing the product in the oven and on the street is not the method you need, then let's look at how to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer. First of all, let's figure out what kind of device this is. An electric dryer is a special household appliance designed for drying vegetables and fruits. It's also great for mushrooms. This is the most convenient and economical way.

The electric dryer is very easy to use. Prepare the mushrooms: clean them of dirt and chop them thin slices. Place evenly at a short distance from each other on special trays. Close the device, set required time- and that’s it, all that remains is to wait. After about six to eight hours, your mushrooms will be dry.

It’s very easy to check if it’s ready: take one slice and bend it. If it bends, but does not crumble, and has elasticity, then the product is ready, that is, dried. Just check the readiness carefully. If you do not dry the mushrooms well, they will not be stored for long, they will become moldy and quickly spoil.

Rules for storing workpieces

We have already figured out how to dry mushrooms. It turned out that it was quite simple, but how much later? delicious dishes you can cook!

But it’s not enough just to dry the product, you also need to know how to store it correctly. After all, most likely you will not use up everything you have prepared at once. Improper storage can cause mushrooms to become soggy and moldy.

In addition, you need to remember that they absorb odors very quickly, so you can only keep them in rooms with fresh, not musty air, and away from products that smell strongly. The room should be well ventilated and dry.

Porcini mushrooms and morels are best packed in boxes or boxes. Other types can be placed in bags or bags.

Also, if there is not much dry product, you can store it in clean, tightly closed banks. If everything is done correctly and all storage conditions are met, then they can remain like this for several years.

The best temperature for storing dry mushrooms is no more than seven degrees above zero. And air humidity should not exceed seventy-five percent.

Delicious and nutritious mushrooms is a product that is useful at any time of the year, because it has truly a huge amount substances valuable for the human body. They can be included in soups, added to meat, prepared sauces with it, and baked pies.

Those who pick mushrooms themselves or buy them at the market are faced with the question of how to preserve them in the winter. Fortunately, the ability to preserve preparations has been passed on from housewife to housewife for centuries. It is only important to choose The right way how to dry mushrooms at home. Stored when dried a large number of nutritional properties and remain of higher quality than when salted or preserved.

What mushrooms are suitable for drying?

To enjoy winter excellent taste, it is better to prepare:

• boletus;
• boletus;
• boletus;
• oyster mushrooms;
• goats;
• chanterelles;
• boletus;
• flywheels;
• honey mushrooms;
• oak trees;
• morels;
• tinder fungi;
• Champignon;
• Polish mushroom;
• hangers-on, etc.

Such mushrooms, after drying, retain useful qualities and do not acquire a bitter taste. They convey a magical forest smell, remain very tasty and are suitable for inclusion in any dish.

Volnushki, Milk Milk and Russula, on the contrary, after drying, leave a not very pleasant shade.

It is necessary to dry according to special rules, which exist primarily so that the accumulated in it harmful impurities completely evaporated.

How to prepare mushrooms for drying

In order for the product to be preserved in the best possible condition, everything must be done to ensure that it does not deteriorate. Both spongy, tubular, and lamellar varieties require very careful attention. It is necessary to prepare everything correctly so that they not only endure long winter, but also brought the greatest pleasure while eating.

It is necessary to dry for a precisely adjusted period, because otherwise the mushrooms will not be capable of long-term storage.

It should be borne in mind that mushrooms lose at least half and even more of their natural volume, so you need to be very careful with the harvesting process.

Most often, it happens that from one kilogram of fresh raw materials, a little more than one hundred grams of dried raw materials is obtained.

Therefore, it becomes of great importance proper preparation mushrooms for drying. It is necessary to inspect each of them separately, clean and dry. This part of the process will largely determine their nutritional value in the future.

You need to focus on absolutely intact, fresh and strong specimens. Any wormholes must be removed immediately. It is better not to take spoiled mushrooms for harvesting immediately.

Before storing raw materials for winter use, they should be washed clean. It is best to use a regular damp kitchen sponge. You should not expose mushrooms to running tap water or place them in a pan of water.

In the future, they are laid out so that they do not differ in volume from each other. The bottom of the stem is removed from white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, milk mushrooms, oak mushrooms, and champignons. Caps are taken from boletus and boletus mushrooms.

Subsequently, everything is cut into very thin layers about a centimeter thick. It is also allowed to cut into cubes.

At what temperature should you dry mushrooms?

Temperature is selected depending on the method of product preparation. The amount of raw materials, safety, degree of preparation, and time spent on the process also matter.

In any case, it is better to dry the mushrooms at home, first spreading them in a thin layer and leaving small gaps between them. You cannot place them in several rows, one on top of the other. The temperature should remain between fifty-five and seventy degrees. Accordingly, the period during which the product will undergo drying will be distributed. On average, it takes at least six to eight hours.

How to dry mushrooms at home

In order to ideally dry mushrooms without leaving home, it is worth knowing the most preferable preparation options suitable for preservation nutritional value and extending shelf life.

Most methods are quite simple and are used even by housewives who do not have long experience in handling mushrooms.

To ensure that the result does not disappoint, it is advisable to carry out the process in summer or early autumn. It is better not to leave what is collected in October, but to immediately process it for cooking.

Air drying

This method is traditional and has been used by women for centuries. Mushrooms can be laid out on a balcony, loggia or in a well-ventilated indoor area.

1. They are placed on newspaper or thick fabric. They must be laid out in several rows so that they do not touch each other.
2. It must be very warm so that enough sun falls on the raw materials. In the absence of sunlight, the product is treated with heat from a battery or air heater. The temperature should be left equal, without changes.
3. The degree of readiness is determined visually, as well as by touch. Once it becomes clear that the mushrooms are completely ready for long-term storage, they should be packed in bags made of paper or linen. They can also be kept in iron or glass containers with tightly sealed lids.

The cabinet in which they will be placed must be dry, well ventilated and very clean. It is required that it be removed from the stove and other food products, since foreign odors quickly penetrate into dried raw materials.

Oven drying

The oven serves an excellent remedy for harvesting mushrooms. Unlike the previous method, it requires much more attention and effort, but the results are much faster and better.

However, in the absence of the proper skill, some women spoil a large number of mushrooms at once, so inexperienced housewife It’s better to practice on a small number of them first.

The workpiece has the following form.

1. Take a metal grid and spread the product on it in one layer, then push the sheet inside.
2. The stove is set to a setting of sixty to seventy degrees.
3. During drying, it is necessary to open the outer door from time to time for a stable flow of fresh air.
4. After about a quarter of an hour, take a second sheet and place it in place of the first. After a similar period, they are changed again.

The degree of readiness is determined visually. Much depends on the size of the mushrooms and the degree of their strength. One of the indicators is a change in product volume. As soon as it has clearly decreased, the drying time is coming to an end. Another determinant is complete dryness and lack of oiliness.

Drying mushrooms in a dryer

Experts believe that this method of harvesting mushrooms is preferable. Especially quality product It turns out if you process it in an electric dryer. Of course, technology will not replace all the benefits natural drying, however, it will not allow the product to spoil. After harvesting in the fresh air, it is considered the most successful.

They do this.

1. The mushrooms are thoroughly cleaned, dried and cut into pieces. If they are small, then they are chopped into cubes or simply cut into pieces.
2. The pieces are laid out in the thinnest layer.
3. The temperature is set to fifty-five degrees Celsius. The process lasts approximately two hours. In some cases, the time may be longer if the mushrooms are significantly saturated with moisture or are too large.
4. The degree of their readiness, as in previous cases, is determined visually.

The use of an electric dryer is the best method for preserving mushrooms, as it is suitable for absolutely any of their varieties and types.

In the sun

This method of drying mushrooms is most suitable for owners of summer cottages, who take them out into the sun or put them back into the house when night falls or precipitation falls.

The method does not require any additional devices and does not require the constant attention of the hostess.

Workpiece progress.

1. Mushrooms should be thinly sliced ​​or divided into small pieces.
2. It is better to thread them through a strong thread, and then lay them out on a tarpaulin or on a wooden plank in even rows.
3. During the process, they must be periodically turned over to the other side, so that each surface is evenly and fully illuminated by the sun. In case of strong gusts of wind or significant cloudiness, the mushrooms should be taken under a canopy or in the canopy.
4. They should be laid out so that they do not get dirt from the roads or carry dust from the gardens.
5. If the weather turns hopelessly bad, the mushrooms need to be dried using a different method. Leave them until done room conditions it is forbidden.

For this type of workpiece, it is desirable to have at least fifteen days of continuous exposure to sunlight, so drying should be carried out better in summer.

How to dry mushrooms on a string

This method is also traditional for drying mushrooms.

1. Nylon or thin fishing line are best suited for stringing them.
2. The pre-prepared raw material is carefully threaded through the thread, making small intervals. It is then attached in a dry, warm, ventilated and well-lit place.
3. If the mushrooms are large, then cut them into cubes. Small ones are hung entirely.
4. To prevent them from hanging for too long, it is necessary to place them near a central heating radiator, fan heater, stove, stove, or electric radiator.

The degree of readiness is determined by eye.

Air fryer drying

The method is suitable in cases where there are very few mushrooms and they are not supposed to be dried in large quantities. It is also good for those who live in rural areas and often go for forest products, stocking up on them in small portions. It is also suitable for those who are late and started the process in the cold autumn time, when natural methods can no longer be applied.

Drying boletuses, boletuses, chanterelles, moss mushrooms, honey mushrooms, boletuses, boletuses, etc. is especially good. Polish mushrooms. They come out beautiful, not darkened or changed in their structure.

Mushrooms must be thoroughly cleaned, cut into thin layers and held over gas until moisture is completely removed from their surface.

The raw materials are placed on special mesh stands and pushed inside the device. Then the rotation mechanism is turned on.

The temperature is first set at forty degrees, then increased to seventy. Space should be left between the lid and the outside for air to penetrate.

Dry the raw materials for five hours or more until ready, making sure that the mushrooms do not burn. It is necessary to carefully monitor the process to avoid damage.

Microwave

The method is not one of the best, but if there is no other way to dry mushrooms, it is used.

1. Raw materials are prepared in the same ways as in other cases.
2. The pieces are placed on a wide and flat grill or plate and placed inside the appliance. Do not use iron containers.
3. The regulator knob is placed in a position corresponding to one hundred and fifty degrees and left for twenty minutes.
4. Then the device is turned off and the mushrooms are taken out for fifteen minutes to ventilate.
5. Repeat the procedure again three times. If each specimen is dried as a whole, up to five repetitions may be required.

The degree of readiness is determined visually.

Specifying the condition of harvested raw materials

Despite the instructions that the level of drying is measured by eye, there are still certain criteria for establishing it.

Two or three times are enough and the housewife will learn to determine at first glance whether the mushrooms are dry enough. They bend easily without breaking and spring under your fingers. It is unacceptable to feel that there is moisture left in the raw material or, on the contrary, that it is crumbling.

Some specimens wrinkle a little and look like baked apples. Their color should range from light brown to brown.

If a woman is preparing a product for the first time, then for indication it is useful to purchase some ready-made raw materials in a store or market and compare the result with it.

How to store dried mushrooms

When everything is done as needed and beautiful dried mushrooms are obtained, you should save them so that they do not lose their taste properties.

A number of rules must be followed:

• The best view storage is paper or cardboard. It is also possible to pour it into a linen bag.
• Do not mix the dried product with other types of groceries.
• It is worth keeping it near a window or vent.
• There should be a battery located nearby, otherwise the mushrooms will become moldy.
• It is necessary to periodically pour them out and air them on newspaper;
• If spoiled specimens are found, they must be removed immediately.

The bag or box can be stored for no more than three years. But every two to three months the container should be changed to something that is clean, dry and free of defects.

You should not leave mushrooms for too long without taking a sample from them from time to time to make sure that their structure is not damaged and there is no spoilage.

Useful video

In order to determine which method will be used to prepare raw materials for the winter, it is worth watching a video that details all the stages of drying. If all the rules are strictly followed, mushrooms can be preserved so that they do not lose their nutritional value, do not begin to deteriorate, and have an excellent taste and smell.

Every woman knows how useful it is to have dried raw materials in the house in order to winter dishes acquired a special summer aroma. It is used in unlimited quantities of recipes, and is also supplemented with it ready meals.

If you fulfill all the wishes for drying them at home, then for the whole year you will be provided with an excellent variety in the prepared recipes for baked goods, meat, vegetables and soups.

How to dry porcini mushrooms and more is a question that interests many housewives and mushroom pickers. There are different schemes for preserving mushrooms until winter - pickling and drying. Not all mushrooms can be dried - some have a bitter taste that remains after drying. Without leaving home, you can correctly prepare various types:

• white truffle and morels;
• boletus and boletus, boletus and boletus;
• tinder fungus and ram mushroom;
• summer, winter and autumn honey fungus, champignons, umbrella mushroom, deer mushroom;
• little fox

Porcini mushrooms are good for drying and pickling.

Drying procedures depend on the region, individual collection site, method of transportation and technical devices. Each housewife uses her own personal, proven drying methods.

You can dry mushrooms using the sun, oven, gas stove or using a microwave oven, which significantly speeds up the process.

Microwave drying technique

Before drying, mushrooms must be carefully examined. You should choose fresh and undamaged fruits without signs of rot; it is better to throw away mushrooms of questionable quality. Use a dry brush or rag to carefully remove soil particles and leaves. This should be done carefully so that you do not have to wash them, because this process makes drying them somewhat more difficult and leads to darkening of the mushrooms. All types of marsupial and tubular mushrooms can be dried. Lamellar ones tend to acquire a bitter taste, losing moisture and are of little use for drying.

An exception may be mushrooms with honey mushrooms, which are not afraid of drying - no bitter taste arises.

Mushrooms can be dried in the microwave.

Before this, you can leave the fruits in the sun, stringing them on a strong thread, so that they slightly wilt in the fresh air. This procedure serves as a preliminary step, ensuring smooth drying and effective results. Manipulation is not mandatory; if there is no time, it can be omitted. The procedure for preparing mushrooms for drying:

1. Cut peeled and fresh mushrooms into equal pieces. The hats are cut into slices, the legs into circles. This method is used for porcini mushrooms and boletus mushrooms. To dry chanterelles and boletus, it is better to use only the caps and dry the morels whole.
2. Place the sliced ​​mushrooms evenly on a baking sheet electric oven and leave for twenty minutes at 170 degrees.
3. When the drying process is complete, remove the container with the fruits, drain the released liquid, and leave the oven ajar for a few minutes to ventilate.
4. Repeat this manipulation several more times in the microwave, depending on the volume of the pieces and the type of mushroom.

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Drying mushrooms in an oven

Drying mushrooms in the oven is very simple.

Oven drying is the most accessible, convenient and uncomplicated procedure. Mushrooms in the oven are placed on a wire rack and placed in an oven heated to 70 degrees; in this case, the door should be left slightly open to allow air flow to circulate and the released moisture to evaporate.

It is even more practical to dry the fruits in special vegetable dryers. Mushrooms are placed in layers of 4 cm on a stainless steel sieve and dried for an hour and a half at a low temperature of 40 degrees. After this, you should begin the drying itself, increasing the temperature to 70. At production plants, the mushrooms are first cooled greatly and then dried using a vacuum. The advantage of this option is the loss of a minimum of valuable nutritional properties of the fruit. This is the best method, but it can only be used if you have specialized equipment available from reputable companies.

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Method of drying porcini mushrooms

Drying porcini mushrooms at home using an air fryer is a good option. For example, after drying in a convection oven, boletus mushrooms can for a long time maintain its taste and aroma. Porcini mushrooms remain natural in color.

For drying, it is recommended to carefully select a product that is free of damage and wormholes. You should not wash mushrooms, because they absorb excess moisture. They can be cleaned using a soft cloth or napkin. First, they need to be sorted by size, then placed on the convection oven tray, setting the speed to high. You need to make sure that the fruits are not dried out, as otherwise they may lose their flavor. The time required for manipulation is one and a half hours. Completely dried mushrooms can be ground into powder using a coffee grinder or left whole. It is recommended to store in a glass container with an airtight lid.

The content of the article:

Drying mushrooms is one of the ways to prepare them for future use. But unlike salting or pickling, it preserves everything beneficial features product, its deep aroma in dishes and promotes better absorption by the body. However, not all varieties are suitable for drying; some of them contain bitterness and are therefore cooked in fresh or subject to salting. Appropriate processing removes the unpleasant taste from them. Today we will talk about those mushrooms that can be dried.

What mushrooms to take for drying

Mushrooms are lamellar, marsupial and tubular. In addition to them, there are two more species - tinder fungi and chanterelles. You can dry it at home:

• Tubular mushrooms. Boletus, boletus, boletus of all kinds, boletus, oak boletus, Polish mushroom, moss mushroom and porcini mushroom. All of them have a spongy layer under their caps, consisting of tiny tubes.
• Lamellar. Champignons, variegated umbrella mushroom, autumn, winter and summer honey mushrooms, deer mushrooms, fleecy scales and honey mushrooms. Under the cap of these mushrooms, thin plates are densely located in the radial direction. It is not recommended to dry milk mushrooms, milk mushrooms and russula; their milky juice contains a lot of bitterness.
• Marsupials. These are morels and white truffles. They have a shapeless, wrinkled body and spores located in special bags. White truffle is an expensive delicacy and quite a rarity, so its preparation by an ordinary summer resident is hardly possible. Morels are conditionally edible mushrooms and require drying outdoors at least two months. During this time, toxins from the product disappear and it becomes safe for consumption.
• Polypores. These are branched and variegated tinder fungi, as well as ram mushrooms.
• Chanterelles. This mushroom belongs to a separate family. At first glance, chanterelles look like lamellar mushrooms, but instead of lamellar mushrooms they have folds of flesh. The dried product has a slight bitterness.

How to prepare mushrooms for drying

There are different opinions about whether they need to be washed before drying. But experienced mushroom pickers wash only those mushrooms that are used for cooking, pickling or pickling. It is enough to clean them of sand, soil, moss, leaves, pine needles and wipe them with a slightly damp nylon cloth.

For drying, you need to select elastic, healthy and strong mushrooms that are not damaged. The legs of boletus, chanterelles and honey mushrooms are usually cut off.

You can dry mushrooms whole or chopped. In the first case, they should be sorted by size, then they will dry evenly. In the second, the mushrooms are cut into thick slices or quarters as desired. The stems of boletus, boletus and porcini mushrooms can be cut into columns 3-4 cm long or into cylinders 2 cm thick.

For chanterelles, boletus, honey mushrooms and moss mushrooms, only the caps are usually used for drying. Morels are dried in their entirety.

Advice! Drying of chopped mushrooms should begin immediately, in this case the product will retain its quality and color.

How to dry mushrooms at home

Mushrooms can be considered dry if they appear light in weight, bend slightly and break with little force. Dry mushrooms should resemble fresh ones in taste and aroma. From 10 kg fresh mushrooms Usually 1-1.5 kg of dried product comes out. You can dry mushrooms different ways, the main ones are described below.

How to properly dry mushrooms in the sun

Such drying is possible on sunny, clear days in an open, windy place, protected from dust and rain. The mushrooms can be dried completely in the air or just dried, then brought to a dry state in the oven or stove.

If the weather deteriorates and becomes cloudy, the process should be temporarily suspended, since the product may pick up moisture, which it does not need. To dry in the sun, mushrooms need to be strung on fishing line, twine or a strong strong thread so that they do not touch each other, and then hung, covered with gauze from flies and dust.

For such “beads” you can make special convenient stands from wooden blocks or boards.

Natural drying in sunny weather lasts 5-7 days. Sliced ​​mushrooms should be dried for no more than two days. In this case, their natural color will be preserved.

How to dry mushrooms in the oven

For this purpose, instead of a baking sheet, a “standard” or specially made grill is used, which is installed in its place. Mushrooms need to be placed on it in a thin layer and drying should begin at an oven temperature of 45°C. In this case they will not darken.

When the mushrooms have dried a little, the temperature can be raised to 60–70°C; the oven door should be kept slightly open to ensure air exchange. If there are several grates, they need to be swapped periodically to ensure uniform drying of the product.

If there are no grates, and you also don’t want to make them, the drying procedure can be done on a baking sheet, after covering it with baking paper. Mushrooms should be selected according to size and arranged so that they do not touch. Otherwise, the drying process is similar to the method described above.

If the mushroom plates and caps are the same size, they take the same amount of time to dry. Ready dried mushrooms should be removed from the oven, and the rest should be brought to the desired state, turning them over from time to time.

How to dry mushrooms in a dryer

You can make your own mushroom dryer using homemade boxes, a draft or forced air flow.

The boxes are made of plywood and planks 50 mm wide. They use a mesh with a cell size of no more than 15 mm as the bottom. The bottom drawer is made a little larger than the others, since guides are attached to it, along which the upper drawers slide.

Their number usually does not exceed 10 pieces, and the entire structure is located at a level of 30-40 cm. Its upper part is equipped with a plywood roof that provides shade. The gap between the roof and the top drawer is 10 cm.

The assembled structure must be placed in a draft. To speed up the drying of mushrooms, it can be equipped with an air collector. It is made from two sheets of plywood attached to the structure at different angles. After this, the dryer can be installed with the façade facing the wind.

Mushrooms, laid in a thin layer on the mesh of all boxes, must be sorted by size. Thanks to air circulation through the structure, they are dried.

How to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer

The thoughtful design of this device allows you to save a lot of time when drying mushrooms and does not require constant monitoring and presence. The electric dryer has several tiers in the form of pallets, each of which is filled with chopped gifts of nature.

Mushroom pieces should be placed in one even layer on each tier of the dryer. After setting the temperature to 55°C and a time of two to six hours, you can do other things while the device is working.

The duration of drying mushrooms in this way depends on the thickness of their slices. Thin plates dry faster, and so do small quantities. Therefore, when installing not five or six pallets in an electric dryer, but two or three, the readiness of the product should be checked after a couple of hours, otherwise it can be overdried.

If the mushroom plates spring slightly when bent and look dry, the device can be turned off.

How to dry mushrooms in the microwave

To dry mushrooms using this method, they need to be peeled and cut into 5 mm thick plates, then laid out on a wire rack or plate and set the microwave regulator with the product to 100-180 W for 20 minutes.

When the time is up, the oven door should be opened for 5-10 minutes to ventilate. During this time, intensive evaporation of excess moisture released by the mushrooms will occur. This procedure must be repeated 3-4 more times.

The result of the work can be dried mushrooms or their semi-finished product, subject to further drying. It depends on the type of mushroom. The process of such drying is quite long and tedious, especially if the oven has a small volume.

How to dry mushrooms in a Russian oven

Before drying mushrooms, sweep under the stove to remove ash and remove any container with water or food, if any, from the fireplace. When drying, mushrooms should not come into contact with the oven floor. Therefore, if the wickerwork or gratings do not have legs, then bricks must be placed under them in the “edge” position.

Mushrooms prepared for drying should be placed on racks with their caps down or strung on knitting needles. When, after firing, the temperature in the oven drops to 70°C, the laid or strung product can be loaded into it. More heat It is not recommended to use the oven - the mushrooms can burn, and at temperatures below 50°C they dry out slowly and can sour and spoil.

An important factor in the process of drying mushrooms in an oven is the removal of moisture that evaporates from the raw material. In order to ensure this process, the furnace damper must be placed on two bricks, between which there must be a gap for air flow.

At the beginning of drying, the chimney must be opened? valves As the mushrooms dry out, it should be gradually closed.

The product dries unevenly. Large mushroom caps dry more slowly, small mushroom caps dry faster. Therefore, dried mushrooms must be removed in time, otherwise they may lose their aroma and taste, and under-dried mushrooms begin to mold from the slightest dampness.

How to make mushroom powder

To prepare this product, you can use dried mushrooms. They should be broken into pieces and ground in a coffee grinder. During the crushing process, the films of mushroom fibers are destroyed, and the product acquires new properties: it is more easily absorbed in the body and has best scent and taste. Porcini mushrooms are especially good when crushed.

For preservation when grinding, add to mushroom powder fine salt in an amount of 5-10% of its total weight. To emphasize and improve the taste of the product, you can add various ground spices: cumin, allspice, dried leaves parsley, celery, etc.

For hot food mushroom powder added at the end of its cooking no more than one minute before turning off the stove. In addition, it is used as regular seasoning for salads, main courses and soups.

For cooking flavorful omelettes mushroom powder is added while beating the eggs. The product should be stored in a tightly closed glass container placed in a dark place. Without reducing its quality, mushroom powder can be stored in such conditions for up to 1 year.

Rules for storing dried mushrooms

Dried mushrooms, especially in powder form, are highly hygroscopic. They easily pick up moisture from the air and various foreign odors. Therefore, this product should be stored in well-ventilated areas. As containers, you can use moisture-proof bags and metal or glass jars with lids.

Linen and gauze bags are also suitable for this purpose, but in this case, the mushrooms must be separated from products that have strong odors. If for any reason the mushrooms have absorbed moisture, they should be promptly sorted and dried again.

For long-term storage of the product, while the mushrooms retain their warmth and fragility after drying, they can be immediately placed in sterile and sealed glass jars. The container is sterilized at T=90°C: liter jars- for 50 minutes, half-liter - 40 minutes.

You can remove air from a jar using this method: pour a little alcohol into its lid, set it on fire, and immediately close the jar. In this case, all the oxygen in the container is spent on fuel combustion, so an airless space is formed in the container. Thanks to it, the mushrooms will not become moldy even if they have some residual moisture.

How to dry mushrooms - watch the video:

Before cooking, dry mushrooms should be washed and then left in water for several hours to swell. The product is cooked in the resulting infusion. Bon appetit everyone!