Is it possible to freeze fresh uncooked whites? How to freeze porcini mushrooms to keep them for a long time

Porcini mushrooms surprisingly combine bright taste and healthy benefits, as well as widespread in the forest area.

They have the most common appearance in spruce forests, namely a dark cap and a white leg. In birch forests, their tops are lighter, which allows inexperienced mushroom pickers to confuse them with some inedible species. They grow from the second half of August until late autumn, and therefore housewives can be very happy with them. for a long time, especially if you prepare them for the winter. Thus, freezing porcini mushrooms is extremely convenient, because it preserves their properties. But canning, drying and other types of preparations are also used. However, all this somewhat reduces the benefits and dulls them real taste, while mushrooms after freezing are practically no different from fresh ones. But it is their composition that allows them to be classified in the first category, since they have a high content of riboflavin, essential amino acids, potassium and phosphates. And soup made from them will be 7 times more caloric than meat, which allows you to safely eat them in the winter, as well as when switching to vegetarianism.

Freezing technology

Freezing of which can be carried out both raw and finished form, first of all you need to prepare correctly. To do this, you should select dense consistency and small size mushrooms so you don't have to cut them. It is also important that they are well cleaned, washed, preferably undamaged and sufficiently dried. Freezing wet porcini mushrooms threatens to disrupt the neat structure of the product, and when defrosting, instead of the expected result, you will only get an unformed mass. Next, you should choose in what form (fresh, boiled or fried) you will prepare the product. In the first case, porcini mushrooms should be frozen in small portions, per one dish, as well as with minimum quantity air in a bag or container.

If you want to boil them first, then a ten-minute heat treatment without the use of salt will be enough. And after complete cooling and drying, you can safely put them away freezer. And porcini mushrooms should be fried on sunflower oil before the liquid evaporates, also without using spices.

Product Application

In any case, freezing porcini mushrooms is the right way keep the product almost unchanged for a long time. However, this period should not exceed two years, and most the best option is one year, that is, until the next harvest. After defrosting, mushrooms can be used in any dish: cook soups based on them, make salads, fry them with potatoes or other vegetables in a stew. At heat treatment they don't darken. The dish will not only be tasty and rich, but also pleasant to look at. It will be very beneficial to use them in fillings for pies, juliennes and buns, as well as in roasts and casseroles. Rest assured, White mushroom will enrich any dish with its rich taste and useful substances.

Could there be anything tastier than a light one? aromatic soup from fresh porcini mushrooms? Many people are simply delighted with this dish and cannot imagine their life without it. If you live in an area where porcini mushrooms grow, then be sure to take the opportunity to collect them. This will have to be done in the fall, during the rains. Everyone who has ever been present during the collection is surprised at the size of the mushroom and its meatiness.

Frozen porcini mushrooms

They make very tasty and aromatic dishes, as well as original snack. But if you want to enjoy real mushrooms collected from the forest all year round, then why not store them in the refrigerator? How to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter? We will find out the answer to this question from this article.

Mushroom is very useful and nutritious product. It not only contains many vitamins, but also valuable microelements and dietary fiber. Vegetarians often substitute meat dishes mushrooms, since they contain valuable protein, so necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

Before freezing mushrooms, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic recommendations:

  • The mushrooms that you are going to store in the freezer must be freshly picked. Never freeze old or spoiled food.
  • It is better to choose whole, healthy and strong mushrooms. They will look much more impressive after defrosting and will not lose their attractiveness.
  • If you decide to fill the freezer immediately after going to the forest, then washing the mushrooms is not at all necessary. It is enough to remove leaves, twigs and any debris.

How long can frozen mushrooms be stored? Experts recommend using the product within one year. Excessive storage can lead to mushroom spoilage and toxicity. Danger can also lurk immediately after thawing. The melted product may contain a large number of bacteria, because fungi are the most suitable environment for their reproduction.

Frozen porcini mushroom - recipes

In order to save fresh product, it must be frozen as quickly as possible. If the mushrooms are too dirty, then they need to be washed and cleaned. Afterwards it is better to cut it into pieces, spread it on the surface and let it dry. If this is not done, the mushroom will lose its aroma and color, and will also stick together. To make it easier to use mushrooms in winter, try to immediately distribute them into small portions, tightly closing the lid of a plastic tray or plastic bag. The less air there is in the container, the better the product will be preserved.

Advantage boiled mushrooms– they will last much longer and even after defrosting they will not become a favorable environment for bacteria. To repel mushrooms, they also need to be washed, peeled, and then thrown into boiling, lightly salted water. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Then strain and let dry. Divide into portions and place in the refrigerator.

Freezing fried mushrooms. The process of preparing fried mushrooms is not at all complicated. To do this, they need to be thoroughly washed, finely chopped and fried in sunflower oil until golden crust. As for salt and pepper, it is better not to use seasonings right away, but leave it to prepare the main dish in winter. As soon as the mushrooms are ready, they need to be spread out on a baking sheet and allowed to cool. Then divide into portions and hide in special containers.

So now you know how to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter? We hope that our tips will help you enjoy delicious and aromatic dishes even in severe frosts.

Many people do it for the winter mushroom preparations, so that you can then stew and fry the mushrooms, or eat them in (salted) form.

Those who have harvested boletus mushrooms are interested in how to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter at home in order to preserve their wonderful smell and taste. Let's learn how to produce correctly home freezing aromatic, robust boletus mushrooms in fresh, boiled and fried states.

Why is it worth freezing porcini mushrooms?

It’s not for nothing that boletus mushrooms are put on a pedestal: they are so tasty and aromatic that rare people will refuse to try them. In addition, they have a rich composition, which nutritional value equates them to egg whites or meat.

The composition of porcini mushrooms includes:

  • Vitamins B1-B3, B9, E and C;
  • Iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and many other minerals.

Regular consumption of porcini mushrooms accelerates digestive processes and helps to lose weight, improves endurance and performance, tones the body.

To benefit from boletus mushrooms in the winter, it is important to know how to freeze porcini mushrooms.

If the mushrooms are already boiled, housewives do not have to boil them before cooking different dishes: just defrost them and add them where you need them.

Let's find out how to freeze boiled porcini mushrooms at home:

  • We sort through the mushrooms, peel, rinse, and dry.
  • If desired, cut them into halves or quarters, or into cubes.
  • Pour water into a saucepan, add salt and place on the stove. After boiling, add the boletus and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Drain the water by throwing it away boiled mushrooms in a colander. The water should drain completely, and the mushrooms should reach room temperature.
  • Place the boiled mushrooms on a towel to dry.

We put them in bags and, squeezing out the air, tie them tightly. We select one compartment in the freezer just for mushrooms, so that they do not absorb the smells of fish or meat, and put them there.

The healthiest frozen boletus mushrooms are raw, so most often they are put away in the cold in this form. Let's learn how to properly freeze porcini mushrooms without heat treatment.

  • Mushrooms, preferably small ones (they taste better and don’t lose their shape), are cleaned from forest debris and areas rotten or eaten away by worms.
  • We quickly rinse the boletus mushrooms with running water so that they do not have time to become saturated with it, and lay them out on towels to dry.
  • We distribute the mushroom mass into portions so as not to defrost them several times - this will lead to the loss of nutrients.
  • If the mushrooms are large and thick, cut them into cubes measuring 1x1 cm.
  • Place the mushrooms on a wire rack so that they wilt slightly and are not covered with ice.

We distribute them into bags, expel the air and tie them tightly. It is advisable to fill the bags to capacity so that as little air as possible remains. Afterwards, we put the bags in the freezer in a separate box, away from other products.


How to freeze fried porcini mushrooms in the freezer

Frozen fried boletus mushrooms are a completely ready-made dish: just defrost them and you can stuff pies or, after heating, serve as a side dish.

If you want to freeze fried mushrooms, we follow this plan:

  • We clean the porcini mushrooms from forest debris, wormy and rough parts, wash them and cut them into small cubes.
  • We peel a couple or more onions depending on the volume harvested, and also cut into cubes. With onions, the mushrooms will become even juicier and more aromatic.
  • Pour a little oil into a deep frying pan, heat it and fry the onion until transparent.
  • Add the mushroom raw materials, mix and fry over medium heat, stirring regularly and without covering with a lid. After 15 minutes, remove the onion and mushroom mixture into a plate to cool.

Place the cooled mass into bags (containers), tie them well (close them) and put them in the freezer.

You can store frozen mushrooms for a whole year if you keep the freezer temperature at minus 18 degrees.

Now you know how to freeze porcini mushrooms and how to store them. And to defrost them without losing them valuable qualities, put them in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator 2-3 hours before cooking.

Mushrooms are fried, stewed, boiled, salted, marinated. They can also be frozen. This makes it possible to use it in finished form in winter. Mushrooms can be frozen raw, but it is better to wash and boil them beforehand, as they contain a lot of debris, sand, leaves, etc.

And also, because boiled they will take up less space in the freezer. Housewives have disagreements about how long to cook mushrooms.

Before freezing

If you want to buy mushrooms at the market, you need to buy them with caution. After all, you don’t know where they were collected before. They could grow near the roadway or in places where there is And since fungi absorb everything harmful substances, it is clear that they will be of little use. It’s better to collect it yourself, but you can do it if you are an understanding mushroom picker. This is important to know before freezing. If you are not well versed in their species, you can mistakenly pick up poisonous or inedible specimens and poison the whole family.

How to prepare

How long to cook Forest mushrooms? First you need to sort them out, putting aside the old, wormy, wrinkled and stale ones. Stale ones are those that have lain for more than one day. They need to be prepared on the day of collection. Some of them are suitable for pickling, and some are simply thrown away.

Mushrooms need to be cleared of debris. Such as strings and morels can only be boiled after pre-treatment. They have poisonous acid. However, after they are filled with water for an hour and a half, these substances disappear. The water in which the morels were soaked can be drained, they are squeezed out a little, and clean water is added. How long should you cook wild mushrooms before freezing? At least half an hour, or even more.

How to sort mushrooms

Before freezing, they are sorted: white, russula, boletus, boletus, aspen, moss mushrooms, saffron milk caps and boletus are divided into old and young. Some are suitable for pies, others for soups and snacks.

How long should you cook mushrooms before freezing? They are boiled from five minutes (champignons), to twenty minutes (aspen mushrooms), thirty (russula), forty (boletus mushrooms) and fifty minutes (boletus mushrooms).

You need to know that mushrooms with a tubular structure are less dense than lamellar ones. Honey mushrooms and chanterelles are tough. Honey mushrooms have their hats frozen as the less rigid part. They cook longer than others. Cook until boiling, then pour out the broth and add clean water, cook for about another hour. In the future, it is clear that the hardness will determine how long to cook fresh mushrooms.

After boiling, the mushrooms must be cooled, drained and placed in the freezer. For freezing, they are divided into small portions and placed in bags. You need to understand that after you take mushrooms for cooking, you cannot re-freeze them: they will spoil. They can be stored in the freezer for no more than six months.

How long to cook mushrooms?

Before freezing, housewives often have this question. There is no clear answer to this. Some people cook mushrooms for a short time, from five to ten minutes. This reduces the volume of mushrooms, but undercooked mushrooms will then have to be cooked longer when cooking. The freezing process itself will not cause any particular difficulties. Now that we know how long to cook mushrooms before freezing, let’s decide which of them are best frozen raw and which ones we will heat-treat.

It is preferable to freeze it raw good varieties mushrooms: these are boletuses - in general, those that have a spongy surface under the cap. Chanterelles and honey mushrooms fall under the same category. It is not recommended to freeze these mushrooms for a simple reason: after defrosting, they will lose their taste qualities and will be watery.

For old mushrooms, before freezing, you need to remove the bottom layer of the cap, for lamellar species - the plates, for spongy species - the spongy part.

To store the mushrooms more compactly in the freezer, it is recommended to cut them into small pieces. The smallest ones can be frozen whole. In winter they are suitable for decoration appearance dishes.

To freeze, sliced ​​mushrooms are scattered on a tray in a thin layer and the freezer is turned on at maximum temperature. After twelve hours, any fungi will be frozen. After that, they are poured into a bag and placed in the freezer, switched to normal mode.

Boiled

Before the mushrooms are frozen, they are boiled (at a certain time for each type). After cooking, place them on a wire rack until the water drains. Let stand for at least one hour. You can even press them down a little to drain the water. After the mushrooms have dried, they are placed in a strong plastic bag and sent to the freezer.

Attention! Mushrooms should not be re-frozen - they will turn out to be a tasteless, watery mass.

To defrost it is better to transfer them to refrigerator and leave it there overnight. If they do not defrost, they can be defrosted again at room temperature.

They need to be defrosted slowly in the refrigerator. There they will gradually move away from freezing, but in addition you still need to know the secrets - how long to cook mushrooms.
There are a couple more good ways for freezing.

First way. The mushrooms are washed, cooled, placed in plastic bags, sealed and sent for freezing. After defrosting, they are fried with onions and served.

Second way. They take mushrooms citric acid and salt. The mushrooms are cleaned, washed, thrown into moderately salted and acidified boiling water and cooked for about five minutes. After cooling, dry and freeze. Store in plastic bags, from which the air is squeezed out. After cooking, eat immediately, without saving for later.

The mushroom season is short, although there are many ways to preserve mushrooms for the winter. Especially tasty porcini mushrooms that are easy to freeze in regular home freezer. Of course, they are inferior to fresh ones, although when in winter you cook fresh mushrooms taken out of the freezer, it’s SUMMER again! At home, only freshly picked, not wrinkled/broken whites are frozen. Everything large and overripe turns into mush after the freezer! Porcini mushrooms are frozen raw, fried or stewed. Cooking fresh boletus is barbaric; everything delicious will end up in the water! It is convenient to freeze mushrooms in special zip-lock bags and plastic bags. The rest takes up too much space in the freezer.

How to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter

For raw preparation, only strong white mushrooms without damage or wormholes are selected. Large boletus mushrooms, which have looser pulp and flesh, will absorb a lot of moisture, which will inevitably affect the final product. Mushrooms are cleaned of forest debris, the stem is scraped and quickly washed. Clean mushrooms must be dried so that they do not stick together when frozen, and cut into slices or cubes. Lay out in a thin layer on a tray and place on the freezer shelf. After half an hour/hour, the finished mushrooms are placed in single portions in plastic bags. You can do it simpler, wash the boletus, cut and dry. Arrange the whites in portion sachets and remove excess air and put it in the freezer. Ideal if your home refrigerator has a system blast freezing, then the boletus mushrooms will be completely preserved delicate aroma, density + beneficial features. Defrost in the refrigerator, then the fungi seem to be straight from the forest. Shelf life of frozen raw mushrooms V home refrigerator up to 12 months.

Freezing mushrooms stewed in their own juice

Stewing allows you to preserve the taste and aroma of the porcini mushroom. Any boletus will do, as long as it is not overripe. Clean the mushrooms, cut out damaged areas and wormholes. Rinse under running water, cut into small pieces and pour into a saucepan. Add a little water (you don’t need to add it) and put it on strong fire. Bring to a boil, stirring, skim off any dirty foam. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring until mushrooms start to sprout own juice. Evaporate the liquid completely, add salt to taste, ground black or white pepper, and mix thoroughly. Place the cooled boletus mushrooms in small portions into freezer bags and close. The resulting thin “pancakes” are put into the freezer.

Freezing fried porcini mushrooms.

Any fat for frying, vegetable, butter, melted butter, lard... Cut the prepared porcini mushrooms into pieces. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, add mushrooms and cover with a lid. Stirring, fry/simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, they should boil slightly. Then remove the lid and fry, stirring frequently until the mushroom juice has completely evaporated and the oil becomes clear. When the boletus is browned, you can add salt to taste, add ground black and white pepper, sweet paprika, oregano, and fried onion. The addition of spices/seasonings is minimal, boletus has a sweetish delicate aroma and a taste that is easy to spoil. The cooled boletus mushrooms are put into bags and put in the freezer. Shelf life of frozen fried/ stewed mushrooms in the home refrigerator for no more than four months. It is not advisable to store it longer; you will not get poisoned, but even the porcini mushroom becomes a herb.