Mushrooms are a valuable source of proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins and valuable amino acids, necessary for the body person. They have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, activate the immune system, promote wound healing and recovery from illness. And of course it's easy delicious product, from which you can prepare countless wonderful dishes. These unique gifts of nature are prepared for the winter different ways. How to properly freeze mushrooms will be discussed below.

Freezing is the most optimal technology for preserving food for long term. During this procedure, no more than 20% is lost useful substances. If all the rules are followed, mushrooms can be preserved from summer for a period of more than 12 months. Self-harvesting allows you to significantly reduce costs in winter, because at this time they are sold several times more expensive than during the season of mass growth and collection.

Advantages and disadvantages of freezing

Freezing is the oldest way to preserve food. Since ancient times, it has been observed that exposure to cold extends their shelf life, leaving their appearance and taste virtually unchanged.

TO positive aspects deep frozen relate:

• Fast and easy processing.
• Slight loss of raw material weight.
• Preservation of taste, aroma, color and shape.
• Unlimited cooking possibilities after defrosting.
• Minor loss of nutritional value.

Of course, there are some negative points:

• High energy intensity.
• The need for significant space for placement.
• Constant temperature support. Repeated defrosting is strictly unacceptable.

Mushrooms suitable for freezing

Any mushrooms can be frozen, but not all of them can be harvested raw. According to their structure, they are divided into marsupials, lamellar and tubular. The latter can be frozen without preliminary heat treatment. Of the lamellar ones, only oyster mushrooms and champignons are harvested fresh. The rest are first cooked and only then frozen as semi-finished products.

How to choose and prepare mushrooms correctly

Only young, fresh and undamaged specimens are suitable for cold preservation. Processing should be done within 24 hours after collection. In old, overripe ones, an active process of protein decomposition occurs, which is comparable to rotting.

The waste products of worms and larvae are toxic to humans; mushrooms affected by them are not recommended for consumption, much less canning. Violation of the preparation technology can lead to severe poisoning.

Raw materials must be sorted out, cleared of debris, and those that are unsuitable - sluggish, wrinkled, wormy - must be discarded. Then wash and dry. Removing water prevents food from freezing. Large specimens should be cut, small ones can be harvested whole. Butter must be skinned.

Dishes needed for freezing

Frozen mushrooms are stored in containers or bags made of food-grade polymer material. Bags are preferable; such packaging allows you to save space and pack products more tightly. If you decide to use containers, then it is better to take square and rectangular ones in order to compactly place them in the freezer.

To preserve the taste and aroma, the container must be filled so that, if possible, there is no air left in it. It is recommended to use vacuum containers. Air can be squeezed out of plastic bags by hand. Hermetic packaging prevents unwanted shrinkage and transfer of odors when different products are adjacent.

Mushrooms should be frozen in small portions that will be eaten shortly after thawing. If for some reason the food has not been cooked within 24 hours of being removed from the freezer, it will have to be thrown away or you may suffer from serious food poisoning.

Preparing the refrigerator

Before storing products for a long period of time, the refrigerator must be washed to remove any bad smell. You should allocate a place in the freezer where they will not be adjacent to meat, fish, and seafood. 3-4 hours before the intended addition of products you need to adjust temperature regime, setting the lowest possible value.

The temperature in the freezer should be from -18 ˚С and below.

Freezing methods at home

Mushrooms can be frozen both raw and seasoned. heat treatment- boiled, fried, baked. You can freeze fresh those that are not bitter - boletuses, boletus mushrooms, fly mushrooms, champignons, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, oyster mushrooms. Species that secrete a specific milky juice must be soaked in salted water and then boiled. After this, the products are removed from the water, cooled, dried, placed in prepared containers and frozen.

Raw mushrooms

The easiest and fastest way to freeze mushrooms is to prepare them fresh and whole. In this case, after sorting, washing and drying, they are laid out on a small tray in a single layer and placed in the freezer. When the workpieces are frozen, they are poured into bags and placed in a prepared place. You can subsequently prepare any dish from mushrooms frozen using this method. Their taste, aroma, shape and color are not lost during storage. You can even pickle them.

Salty

Salted mushrooms are kept in the refrigerator at temperatures up to +5 ˚С for no longer than 2 months. Freezing allows you to increase the shelf life up to 1 year. They are thrown into a colander, the brine is allowed to drain, lightly squeezed, put into bags and placed in the freezer. As needed, the portion is defrosted, seasoned with onions and vegetable oil and consumed.

Boiled

If fresh mushrooms have no good presentation- if they are dented or broken, they should not be frozen raw. Short-term boiling in slightly salted water is designed to inhibit the development of pathogenic microflora and extend storage time. Boiled foods decrease in volume and become soft.

You can use this recipe:

• 1 kg of mushrooms;
• 1 carrot;
• 5-6 peas of allspice;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 clove;
• salt to taste.

Cook all ingredients, except mushrooms, until carrots soften. Add the mushrooms to the boiling brine and boil for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain the water, squeeze lightly, and pat dry with a towel. Package and place in the freezer.

Many mushrooms are conditionally edible, have a bitter taste or are completely poisonous in their raw form. These include valui, volnushka, milk mushroom, dubovik, honey fungus, row, morel.

Before freezing, they must be prepared in the following order:

1. soak for 24 hours, changing the water several times;
2. boil three times in large water (5 liters per 1 kg of raw materials);
3. Throw the products into a colander.

After each cooking, the broth is discarded and the mushrooms are washed. By boiling them in salted water, it is possible to completely eliminate the bitterness; toxic substances are destroyed when heated to 70˚C.

Blanched

1. Boil the brine in the ratio of 20 g of salt per 1 liter of water with the addition of citric acid on the tip of the knife.
2. The product is placed in a colander and immersed in boiling water for 2 minutes.
3. Immerse in ice water for the same time.
4. The colander is placed in the sink to drain the liquid.
5. Place the mushrooms on cloth towels to dry.

Steam treatment for 5 minutes is also possible. To do this, use a double boiler or place a colander with prepared raw materials over a pan of boiling water.

Stewed

In case of unexpected arrival of guests, a catastrophic lack of time or an attack of reluctance to stand at the stove, there is a way out - to prepare stewed mushrooms. First they need to be lightly boiled or blanched. Then simmer in a thick-walled bowl for half an hour with onions and spices. When all the moisture has evaporated, turn off the heat, cool, package and place in the freezer. Here, for example, interesting recipe with the addition of wine.

For it you will need:

• 800 g mushrooms.
• Half a glass of dry white wine.
• 1 tsp. allspice.
• 100 ml vegetable oil.
• Salt, herbs.

The product is cut, stewed in a stainless container for 20 minutes, and added with salt. At the end of cooking, add wine, pepper, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then cool and package.

Fried

Blank fried mushrooms- also an ambulance option for any case. Any fat is suitable for this, most often butter or vegetable oil. This semi-finished product is stored for 3-4 months, after which the oil will begin to taste bitter. Mushrooms should be blanched, fried over low heat until the liquid has completely evaporated, salt and add spices to taste. Cool, spread over portioned packages and place in the freezer.

Mushrooms with broth

When cooked, sponge mushrooms give a tasty and aromatic broth, which is also subject to cold preservation. You can boil them with carrots and potatoes, salt and season, and pour everything into freezer containers. The result is an excellent semi-finished product that is suitable for consumption immediately after defrosting.

Mushrooms and broth are often prepared separately, placing the solid base in a bag and the liquid in a plastic container.

Baked

Semi-finished product with bright taste and the aroma is obtained when mushrooms are baked in the oven. To do this, cover a baking sheet with foil, place whole or sliced ​​champignons, boletus, boletus or aspen mushrooms on it and bake until tender without adding oil. In this case, they wilt slightly and need further cooking after defrosting.

What temperature is needed for freezing?

It is recommended to freeze mushrooms at temperatures from -18 °C and below. It is important that the process occurs as quickly as possible. When frozen slowly, the liquid inside the mushroom tissue forms large crystals, which will tear apart the cells. This will negatively affect the quality of the defrosted product. To quickly freeze the workpieces to their full depth, they must be laid in small portions, leaving gaps for the circulation of cold air.

Not everyone knows how to salt and marinate mushrooms. Therefore, freezing them is often the best option. Frozen mushrooms will help out in many situations: it’s so easy and quick to cook soup from them, make a filling for pies or pizza, add to fried potatoes, in the stew, wrap the caviar. A large number of recipes from forest fruits are explained by their versatility, nutritional value and unusual, incomparable taste.

Fruits for winter storage

Mushrooms are a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. Their regular use is considered good prevention. oncological diseases. They are recommended for those losing weight or fasting.

By following the rules for storing forest harvests, you can provide yourself with favorite dish with the taste of autumn. All mushrooms can be frozen, but the most popular are:

• white;
• oyster mushrooms;
• chanterelles;
• boletus;
• honey mushrooms;
• boletus;
• Champignon.

Mushroom product for the winter at home is prepared in several forms:

• raw;
• boiled;
• fried;
• baked.

Each type of mushroom - lamellar, marsupial, tubular - requires its own method of freezing and storing in the refrigerator. For example, dense fruits belonging to the tubular type best tolerate the process of exposure to cold in their raw form. This White mushroom, boletus and oiler.

Freezing raw

The rules for harvesting selected mushrooms in raw form are simple. This process can be done by anyone, even a novice housewife. The following steps must be followed:

• cleaning;
• cold pre-treatment;
• freezing

It is advisable to first clean the mushrooms from dirt, soil, adhering leaves and blades of grass. It is not recommended to wash fruits for raw freezing, as they will quickly absorb moisture, which will subsequently turn into ice. WITH harvested It is worth removing black spots and possible rot. The leg should also be trimmed where it touched the ground. Then lay them out whole on a wooden board (it is better to use a substrate made of natural material) and place them in the freezer for several hours.

The chamber temperature should be -18 degrees Celsius.

If the refrigerator is a new generation and it has a turbo freezing mode, then you can turn it on. After emergency cold treatment, the mushrooms are taken out of the freezer and put into bags for further storage.

It is very convenient to sort the forest harvest immediately into portions, since the mushroom product does not like secondary and subsequent frosts.

If the fruits are large enough, they can be chopped. Most often, large-sized forest harvests are cut into slices 1-2 centimeters thick.

Mushrooms frozen raw can be stored in the refrigerator for about a year. The ideal period for their use is the first 3 months. But if you get the product after 5 or 6 months, its taste will not change.

Boiled preparations

Despite the fact that agaric mushrooms (oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, honey mushrooms and champignons) can also be frozen quite well in their raw form, experienced housewives recommend cooking them before storing them in the refrigerator. Namely - boiling, frying or baking.

In order to freeze boiled forest harvest, you need to thoroughly rinse the mushrooms and dry them thoroughly on a towel. Next, they should be placed in a saucepan and boiled for 3-5 minutes. In this case, the water should be without spices and salt.

After which the mushrooms are placed in a colander to drain the liquid, and placed in portions in bags or containers. Finally, they are stored in the freezer.

Frying a product for the winter

Roasted forest harvests are also often prepared. To do this, wash the mushrooms, clean them of black spots and trim their stems. Then they are dried and cut in a convenient way. Next, the mushroom product is fried in a frying pan without salt and spices with a minimum of oil. Frying the workpiece continues until all the oil has boiled away.

After which the product is packaged in bags or containers and stored in the freezer. The dish is already ready to eat and is placed directly on a warm side dish or heated for several minutes in a frying pan or in the microwave.

If the mushrooms are bitter, like chanterelles, then you can soak them for a while in salted water before cooking.

Freezing forest harvest in broth

You can also freeze mushrooms for the winter in your own broth using briquettes. To do this, they are boiled. In this case, it is also not worth salting and seasoning the dish with spices. After temperature treatment in a pan, the product is placed in dense plastic containers, in which bags are pre-placed, and goes into the freezer. Ready-made mushroom briquettes can be removed from the container and stored in bags, stacked one on top of another for convenience.

Butter should not be stored in this way. Experts recommend draining the broth after cooking these mushrooms.

Oven drying

Some housewives give their preference to storage baked mushrooms. To do this, whole, washed and dried fruits are placed in the oven with their caps down. During the process, the surface of the baking tray is lubricated with oil or other fat.

Oven-dried fruits are cooled and placed in bags or other containers and stored in the freezer. Fans of this method note that this is the only way the product does not lose its aroma and taste.

Less frequently frozen edible species marsupial mushrooms. For the winter they are usually prepared boiled. Before doing this, they must be thoroughly rinsed and squeezed out, as they absorb moisture quite well.

You need to freeze clean and strong mushrooms. The ideal choice would be white mushrooms, honey mushrooms, boletuses, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms and champignons. They do not need to be soaked to remove the bitter milky juice. You also need to consider:

• It is better to freeze mushrooms with whole caps and stems;
• They need to be prepared for freezing immediately on the day of collection;
• After washing, the mushrooms must be dried so that a lot of ice does not form during freezing;
• Plastic containers or plastic bags are suitable for freezing.

When frozen, mushrooms will retain maximum nutrients and vitamins. This method of preparing them will not take much time and effort.

How to freeze mushrooms: basic methods

There are several popular freezing methods:

• To prepare raw mushrooms, they need to be laid out on a tray at a short distance from each other and placed in the freezer for 10-12 hours. Then they need to be distributed into bags or containers for easy storage;
• can be prepared boiled mushrooms. In this case, after defrosting, you will not need to spend a lot of time preparing them. Boil the mushrooms for 30-40 minutes, then let them cool completely and package the product in bags;
• It is recommended to pre-soak and fry chanterelles. They need to be soaked in salt water at the rate of 1 tbsp per 1 liter of water. l. salt. This will help rid the chanterelles of bitterness. It is better to fry them in vegetable oil without salt, all the liquid should boil away. After this, the mushrooms need to be cooled well and stored in the freezer;
• The original method is freezing in broth. The mushrooms must first be well boiled and allowed to cool completely. Place a plastic bag in a small container, the edges of which should cover the sides of the container. Pour the broth with mushrooms into the bag and put it in the freezer for 4-5 hours. When the liquid is completely frozen, carefully separate the bag from the container and put it back in the freezer. This freezing option is perfect for making mushroom soup.

Such frozen foods should be stored at a temperature no higher than –18ºС for no more than one year. After defrosting, the mushrooms must be cooked immediately, leaving them to long term Can't be in the refrigerator.

And fruits, in addition to cans, are also sent to the freezer - for better preservation of vitamins.

But there is another type of preparations that many housewives practice, namely those collected or purchased for the winter, and this process is worth considering in more detail.

What mushrooms are suitable

Fans of “silent hunting” know that almost any type of hunting weapon is suitable for such purposes. But preserves its taste best:

• boletus;
• boletus;

They are slightly inferior to them, but still retain their gastronomic “notes”, such types as:

• saffron milk caps;

Most often, purchased oyster mushrooms or are used. This is the easiest option for city dwellers - not everyone has a forest nearby, and collecting “wild” ones without proper experience is problematic.

Important! A filled container or bag should contain a minimum of air, which accelerates the “aging” of products. Therefore, the containers are filled to the very top, and the air is “bleeded” out of the bags before sealing.

Logging is more preferable (after all, it is a “natural product”), but there are some nuances here too. The collection should only contain young plants taken from the edge of the forest in the depths of the massif. Roadside ones are not suitable for food (due to their ability to absorb harmful substances through).

Preparing mushrooms

Primary processing is done immediately after collection. Ideally - within 24 hours. The most demanding ones in this regard are boletus mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, and. Having such a collection in hand, you will have to act as quickly as possible.

Other species (especially oyster mushrooms) can withstand 1.5-2 days, although this should not be abused - useful substances and compounds “evaporate” quite quickly.

Otherwise, preparation at home is quite simple; mushrooms, before being frozen, are subjected to such simple procedures:

• a thorough inspection - all old, cracked, limp or simply suspicious specimens are put aside;
• all rubbish and dirt are removed from the remaining ones;
• then follows a thorough rinsing with a change of water (in this case, some of the beneficial properties will be lost, but safety is paramount);
• After washing, they are laid out on a towel and dried.

Already dry mushrooms are ready for further processing and freezing. The largest ones are carefully cut, while the smaller ones are tried to be left whole (although for a small freezer, they will also have to be cut).

Freezing methods

Having already washed mushrooms, you can proceed directly to freezing. Let's start with the most simple way, which will help preserve the newly collected material.

Raw mushrooms

The algorithm for such work will be as follows:

1. Mushrooms are scattered evenly over containers or tray. The layer should be thin.
2. Then the container is left in the freezer for 12 hours, turning up the maximum setting.
3. After this time, the workpiece is removed, and the mushrooms themselves are distributed into ordinary plastic bags. They are placed in the freezer, already operating in standard mode.

Many people are interested in which mushrooms from the mentioned list can be frozen, taken raw, and whether they really retain their nutritional quality with such a simple method.

Important! The ideal storage container would be a container made of so-called kraft cardboard with walls and bottom laminated on the inside.

“High-speed” freezing without preliminary heat treatment best suited for purely forest species, such as:

• chanterelles;
• boletus;
• boletus;
• (collected at the forest edge, not purchased).

Boiled

It happens that the collected specimens seem to be intact, but their condition falls a little short of “saleable appearance”. In such cases it helps short cooking:

1. Place on medium heat large saucepan. It’s easy to calculate the volume - 5 liters of water per 1 kg of collection.
2. The already washed and cut workpiece is placed in the pan, which will be boiled for 5-10 minutes.
3. After turning off the gas, you need to let the boiling water cool a little and then remove all the pieces with a colander, draining the water. Some mushrooms are dried, but this is not necessary.
4. All that remains is to place the mushrooms in bags and put them in the freezer. They are packaged so that one bag or container is enough to prepare one dish - after opening the cellophane in winter, the product is immediately sent for cooking (when melted, it very quickly loses vitamins and minerals, and the taste becomes less rich).

The question that remains relevant is whether it is possible to freeze absolutely whole mushrooms by simply taking them raw and without boiling them before sending them to the chamber.

Practice suggests that nothing bad will happen, but there is one culinary trick. If you freeze such products for making soup, then you don’t have to scald them, but for future frying this procedure is required.

Stewed

This method allows preserve the aroma without much destruction of the structure of the stem or cap:

1. The blanks are soaked in a solution of water with citric acid (1 tsp per 1 liter). Leave for 5-7 minutes.
2. Then they throw it into a heated frying pan, after pouring a little vegetable oil into it.
3. Set the heat to high and stir for 4-5 minutes. To enhance the taste, you can add (chopped or rings). This “set” is fried for another 2-3 minutes.
4. It remains to simmer under the lid for 15-20 minutes, not forgetting to lightly pepper and salt at the end.
5. Turn off the gas and let the mushrooms sit for a while under the lid.

Important! If during prolonged cooking the mushrooms begin to turn slightly gray and wrinkle, this is not a cause for concern. On the contrary, such a signal indicates the final “exodus” of microbes and harmful impurities.

The final chord is cooling and placing in containers or bags. It turned out to be an excellent base for pasta, which is sent to the freezer.

Fried

There is no particular difficulty here either:

1. Drop 2 tablespoons of vegetable or oil into the pan.
2. When it warms up over medium heat, you need to lay out the chopped collection in a thin layer.
3. The duration of frying may vary depending on the size - 4-5 minutes are enough for small pieces, while larger ones can take 10-15.
4. Then comes cooling (you don’t have to cover it with a lid).
5. Then everything is as usual: packaging and going to the refrigerator. The resulting product, left there until winter, will be an excellent filling.

Often such processing is carried out not on the stove itself, but in the oven. This is even more economical - no oil is required (it is replaced by your own juice). True, old stoves can produce uneven heating, and this point should be kept in mind even before frying.

How long can they be stored?

After all this work, a logical question arises: how long can you keep and store packaged and frozen mushrooms in a regular freezer?

Frozen mushrooms will delight you subtle aroma and bright taste all year round. Knowing how to freeze mushrooms for the winter, you will always have useful natural product without chemical additives. You will learn all the details of the process from this article.

How to properly prepare mushrooms for freezing

You need to freeze clean and strong mushrooms. The ideal choice would be white mushrooms, honey mushrooms, boletuses, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms and champignons. They do not need to be soaked to remove the bitter milky juice. You also need to consider:

• It is better to freeze mushrooms with whole caps and stems;
• They need to be prepared for freezing immediately on the day of collection;
• After washing, the mushrooms must be dried so that a lot of ice does not form during freezing;
• Plastic containers or plastic bags are suitable for freezing.

When frozen, mushrooms will retain maximum nutrients and vitamins. This method of preparing them will not take much time and effort.

How to freeze mushrooms: basic methods

There are several popular freezing methods:

• To prepare raw mushrooms, they need to be laid out on a tray at a short distance from each other and placed in the freezer for 10-12 hours. Then they need to be distributed into bags or containers for easy storage;
• You can prepare boiled mushrooms. In this case, after defrosting, you will not need to spend a lot of time preparing them. Boil the mushrooms for 30-40 minutes, then let them cool completely and package the product in bags;
• It is recommended to pre-soak and fry chanterelles. They need to be soaked in salt water at the rate of 1 tbsp per 1 liter of water. l. salt. This will help rid the chanterelles of bitterness. It is better to fry them in vegetable oil without salt, all the liquid should boil away. After this, the mushrooms need to be cooled well and stored in the freezer;
• The original method is freezing in broth. The mushrooms must first be well boiled and allowed to cool completely. Place a plastic bag in a small container, the edges of which should cover the sides of the container. Pour the broth with mushrooms into the bag and put it in the freezer for 4-5 hours. When the liquid is completely frozen, carefully separate the bag from the container and put it back in the freezer. This freezing option is perfect for making mushroom soup.

Such frozen foods should be stored at a temperature no higher than –18ºС for no more than one year. After defrosting, mushrooms must be cooked immediately; they should not be left in the refrigerator for a long time.

All the same mushrooms that you collect in summer and autumn are suitable for storing for the winter: from chanterelles to porcini mushrooms, the main thing is that they are edible.

Attention! Defrost raw mushrooms It's best to put them in the refrigerator. Then they will be just like fresh, just out of the forest.

Rule No. 3: freeze boiled or stewed mushrooms

If you are afraid to freeze fresh mushrooms and want to play it safe, then boil them before freezing. Not long at all - up to 5 minutes. Most often, honey mushrooms intended for frying are frozen in this way. This method is also suitable for broken, out-of-shape, but fresh and tasty mushrooms.

To prepare the mushrooms, drop them, peeled and cut into pieces, into boiling water for 5 minutes. Then let it cool, drain in a colander and place in food bags or containers.

Calculate the number of mushrooms in the bag so that you can use one bag to prepare one dish. As a rule, half of the packages are small - from 300 g to half a kilogram, and half - with a larger weight, from 500 g to 1 kg.

Can also be frozen. To do this, clean, prepared mushrooms are fried on small quantity vegetable oil for 20 minutes until all excess moisture has evaporated. Completely cooled mushrooms are placed in bags and frozen.

The “silent hunting” season should not pass by our freezer. Because - alas, but in winter fresh boletus We are unlikely to find chanterelles and boletus in supermarkets. We will buy factory-frozen or eternal mushrooms, like the Egyptian pyramids, champignons and oyster mushrooms.

But! If we make a little fuss and overcome our own laziness for a while, then... then we’ll put the mushroom reserves in the freezer and freeze them according to the rules in the winter

Rule No. 1: clean, fresh, young

Our mushrooms, no matter how we freeze them, must be fresh, clean and, if possible, not broken. A lot depends on this - both the appearance of the product after defrosting and the quality. Consequently, mushrooms need to be collected, bought, bartered, begged for - fresh. Maximum - yesterday's assembly.

Attention! When peeling mushrooms, do not get them too wet. The mushroom easily absorbs water, which will become ice in the freezer. Why do we need water in mushrooms?

Rule No. 2: freeze fresh mushrooms

The easiest way to freeze mushrooms is whole and fresh. After cleaning, they are placed in the freezer on a flat surface, and after a few hours they can be poured into a prepared bag or container. Ideal mushrooms for freezing in this way would be boletus mushrooms, honey mushrooms, forest champignons, boletus, boletus, chanterelle.

We need the fungus to be strong, then even after defrosting they will keep their shape and decorate any dish.

Attention! The best way to defrost raw mushrooms is to place them in the refrigerator. Then they will be just like fresh, just out of the forest.

Rule No. 3: freeze boiled or stewed mushrooms

Rule #4: Maintain Temperature

Frozen mushrooms for the winter can be stored at a temperature of -18°C for up to a year. After completely defrosting the mushrooms, use them immediately, and under no circumstances leave them in the refrigerator for “later.”

Editor's Pie

If there are mushrooms at home, it doesn’t matter - fresh or frozen, then after 40 minutes my family and friends are already groaning over the baking sheet, choosing the most tasty piece. The dough in this pie is called “filled” and takes no longer to cook than scrambled eggs.

You will need for the test: 2 eggs, 0.5. Art. sugar, 1 cup sour cream, 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon soda, a pinch of salt.

You will need for the filling: 500 gr. frozen mushrooms in pieces, 1 large onion, 200 gr. chicken liver, oil for frying, salt and pepper to taste.

Boil chicken liver and scroll through a meat grinder (I do this in advance if possible). Thaw the mushrooms and chop them completely small pieces and fry with onions. Combine with liver, pepper and lightly salt.

We combine the ingredients for the dough, mix thoroughly and pour into a greased form or baking sheet with high sides (I have a glass one), lay out the filling - some of it will go down, some will remain on top.

Bake over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Sour cream dough very successful. The slight sweetness of the dough and the saltiness of the mushrooms give an unusual taste!

Housewives have been harvesting mushrooms for the winter for a long time. At first, this took the form of drying, salting and pickling, but recently a method that came from industrial mushroom growing, such as freezing, was added to them.

Its advantages are obvious. It:

1. does not take much time (and for a modern woman, who is forced to combine work, and sometimes more than one, in her life, and home, this is perhaps one of the main advantages).
2. allows you to preserve mushrooms in their original form with all their inherent beneficial properties and taste.
3. gives confidence that they will not deteriorate throughout the entire storage period. As is known, mushrooms belong to perishable products, and such confidence is not at all superfluous.
4. finally, it provides housewives with an excellent semi-finished product, from which at any convenient time you can prepare anything - from first courses to appetizers, salads and pie fillings.

Moreover, compared to traditional ways Freezing mushroom preparations makes it possible to preserve them for a much longer time than pickling or salting. For example, pickled mushrooms can be stored for no more than six months, pickled mushrooms can be stored for no more than a year, and frozen mushrooms can be stored for a year or even more.

However, despite all the admitted ease, this procedure has a number of very important nuances, non-compliance with which will lead to best case scenario to product damage. It would not be an exaggeration to say that mushrooms, traditionally included in the human diet, have their own “character” and, despite all the similarities general technology require freezing special approach in detail. In addition, not all mushrooms can be frozen. Therefore, before you engage in such preparation, you need to know how to properly freeze mushrooms for the winter at home.

Mushrooms that can be frozen include:

1. chanterelles.
2. White mushrooms.
3. milk mushrooms
4. saffron milk caps.
5. boletus.

Each of these mushrooms has not only its own qualities and characteristics, but also methods of preparation, therefore, it seems to us, it would be correct to consider the features of freezing them separately.

Such useful foxes...

Therefore, it is not surprising that chanterelles are deservedly popular among mushroom pickers and hobbyists. tasty food at any time of the year, especially in winter, when there is an acute lack of vitamins and you often want to snack on “something tasty.” However, if you decide to make yourself such a tasty and healthy supply for the winter, then you should do this immediately after collecting chanterelles. Their preparation proceeds as follows:

1. Sort and sort the mushrooms. First of all, only young, strong chanterelles that have not yet straightened their caps are subject to freezing. Be sure to separate small specimens from large ones - they are frozen in different ways. If they end up in the same bag next to each other, then during subsequent cooking the large chanterelles will become bitter.
2. cut off the lower part of the stem and thoroughly clean the cap from dirt and debris.
3. rinse the selected mushrooms well under running water, Special attention paying attention to the lower part of the cap, where debris most often accumulates.
4. After washing, place the chanterelles on a towel that absorbs liquid well and dry them. These mushrooms absorb moisture well, which is why, when frozen, they lose a lot in taste and quality, so good, almost perfect drying of them is an indispensable condition for quality preparation for the winter.
5. After drying, they should be placed in a single layer on a tray and placed in the freezer for at least two hours. In order to avoid sticking, it is recommended to freeze the chanterelles individually in several stages.
6. then place them in plastic bags or plastic containers, seal them tightly, label them with the date, and put them back in the freezer.

Large chanterelles can be frozen like this:

1. rinse in cold, preferably running water freshly picked mushrooms, removing all dirt and debris. To make cleaning easier, you can soak them briefly beforehand.
2. Cut each mushroom individually into several pieces. The easiest way is to cut off the cap from the stem and cut them into slices of approximately 6 mm. thick. In addition to ease of use, this will also save a lot of storage space and allow you to prepare more mushrooms for the winter.
3. Place all parts in a large saucepan, pour cold water and boil until boiling, then add salt and cook for another 15-20 minutes. During cooking, before and after using salt, be sure to remove the foam, which may also contain particles of unwashed debris.
4. Drain the mushrooms in a colander, cool quickly under cold water and let dry. Some housewives claim that you can dry the chanterelles directly in a colander, but it is best to place them on a towel and wait until all the water is absorbed into it.
5. After drying, place the mushrooms in containers, close, label and put in the freezer to freeze. If you plan to use bags for storage, then the next day you can transfer the mushrooms into them from containers. When using an enamel tray, it is advisable to lower its bottom for a couple of seconds hot water, then transfer the chanterelles stored in it into the designated bags.

Some housewives manage to freeze and stewed chanterelles, putting them in a jar along with the sauce in which they were stewed, pouring sour cream on top, closing the lid and putting them in the freezer.

There is no need to defrost the chanterelles. If they are needed for making soup, then they can be used directly frozen; if they are going to be fried, then you need to put them in boiling water for a few minutes, and then in a colander, let the water drain and put them in a frying pan. It is best to serve chanterelles with vegetables, as these mushrooms are rich in protein.

How to freeze porcini mushroom

The reputation of the porcini mushroom in the mushroom kingdom and its environs is akin to the reputation of Caesar’s wife, who, as enlightened people know, is always above all suspicion. It is enough to mention only the fact that even in “Domostroy” (XVI century) only it was called the general specific word “mushroom”, all the others edible mushrooms have their own names that have survived to this day - milk mushrooms, saffron milk caps, etc. The porcini mushroom, or boletus, is known throughout almost the entire territory of the CIS from the Kola Peninsula to the Caucasus and Belarus to Far East, and, despite its uneven distribution (in some areas it is found often, in others less often, in some places it is not present at all), it is called differently everywhere. The most likely guess as to why he became "white" is due to distinctive feature its pulp retains its snow-white color even after heat treatment.

Researchers of Russian dialects know about two dozen synonymous names, many of which have been preserved in the language since ancient times and can no longer be explained or analyzed in origin. In some areas where the porcini mushroom is not found - on the Yenisei and Olonets, in Kargopolye and in some areas of the Tver and Vologda regions - this name is given to other edible mushrooms growing in pine or mixed forests - for example, boletus, boletus, saffron milk caps. In Central Asia, steppe oyster mushrooms are called “ceps”. It can be assumed that in this way the residents of these regions indicate their attitude towards these mushrooms, placing them in importance in local cooking and taste on the same level as boletus. Even in Crimea, where the white mushroom is well known, the same name with the addition of the adjective “mountain” (mountain white mushroom) is used to call the giant talker.

The boletus itself, in addition to its traditional or “typical” form, has 17 more forms, depending on the season of its appearance and the characteristics of the climate and mycorrhiza. This allows us to consider it almost the most widespread mushroom on Earth, since it can be found in all its varieties in most parts of the planet. Judging by the area where it grows and the fact that all 18 forms of porcini mushroom are recognized as edible and healthy, we can also assume that it is used in cooking for the most different nations. In addition to having useful elements and amino acids, it is believed that regular use boletus:

1. reduces weight.
2. stimulates digestion, and in this regard is even superior to meat broth.
3. improves thyroid function.
4. increases performance and overall tone of the body.

Boletus can also be classified as a medicinal mushroom. It is known that in the past the extract from its bodies was used to treat frostbite, and today substances with tonic antitumor properties have been discovered in it.

Several facts eloquently testify to how highly the porcini mushroom is valued even by food-harmful Europeans:

1. special mushroom tours to Finland are organized for Italians (in Italy there are restrictions on collecting mushrooms and berries, the observance of which is strictly enforced by the so-called “forest police”).
2. in 1987, according to official sources, more than a thousand tons of boletus were sold in France and Germany, and over 2,300 tons in Italy.
3. The harvest of porcini mushrooms in Italy does not satisfy the demand of the local population so much that most of them are imported from abroad.

Among the Russian people, the white mushroom has long been called with honor “dear mushroom”, “noble mushroom”, “king of mushrooms”, and it is no coincidence that in folklore there is a saying “the white mushroom is the colonel of all mushrooms”. It is not surprising that among mushrooms to be frozen, it occupies one of the first places, if not the first, and you can even freeze it raw, boiled or fried types. By the way, it is the porcini mushroom frozen for the winter that is considered the most useful (of course, after eating freshly picked mushrooms).

As in the case of chanterelles, freezing raw boletus mushrooms does not seem to be a particularly difficult or time-consuming task and is carried out in the following way:

1. select mushrooms. It is best to use young specimens for freezing - they are much tastier than old ones and hold their shape better.
2. thoroughly clean them of dirt and debris, remove all rotten areas with wormholes.
3. Place the mushrooms in a colander and quickly rinse under running water. Like chanterelles, it is not recommended to keep them in water for a long time, since the porcini mushroom also tends to absorb moisture well, which subsequently destroys its structure and spoils the taste.
4. Dry the mushrooms on a towel until all the moisture is gone.
5. Divide dried mushrooms into small portions so that one is enough to prepare one dish. Re-freezing porcini mushrooms (as well as others) is not recommended, otherwise they will lose their taste and turn into mush.
6. cut the mushrooms into medium-sized cubes - approximately 1x1 cm.
7. Dry them slightly, spreading them out on a wire rack. This is done so that the pieces do not become covered with mud, and the mushroom mass itself remains crumbly even when frozen.
8. After drying, place the mushrooms in portioned bags or containers so that there is no excess space left, and close them tightly.
9. place in the freezer and maintain the temperature at -5, which will allow these mushrooms to be stored for a very long time.

Boiled porcini mushrooms require a little more attention and are frozen as follows:

1. the selected mushrooms should be sorted and thoroughly cleaned, then washed and dried, as if frozen raw.
2. cut into small cubes or slices.
3. Pour water into the pan, add one or two pinches of salt, put on fire and bring to a boil.
4. place chopped mushrooms in boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes.
5. then drain them in a colander, let the water drain and wait until the mushrooms cool to room temperature. If even after cooling they remain damp, place them on a wire rack or towel until completely dry.
6. After the mushrooms are completely dry, put them in bags/containers, seal them tightly and put them in the freezer.

Experienced housewives on various Internet forums often advise storing some frozen mushrooms - for example, porcini or boletus - separately from other frozen products - such as meat or fish. This is due to the fact that these mushrooms tend to absorb the tastes and aromas of products located in their vicinity. It makes sense to apply the same precaution to other mushrooms.

Finally, very popular view preparation for the winter is freezing fried mushrooms. It is attractive because in this case housewives receive an almost ready-made dish that can be served at the table at any time, or ready-made filling for pies, pies, pizza and dumplings. This dish is made according to the following recipe:

1. We clean freshly picked boletus mushrooms from debris and dirt, remove all rough parts and wormholes. In this case, you can use a hard-bristled brush to clean the cap and stem.
2. Cut the prepared mushrooms into small cubes.
3. take 2-3 onions, peel and also cut into cubes. Some housewives add onions already in the process of using the semi-finished mushroom product after it has been defrosted, but it has been noticed that using onions when freezing makes porcini mushrooms more aromatic and juicy.
4. Take a large frying pan, add odorless vegetable oil to it, heat and fry the onion, stirring, until transparent golden brown.
5. put the mushrooms in a frying pan, mix with onions, add a little salt (but this, in principle, is optional - salt to taste can be added after defrosting) and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. The mushrooms should be brought to such a state that all the juice has evaporated from them, so you should not cover the pan with a lid.
6. as soon as the mushrooms acquire golden color, transfer them to a deep plate and let cool completely.
7. After cooling, put the whole mass into containers prepared in advance, close the lids tightly and freeze in the freezer until we need them.

Porcini mushrooms should be defrosted in such a way as to keep them whole, tasty and healthy. To do this, a couple of hours before preparing the dish, a portion of frozen porcini mushrooms should be transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator, wait until they thaw, and rinse under running water. Further actions depend on the form in which the mushrooms were frozen: if raw, then they should be boiled in salted water for 5 minutes, adding a few different spices to taste - bay leaf or allspice. Boiled or fried frozen mushrooms are immediately ready for consumption. The main thing to remember is that they should not be re-frozen under any circumstances (as, indeed, other mushrooms).

Features of freezing milk mushrooms

Everything related to the mushroom is a separate and extremely interesting story. In the West, it is little known and is often considered inedible, but in Russia this mushroom has long been considered the best of the category of conditionally edible mushrooms and the only one suitable for pickling. Pies with milk mushrooms were a frequent dish at dinner parties of tsars, boyars and patriarchs back in the days of Muscovite Rus', and even common people eagerly ate it. Dishes made from milk mushrooms became especially popular during church posts, similar Lenten dishes from porcini mushrooms, which were consumed in Catholic countries. In Russian folk cooking milk mushroom (also known as milk mushroom real or “white”, “raw”, “wet”, “pravskiy”) has been used since the 9th century, and even this word itself has an ancient Slavic origin from the church word “gruddie”, which means “breast” , and characterizes the ability of the fungus to group into colonies. Indeed, it is almost impossible to find a milk mushroom growing alone or even apart from a homogeneous group.

On the other hand, it is not for nothing that it is classified as a conditionally edible mushroom. Despite the content of very useful substances and vitamins in it, everything is spoiled by the bitter milky juice contained in its pulp, which is why the milk mushroom becomes bitter, so the main goal of all treatments before different ways preparations, whether salting or freezing, is to get rid of bitterness. Once this goal is achieved, you can do whatever you want with the milk mushrooms, especially since its dense fruiting body does not allow moisture to be absorbed so that it subsequently expands in the voids and destroys its structure.

In a sense, milk mushroom can be called a universal mushroom, since it can be frozen in the following forms:

1. scalded.
2. boiled
3. fried.
4. stewed
5. and also in the form of cold-salted milk mushrooms.

The easiest way - freezing scalded mushrooms - looks like this:

1. The collected milk mushrooms should be soaked for a while to make it easier to later clean them from dirt and forest debris.
2. After cleaning, scald thoroughly with boiling water. With this effect, the bitterness of the mushroom is neutralized.
3. then sort the mushrooms, cut large ones into pieces, and leave small ones whole.
4. put them in containers and put them in the freezer.

However, most housewives prefer to freeze milk mushrooms in more traditional types, one of which is boiled. In this form they are prepared using the following technology:

1. as in the first case, milk mushrooms should be thoroughly washed to remove all debris.
2. Pour cold water into the pan and bring it to a boil.
3. place the milk mushrooms in boiling water. This helps the protein harden and fold and better preserve the structure.
4. When the water boils again, the mushrooms should be boiled in it for no more than 10 minutes, then drained in a colander and allowed to drain. For better preservation, it also doesn’t hurt to dry them a little.
5. After drying, the milk mushrooms are placed in containers with the cap down - this way they are less likely to be damaged - labeled and sent to the freezer for freezing.

You can also freeze fried mushrooms by following this recipe:

1. Cut the washed and peeled milk mushrooms into small pieces.
2. place them in a frying pan, watered with vegetable or butter and salt to taste.
3. cover with a lid and fry for 20 minutes. In the last minutes, remove the lid to allow as much moisture as possible to evaporate.
4. turn off and let the mushrooms cool, then transfer to containers, label and place in the freezer.

You can also fry mushrooms in the oven in own juice no added oil or fat. To do this, they should be placed on a baking sheet and placed in a cabinet with a temperature of +180, stirring occasionally until all the water has evaporated, then cooled to room temperature and frozen, distributing them into containers. They say that milk mushrooms prepared in this way completely retain their inherent taste and aroma.

If in the future you plan to use frozen milk mushrooms for preparing first courses, you can resort to freezing them in stewed form. This is done like this:

1. wash the mushrooms, chop them and boil them in salt water 10-15 minutes.
2. drain the broth, add spices to taste, pour in a small amount boiled water, cover with a lid and simmer for another 15 minutes, adding sautéed carrots and onions or other vegetables if desired.
3. Cool the resulting mass, put it in containers, close with lids, put a date on it and freeze. Unfortunately, this semi-finished product has the shortest shelf life - only about three months - so it most likely will not last until the end of winter.

Finally, the last method of freezing milk mushrooms is freezing cold-salted mushrooms, but it is used only when for storage salted milk mushrooms there is no room in the house. To do this, drain the brine from the mushrooms, squeeze lightly so that as little liquid as possible remains in them, and freeze in the usual way. But, unfortunately, frozen-pickled mushrooms cannot boast of elasticity and therefore are only suitable as a filling for pies or for making okroshka.

Frozen milk mushrooms are stored for the longest time - up to 8 months - at a temperature of -18 degrees and below. There is no need to specifically defrost them before use.

Harvesting saffron milk caps for the winter

Ryzhik is a “relative” of milk mushroom, since, like it, it belongs to the mushroom genus Lactic, however, unlike milk mushroom, it is highly valued not only in Russia, but also in European countries. Even him Russian name borrowed by some foreign languages ​​- for example, German and Hungarian. This alone is evidence of the attitude of Europeans towards saffron milk cap, some types of which are considered a delicacy.

In addition to its taste, this mushroom is also valued for its benefits. Rizhik contains great amount B-vitamins, ascorbic acid, ash substances, beta-carotene (its presence gives the mushroom its characteristic bright reddish color), fiber and saccharides, as well as mineral salts of many essential substances for humans that affect the functioning of many organs and the condition hair, nails and skin. In terms of the amount of amino acids and protein, these mushrooms are quite comparable to meat, which is why, despite their calorie content, they are the main protein food for vegetarians and those who follow a fast or diet. In addition, saffron milk caps are considered medicinal mushrooms due to the presence of the natural antibiotic lactrioviolin, which inhibits the growth of many pathogenic bacteria, they are therefore often used to treat various diseases, including tuberculosis.

That is, there are exactly “a thousand and one reasons” for freezing these most useful mushrooms for the winter, when a person especially acutely feels the lack of a variety of substances. They are usually frozen raw on the same day as they were collected, as follows:

1. First, freshly picked mushrooms are sorted. Saffron milk caps going into freezing must be young, strong and the freshest; wormy, damaged or lethargic ones must be removed.
2. the selected mushrooms are thoroughly washed using a soft foam sponge (preferably a new one) and quickly rinsed under running water - preferably one at a time - so that they do not have time to become saturated with moisture.
3. Lay out a kitchen towel on the table, place the washed mushrooms on it and give them time to dry completely.
4. dried mushrooms are laid out on a tray in one layer so as to prevent contact with each other, then placed in the freezer and used at the maximum sub-zero temperature. If there is a maximum freezing function, you can use it.
5. After 10-12 hours, you should check the degree of freezing by removing the tray and knocking the mushrooms against each other. If the sound resembles the sound of pebbles being tapped, then the mushrooms can already be placed in various containers, close tightly, label and put into the freezer again - this time for storage. However, saffron milk caps can only be stored for six months at -18.

The saffron milk caps remaining after sorting can also be used for freezing, but separately from whole ones. To begin with, they are carefully examined for the presence of damaged areas, which are cut out and thrown away, while the remaining parts suitable for storage are cleared of debris, rinsed, dried and frozen. in the manner described above with one difference: non-whole mushrooms should be checked 5-6 hours after they have been in the freezer. This is due to the fact that they freeze faster than whole and strong saffron milk caps. Boiled and stewed mushrooms are frozen using the same method, adding a little refined oil during their processing.

Features of freezing boletus mushrooms

Boletus is another mushroom that is very common in the wooded parts of Eurasia and North America and almost the only one that can be found in the tundra and forest-tundra. It grows, as the name suggests, near birches, and even in the tundra it chooses dwarf birches as neighbors. True, they look very funny next to each other due to the fact that boletus is often taller than such a birch, so residents of these areas sometimes jokingly call it “overbirch”.

This mushroom has nine varieties, and all of them have not only excellent taste, but also very valuable properties. Included in them alimentary fiber promotes excretion from the body harmful substances, the protein contained in boletus is surprisingly easy to digest and assimilate, and a small amount of calories (per 100 g - only 20 kcal) allows them to be consumed by those people who are on a diet. These mushrooms also contain phosphoric acid, without which the production of enzymes responsible for the normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system is impossible. And in general, regular consumption of boletus mushrooms has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system, regulates blood sugar levels and alleviates the symptoms of kidney pathology. Simply put, boletus mushrooms are one of those mushrooms that need to be included in your diet at any time of the year, especially in winter, and the best way to do this is, of course, to freeze them.

However, before this procedure, boletus mushrooms should be carefully sorted and sorted. Mushrooms with wormholes and foulbrood are not suitable for freezing - they must be removed and thrown away. It is best to freeze small young specimens, which later produce the best delicious dishes. After selection, they should be thoroughly cleaned of all debris and washed in warm water at least three times, then dried on napkins or paper towels and only then start freezing them. Like some other mushrooms, boletus mushrooms can be frozen raw, boiled and fried.

Raw boletus mushrooms are frozen as follows:

1. Place the prepared mushrooms on a flat surface in the freezer and freeze thoroughly. Freezing time depends on the number of mushrooms and the temperature in the freezer.
2. After the mushrooms are frozen, fill a container or bag with them, close it and put it in the freezer again - this time for storage.
3. The storage temperature should not be higher than -18 degrees.

The main condition for such freezing of mushrooms is their almost perfect integrity. If the cap is even slightly damaged, it is better to use this mushroom for other purposes. You need to defrost boletus mushrooms on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where they will thaw gradually without compromising their integrity.

Boiled mushrooms are frozen according to the following method:

1. peeled specimens should be cut into small slices, placed in a clean pan, filled with water and put on fire. Cooking time depends on the size of the slices, but usually it does not exceed 40 minutes.
2. after they are cooked, drain the broth and dry them, placing them on a towel or leaving them directly in a colander.
3. While the mushrooms are drying, rinse and dry plastic containers.
4. Place the boletus mushrooms in containers, close tightly and place in the freezer.

Finally, the third method is freezing fried mushrooms. They do it like this:

1. Rinse the boletus mushrooms thoroughly.
2. Without drying, cut them into small slices using a sharp knife. Mushrooms should be cut in such a way that they will shrink in volume when frying.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan and put mushrooms in it, maybe even a heaping amount.
4. fry, stirring with a wooden spatula, until the mushrooms are cooked to your desired degree. No need to add salt.
5. When the boletus mushrooms are fried, cool them, put them in containers and put them in the freezer.

Boletus mushrooms are defrosted in the same way as other mushrooms.

Conclusion

We told you about how to freeze just some of the most popular mushrooms. Left out of our attention are honey mushrooms, boletus, boletus, morels... All of them are edible and healthy mushrooms in all respects, which can - and even should - be frozen so as not to deprive yourself of the pleasure of enjoying a mushroom delicacy on New Year, Christmas or just on an ordinary winter weekday. Mushroom dishes They will certainly be a pleasant addition to your winter table, the only important thing is to freeze them correctly, following some simple general rules:

1. Never freeze different types of mushrooms with each other. Milk mushrooms should be stored separately from boletus mushrooms, and chanterelles should be stored separately from boletus mushrooms. If there is little space in the freezer, it is better to give preference to one type rather than try to “shove in what cannot be squeezed in.”
2. Mushrooms must be calibrated, separating large from small and whole from damaged. This is due not only to the fact that the technology for freezing them is somewhat different from each other, but also to the fact that the time spent freezing large chopped mushrooms differs from the time spent on freezing small specimens.
3. You need to freeze mushrooms in such portions that one is enough to prepare one dish. Expose re-freezing mushrooms are strictly not recommended, otherwise instead of a suitable semi-finished product you will get who knows what.
4. All mushrooms must be cleared of debris before freezing in any form.

Well, we will definitely return to the features of freezing honey mushrooms, boletus, boletus, morels and some other valuable mushrooms...

The traditional way to prepare mushrooms for the winter is to freeze whole or sliced ​​mushrooms directly in the freezer. Everything is simple here. To do this, we select fresh, young, healthy mushrooms, clean them, chop them if necessary and put them in the refrigerator for storage. The shelf life with this method is 6-8 months. But this freezing method takes up a lot of refrigerator space. This is appropriate when you have a separate large freezer. And if not? Below are three simple but effective ways to freeze mushrooms for the winter. These methods will help not only to balance the space in the freezer, but also significantly save time during further preparation of dishes.

Blanching (or scalding) mushrooms

This method allows you to preserve the color, structure and taste of mushrooms as much as possible, kills bacteria, and allows you to clean the mushrooms 100% of dirt. Blanched mushrooms Stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 months. They are great for preparing first courses. For example, if you are cooking mushroom soup, throw into the pan 20 minutes before the end of cooking required amount frozen blanched mushrooms and that’s it, you don’t need any more additional actions with mushrooms.

To prepare mushrooms for the winter using the blanching method, we need a large saucepan. Pour water into the pan at the rate of 5 liters per 1 kg. fresh mushrooms and put it on fire. While the water is heating up, we prepare our mushrooms, wash them and cut them into slices of the required size. As soon as the water boils, pour the mushrooms into the water and wait for it to boil again. After boiling, wait 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and strain the mushrooms through a sieve. Leave the mushrooms to cool cold water. We strain the cooled mushrooms and place them loosely (so that they do not open due to expansion during freezing) into pre-prepared containers (containers, freezer bags, jars). It is advisable to select the container capacity from the planned quantity for preparing one dish.

The ideal container for freezing mushrooms (and not only) is packaging made from kraft cardboard, which is a 100% natural material. The inside of this packaging is completely laminated, making it moisture- and grease-proof, additionally ensuring higher product safety compared to plastic or polypropylene containers. The transparent window in such boxes is also environmentally friendly, made from biodegradable film based on corn starch. You can buy Kraft cardboard containers at online store(for example in this store).

Steaming mushrooms

Compared to blanching mushrooms this method allows you to better preserve the aroma and get a better structure. To preserve the color of the mushrooms, you need to soak them for 5-7 minutes in water with the addition of citric acid (based on 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water). We will need a saucepan with a lid and a rack that provides a distance of 4-5 cm from the bottom of the pan (you can use, for example, a poznitsa - a saucepan with special racks for cooking Buryat national dishes, or something like a double boiler). Pour 3 cm of water into the pan, so that it does not cover the holes on the grill, put the mushrooms on the grill, close the lid tightly and put on the fire. After boiling, the mushrooms should be steamed for 3 minutes. If you use whole mushrooms, the steaming time must be increased to 5-6 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, cool in cold water, strain, and place in prepared containers. Place containers in the freezer. The shelf life of such mushrooms is up to 12 months. Using frozen and steamed mushrooms is versatile in most mushroom recipes.

Sautéing mushrooms

The method involves quickly frying mushrooms in a small amount of oil over high fire. Due to the presence of oil in the recipe, the shelf life is reduced to 8 months, but the mushroom structure is more dense.

• add 2 tablespoons to the pan olive oil or refined sunflower;
• heat the oil over medium heat;
• spread finely chopped mushrooms in a thin layer;
• fry for 3-5 minutes;
• cool;
• put into containers;
• put it in the refrigerator.