How to freeze mushrooms at home. Preparing mushrooms for the winter in the refrigerator - how to freeze them in a regular freezer. Other harvesting methods

Frozen mushrooms will delight you with their delicate aroma and bright taste all year long. Knowing how to freeze mushrooms for the winter, you will always have a healthy natural product on hand 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! 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

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 in a small amount of 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, in winter we are unlikely to find fresh boletus, 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, honey mushrooms, forest champignons, boletus, aspen, and chanterelles.

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

If you are afraid of fresh mushrooms and want to be on the safe side, 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 mushrooms that have lost their “glamorous” appearance, but are fresh and tasty.

In this way, I prepare semi-finished products for the winter for fillings in pies, pies, kulebyaki and other winter delights (stuffed chicken, for example).

To prepare the mushrooms, drop them, peeled and cut into pieces, into boiling water for 5 minutes. Then let 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, I get half of the small packages - from 300 g to half a kilogram, and half - with a larger weight, from 500 g to 1 kg.

You can also freeze fried mushrooms. To do this, clean, prepared mushrooms are fried in a small amount of vegetable oil for 20 minutes until all excess moisture has evaporated. Completely cooled mushrooms are placed in bags and frozen.

By the way, so that the mushrooms do not lose their sweet taste and aroma during frying, the mushrooms can be fried on a baking sheet in the oven. For such frying, you don’t even need sunflower oil, and the mushrooms themselves are cooked in their own juice.

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 delicious piece for themselves. 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 the chicken liver and grind through a meat grinder (I do this in advance if possible). Thaw the mushrooms, chop into very 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. The sour cream dough is very good. 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 you know, mushrooms are perishable foods, and such confidence is not at all out of place.
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.

In addition, compared to traditional methods of preparation, freezing mushrooms makes it possible to preserve them for a much longer time than pickling or pickling. 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, failure to comply with which will, at best, lead to damage to the product. It would not be an exaggeration to say that mushrooms, traditionally included in the human diet, have their own “character” and, despite the similarity of the general freezing technology, require a 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 lovers of delicious 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, paying special 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 freshly picked mushrooms in cold, preferably running water, 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, add 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 into hot water for a couple of seconds, then transfer the chanterelles stored in it to the designated bags.

Some housewives manage to freeze 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 by the general specific word “mushroom”; all other 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 the Far East, and despite its uneven distribution (in some areas it is found often, in others less often, in some places it is not found at all) , it is called differently everywhere. The most likely assumption as to why it became “white” is due to the distinctive feature of its pulp to retain 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 of ​​its growth and the fact that all 18 forms of the porcini mushroom are recognized as edible and healthy, we can also assume that it is used in cooking by a wide variety of peoples. In addition to the presence of useful elements and amino acids in it, it is believed that regular consumption of 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. 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 the 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, a very popular type of 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 a 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 a golden color, transfer them to a deep plate and let them 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 fasts, similar to Lenten dishes made from porcini mushrooms, which were consumed in Catholic countries. In Russian folk cooking, milk mushrooms (also known as real milk mushrooms or “white”, “raw”, “wet”, “pravsky”) have been used since the 9th century, and even this word itself has an ancient Slavic origin from the church word “gruzdie”, which means “pile”, 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 acquires bitterness, so the main goal of all treatments before various methods of preparation, be it 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 forms, 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, sprinkle 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 their own juice without adding 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 in salted water for 10-15 minutes.
2. drain the broth, add spices to taste, add a small amount of boiled water, cover 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 there is no room in the house to store salted milk mushrooms. 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.

For the longest time - up to 8 months - frozen milk mushrooms are stored 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 its Russian name was 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. Camelina contains a huge amount of 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 on the condition of 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, camelina are considered medicinal mushrooms due to the presence of the natural antibiotic lactriovioline, which inhibits the growth of many pathogenic bacteria, so they are 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, it means that the mushrooms can already be placed in various containers, tightly closed, labeled and sent back to the freezer - 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 within 5-6 hours after they are stay 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 is 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. The dietary fiber they contain helps remove harmful substances from the body, 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 make the most 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 should they be frozen. 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 frozen according to the following procedure:

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 for the New Year, Christmas or just a regular winter day. weekday. Mushroom dishes will certainly be a pleasant addition to your winter table, the only 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. It is strictly not recommended to re-freeze mushrooms, 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 can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 months. They are great for preparing first courses. For example, if you are preparing mushroom soup, throw the required amount of frozen blanched mushrooms into the pan 20 minutes before the end of cooking and that’s it, you won’t need any more additional actions with the 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 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 in 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 for better flavor retention and 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 grate 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 grates for preparing 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 the mushrooms in a small amount of oil over high heat. 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 of olive oil or refined sunflower oil to the pan;
• 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.

It is possible to collect mushrooms only for a few months of the year. But cooks want to use them more often, so they find different ways to prepare them. Mushrooms are often stored in the freezer. To do this successfully, it is important to understand how to properly freeze such a product, how long it can be stored, and also understand other nuances.

Mushrooms suitable for freezing

Mushrooms that have a dense structure and do not require pre-soaking are frozen fresh:

• boletus (ceps);
• boletus;
• boletus;
• forest champignons;
• honey mushrooms;
• flywheels.

The listed species do not change shape or structure after thawing. Chanterelles and butter dishes are prepared worse this way. After defrosting, the former become bitter, and the latter lose their structure. In butter dishes it becomes too soft, to the point of a non-uniform puree-like state.

Do not freeze fresh russula, milk mushrooms, frills, morels, stitches or saffron milk caps. They are very bitter, but after prolonged cooking with the addition of salt, this problem is solved. Such protein raw materials are also suitable for freezing, but require more preparatory manipulations.

Important! Only high-quality raw materials are suitable for freezing: young, not very large, without worms.

Freezing methods

Experienced housewives include not only fresh mushrooms in their home freezes for the winter, but also various semi-finished products. The type of protein raw material affects the way it is frozen:

1. Boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, fly mushrooms, and forest champignons are prepared raw in the freezer. But if desired, semi-finished products are made from them and also frozen.
2. Morels and strings are frozen boiled. They contain gelvelic acid (having hepatotropic and hemolytic effects), which is eliminated only with prolonged cooking.
3. Ryzhiki, russula, milk mushrooms, and fried mushrooms are frozen after boiling, stewing or frying.
4. Chanterelles and honey mushrooms are used to make a semi-finished product that can be frozen. They are boiled or fried. After cooking, the chanterelles do not become bitter, and the honey mushrooms soften.

The whole mushroom is the priority raw material for freezing, but only caps or pieces are also subjected to this process. For successful storage of the product, it is important not only to decide on the method of freezing the product, but also to do all the manipulations correctly.

Video: Thorough freezing of champignons in the freezer

Raw

After collection, it is recommended to freeze the raw materials in the near future, but no later than 24 hours. Be sure to clean it of dirt, sand, adhering grass or leaves. It is better to refrain from washing before freezing. But if the mushrooms are too dirty, then after washing they are thoroughly dried.

Small mushrooms and mushrooms are frozen whole, and large ones are chopped into 1-2 cm slices. Then they are distributed and sent to the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. After freezing, they are scattered into bags or plastic trays for long-term storage at sub-zero temperatures.

The mushroom aroma will be preserved better if the containers or bags are filled to capacity, leaving virtually no air.

Important! For freezing, select small, dense mushrooms that hold their shape well after thawing.

Boiled

Before cooking, the mushrooms are pre-cut. Boil for 5-10 minutes, then drain on a sieve. This manipulation allows the liquid to drain. After cooling, put them into portioned bags and place them in the freezer. Boiled mushroom is often frozen together with the broth. This semi-finished product allows you to prepare dishes with a pleasant mushroom flavor.

The cooking time differs for different types of mushrooms. For forest champignons, cook for 5 minutes, chanterelles or aspen boletus for 20 minutes, boletus mushrooms, boletus and honey mushrooms for 30 minutes. If honey mushrooms are boiled, then change the water once.

Fried

Various types of mushrooms are suitable for freezing after frying. The raw materials are cut into small slices and fried in a frying pan with a small addition of vegetable oil until golden brown. Salting or adding spices is not recommended. Roasting lasts about 20 minutes.

After the frying process, the mushrooms are laid out on paper napkins, which will absorb excess fat. After this, portion packaging is done. Frozen fried mushroom is added immediately, without defrosting, when preparing a variety of dishes.

Salted or pickled

Some housewives practice putting pickles in the freezer. After completely draining the brine and slightly drying them, they are packaged in bags for freezing. But after defrosting, the quality of protein raw materials deteriorates. Taking this into account, many people boil mushrooms, freeze them, and marinate them after defrosting.

Salted mushrooms tolerate freezing better than those that have been pickled. Before exposing pickles to sub-zero temperatures, excess liquid is drained from them. But this is an optional manipulation. Properly salted mushrooms can be stored without problems in a cool place without freezing.

Shelf life in the freezer

In order for a frozen product to be stored well and for a long time, it is important to consider the permissible temperatures. Champignons, boletus, honey mushrooms and other mushrooms in the freezer have their own expiration dates, depending on the harvesting method.

Approximate shelf life depending on temperature:

Fried mushrooms can be stored for no more than 12 weeks. Moreover, the type of raw materials and storage conditions do not particularly affect this. Boiled or blanched product can be stored for up to 5 months.

Important! It is correct to defrost mushrooms in the refrigerator in the lower compartment overnight. Plus, then keep them at room temperature for another 60 minutes.

Other harvesting methods

Mushrooms are stored in the refrigerator not only at sub-zero temperatures in the freezer. Often, mushroom marinades and pickles in jars are kept not in the cellar, but in a refrigeration unit. They also use an interesting method of drying mushrooms using the space of a freezing unit rather than a dryer.

Drying occurs by placing the cut pieces on paper in the lower compartments of the refrigerator. The mushrooms are dried there for 14 days. After this, they are removed for further storage in a dry place. Drying at low temperatures allows you to achieve plasticity of the raw material. It does not deform, as when dried in the classical way.

Pickled

Housewives love to pickle mushrooms. After the product has been marinated, it is stored in a glass container. The condition of the workpiece and the permissible shelf life are significantly influenced by the material from which the lid is made. In jars with metal lids, mushrooms are stored for 12 months, and in jars with glass lids - 24 months.

Glass is a non-reactive material, so it comes into easy contact with food products throughout their shelf life. This does not cause any harm to the consumer's health. And metal products can oxidize food supplies and inevitably harm the human body.

Canned

There are also those who prefer to preserve mushrooms for the winter. At the same time, the original taste characteristics are well preserved. The product is subjected to thorough heat treatment, preserved with a special salt solution and carefully sealed. If all manipulations are done correctly, then jars of salted mushrooms are stored in the cellar or refrigerator for up to 5 years.

Cold-salted milk mushrooms are stored for no longer than 2 years. If you bought canned mushrooms in a tin container, then after opening they are transferred to a glass jar. It is recommended to store the opened product for no more than 72 hours.

Fresh

Open enamel, plastic or glass containers are suitable for temporary storage of fresh raw materials. But galvanized, aluminum or iron containers are absolutely not suitable for this. This is due to the fact that mushroom acids, in contact with various metals, change the taste and color of the original product.

Important! Fresh boletus, honey mushrooms or saffron milk caps are stored for no more than a day. If this time is exceeded, toxins will begin to be produced that can cause serious food poisoning.

When you manage to cut mushrooms yourself or buy them in a store (oyster mushrooms, champignons), you should not wash or cut them before putting them in the refrigerator. If you remove the product without first cleaning or treating it, the storage time will increase.

If you follow all the recommendations, fresh boletus mushrooms will last up to 72 hours. They should be stored in a bag made of paper and cellophane. Moreover, it is advisable to open the latter from time to time so that the mushrooms do not rot and become moldy.

When going to pick mushrooms, you need to immediately decide how they will be used. Some people prefer to leave them in a refrigeration unit for several days and only then process them. Others try to immediately boil them, fry them, pickle them, or freeze them fresh for the winter. If you take into account all the nuances of storage, then this nutritious product will appear in the diet many times throughout the year.

During the “quiet hunting” season, many people wonder how to preserve the entire harvest of mushrooms. A great way to do this is to freeze it. You can freeze both wild mushrooms and those you purchased in a store or market. After all, everyone knows that in the summer the price of mushrooms is much lower.
The general principle of freezing is the same for all mushrooms.

Sorting mushrooms after harvesting

First of all, mushrooms are sorted according to the structure of the mushroom. In this case, they distinguish:

• marsupials (truffles, morels);
• lamellar (for example, russula);
• tubular (ceps, boletus mushrooms).

It is preferable to freeze only tubular (or, in other words, spongy) mushrooms raw. The internal structure of the cap of such mushrooms is a porous surface, which, when boiled, absorbs a lot of liquid, and, as a result, the mushrooms will be watery when defrosted. If you had to boil sponge mushrooms, you should lightly squeeze them before freezing.
Lamellar types of mushrooms, such as honey mushrooms, must be boiled before freezing.
Few species of marsupial fungi Before placing in the freezer, be sure to boil and squeeze thoroughly.

How to prepare mushrooms for freezing

After sorting the mushrooms, the strongest specimens are selected for subsequent freezing.
Mushrooms are cleaned with a knife or a rough brush: all debris and stuck leaves are removed, the lower, contaminated part of the stem is cut off.
If the mushrooms selected for further freezing in their raw form are very dirty, then they should be rinsed in water, but under no circumstances soaked. Afterwards, they must be dried thoroughly with a paper towel.
Those mushrooms that you plan to boil can be safely washed under running water without worrying that they will absorb too much moisture.

Methods for freezing mushrooms for the winter

How to freeze raw mushrooms

As mentioned above, only tubular mushrooms are suitable for this freezing method. The ideal option would be porcini mushrooms and red caps.
Small mushrooms are frozen whole, and large specimens are cut into slices 1-2 centimeters thick.
Next, the mushrooms are laid out on a flat surface and put in the freezer for several hours. After the mushrooms have frozen, they are poured into a freezer bag or placed in containers.

How to freeze boiled mushrooms for the winter

Mushrooms that will be pre-boiled must first be chopped. Next, they are immersed in boiling water and cooked for 5 to 10 minutes. Then place in a colander to allow excess liquid to drain. After the mushrooms have cooled, they are transferred into portioned bags for one use and sent to the freezer.
The broth from boiled honey mushrooms is drained, and from porcini and boletus mushrooms it is used to make soup.

Freezing fried mushrooms

Both tubular and lamellar types of mushrooms are suitable for this method. Mushrooms are cut into pieces or plates. Then they are laid out in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil and fried until golden brown. Salt and spices are not added. Roasting lasts approximately 20 minutes.
This frozen food is completely ready to eat after defrosting. You just have to add these mushrooms, for example, to fried potatoes or to a salad.

Freezing oven-baked mushrooms

Another way is to freeze mushrooms previously baked in the oven. To do this, mushrooms are placed on a baking sheet without adding oil and baked until cooked. Then they are put into bags and sent to the freezer for storage. Such mushrooms have a particularly bright taste and aroma when defrosted.

Freezing temperature and shelf life of frozen mushrooms

The temperature regime for freezing mushrooms is -18°C. If this requirement is met, mushrooms can be stored in the freezer all winter.

How to defrost mushrooms correctly

Frozen raw mushrooms are thawed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight, and then another hour at room temperature.
Mushrooms that have undergone preliminary heat treatment, do not defrost, but are immediately added to the dish during cooking.

Mushrooms are a favorite food of millions. Every housewife knows at least several recipes where these forest guests are the key figures. A huge number of mushroom recipes are explained by the versatility of the product - the nutritional value and unusual taste of mushrooms are incomparable to anything else.

They are used for fried, boiled, steamed and baked dishes, rolled into jars and added to aromatic autumn soups.

In any dish, mushrooms exhibit a pronounced taste and fill the house with a pleasant aroma. Today we will talk about such a prominent representative of the forest kingdom as the porcini mushroom. A great idea for those who like to please themselves with the tastes of early autumn in winter would be to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter.

Winter is not rich in fresh vegetation, and therefore freezing is the best solution for lovers of such products. And although modern supermarkets offer a huge range, finding a truly high-quality product will not be easy.

That's why you should take matters into your own hands, especially if the forest harvest season is not an empty phrase for you. Without a shadow of a doubt, all the mushroom trophies you have accumulated can be sent to the freezer, so that later, under the howls of a blizzard, you can enjoy amazing dishes from the boletus mushrooms you collected.

• Reviews and comments

Freezing mushrooms for the winter - what to remember

Freezing food at home is very easy. And if you have an impressive freezer, you can create a whole warehouse of useful supplies. Many people know that the freezing procedure requires a certain sequence, which will be discussed below.

Let's note a few important points that are worth paying close attention to:

• all your boletus mushrooms must be clean and fresh - a stale product will not particularly please you with its delicate taste in the cold winter;
• appearance affects the quality after defrosting - make sure that the boletus mushrooms are whole;
• at home, before freezing, carefully clean porcini mushrooms from particles of soil and other things;
• try not to wet the fresh product too much, as it absorbs moisture very quickly;
• monitor the temperature in the freezer - if it is stable and approximately -18 degrees, then your product will last up to a year;
• defrost mushrooms only in the refrigerator - this will help them convey their natural taste as accurately as possible;
• After defrosting, use the product as quickly as possible, do not store it in the refrigerator for too long.

Freezing mushrooms for the winter - simple recipes

The good thing about a raw product is that you will have plenty of room for thought when you decide to remove the product from the freezer during the cold season.

In this case, freezing requires you to have whole and as fresh porcini mushrooms as possible. In addition, the stronger the boletus, the better its shape will be after defrosting. After cleaning, you need to spread your forest harvest on a flat surface directly in the freezer, and after a few hours place it in a plastic bag or a special plastic container.

You can also freeze porcini mushrooms in sliced ​​form.

To do this, you will need to cut them into pieces of 7-10 mm, then dry them thoroughly and distribute them into even portions, calculating how much you will need to prepare the dish. Place each of these portions in plastic bags, then try to remove all the air from them.

How to prepare boiled porcini mushrooms

Freezing an already prepared product for the winter is a great solution for those who save their time. However, not everyone trusts freezing raw food, so pay attention to this recipe for freezing mushrooms for the winter.

You don't have to cook it for long - just 5 minutes. You should not use salt to create the product. Boil the boletus mushrooms in boiling water for 5-6 minutes, then give them time to cool and distribute into bags. Usually 300-500 g of product is placed in one package, which is ideal for preparing one dish.

This method is also suitable for a product that has lost its original appearance for any reason. Often the workpiece is used for subsequent frying.

Freeze fried mushrooms

Another recipe shows us that the number of freezing methods is inexhaustible. This procedure differs from the previous one mainly in that instead of boiling the product we will use the frying method.

Place boletus mushrooms, chopped at your discretion, into a heated frying pan, pre-greased with vegetable oil.

Do not use salt or pepper - this is not necessary in the preparation, and the freezing technology does not involve the use of spices. You can add salt and seasonings to the finished dish once you have thawed the porcini mushrooms.

Fry the workpiece for 20 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and the boletus mushrooms themselves have acquired a nice blush. Let them cool by spreading them out on a flat surface, then feel free to pack them in food bags or containers and put them in the freezer. By the way, a frying pan is not the only option for frying.

You can also use a baking sheet and oven. In this case, you don’t even need vegetable oil, because the product will be cooked in its own juice.

Freezing chanterelle mushrooms for the winter

Chanterelles are rightfully considered one of the most delicious representatives of the mushroom kingdom. Their delicate consistency and unique flavor are difficult to confuse with anything else. And dishes with chanterelles have sophistication and beauty. If you are lucky enough to collect or purchase fresh chanterelles, be sure to freeze some of them for the winter - dishes with this product will become a table decoration for any celebration or just a family dinner.

Chanterelles are very often rolled and pickled, but it is the original taste that most often helps create a unique flavor palette in certain dishes. And the proven freezing method will help preserve it along with all its beneficial properties.

The main thing to remember is that these beauties do best when frozen properly when fresh. It is advisable to start the procedure on the day of collection or purchase.

Having weeded out unsuitable specimens and cleared them of debris and dust, we wash them under running water. Next, lay the chanterelles on a dry towel and give them time for all unnecessary moisture to evaporate. The dried pieces can now be distributed into bags and placed in the freezer.

If you don’t like the bitter taste too much, you can freeze the chanterelles in their boiled form.

To do this, place them in an enamel container and fill with water, then bring to a boil and leave on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Pour the boiled chanterelles into a colander, rinse and dry.

Cooled mushrooms, as in previous cases, can be packaged in bags or containers, calculating the quantity for preparing the dish. Don't forget that the best temperature in the freezer is -18 degrees.

You can also prepare chanterelles, pre-boiled or stewed, along with liquid. This preparation is perfect for soups or stews. However, with this method it is worth remembering that a frozen product can be stored for a maximum of 4 months.

Freeze chanterelles in any way you like. Delight yourself and your household with amazing mushroom dishes every day!

Today you can buy it both at the market and in the store. But homemade still remains relevant. People prefer to prepare mushrooms themselves, since this is not a very simple product and no one can guarantee that you will buy a quality product in the store. That is why we decided to talk about freezing and offer several popular recipes.

How to prepare mushrooms for freezing

Boletus purchased in a store or collected independently must be sorted out, removing spoiled and wormy ones, trimming the edges of the legs, peeling and thoroughly wiping with a brush or dishwashing sponge.

Important! You cannot wash boletus mushrooms before freezing.

If the product is very dirty, it can be lightly rinsed under running water, but never soak. The fact is that the cap, which has a porous surface, quickly absorbs moisture, and excess liquid is not needed during freezing. It is also important to follow the following rules:

1. must be fresh, strong and young.
2. If it has greenish-yellow pores, it is better to cut them off. After defrosting, they will become sour and ruin the dish.
3. If the worminess has spread from the legs to the cap, the mushroom should be discarded.

Freezing methods

There are several ways to freeze for the winter, and each of them has its own advantages. The fastest way is to freeze boletus mushrooms raw. But recipes for freezing boiled and even stewed are also popular. And which option is the most practical, you can decide after you try each one yourself.

Did you know? The boletus cap has a yellow or green tint underneath, while the false mushroom- rather dirty. In addition, if the stem is broken the color remains white- a sign that this is a boletus. In false mushrooms, the scrap instantly turns pink.

Raw

This - the easiest and fastest way to prepare boletus for the winter. To do this, select old, small-sized mushrooms, clean, wash and dry them so that they do not stick together later.
The prepared mushrooms are spread on a tray, tray or flat plate (the layer should not be thick) and placed in the freezer for several hours. Then the mushrooms are taken out and laid out in portions (so that there is only enough for one time) in bags or containers.

A regular bag is more convenient because it can take any shape and excess air is easily removed from it. If storage is in containers, it is better to fill them completely so that no air remains.

If the freezer is not large or there is not enough space, you can pre-cut the mushrooms into pieces.

Important!The parts should not be thin. The best thickness for freezing is 5-7 mm.

Boiled

Many people prefer to store boiled mushrooms frozen, because boiled mushrooms take up little space in the freezer. But not everyone knows how to cook porcini mushrooms for freezing. It turns out it's not difficult.

As in the version with raw products, before harvesting the mushrooms are cleaned, washed and cut. After this, they are lightly boiled, plunging into boiling unsalted water for 5 minutes(possibly lightly salted) water.
After boiling, place the mushrooms in a colander or sieve to drain the water. Then put it in bags or plastic containers and put it in the freezer.

The decoction obtained during preparation for freezing is not poured out, but boiled until thickened. Then it is cooled, poured into plastic containers or ice containers and also frozen. Then this decoction can be used to prepare sauces or soups.

It is advisable to store boletus mushrooms in a separate compartment, away from meat and fish.

Important!Since mushrooms are able to absorb both beneficial and toxic substances, boiling is more beneficial- all harmful components pass into the water.

Fried

There is another way to freeze porcini mushrooms without cooking. It differs from the previous ones only in that the product will need to be fried.

This is not at all difficult to do: mushrooms in vegetable oil fry until moisture comes out, and the mushroom itself will turn beautiful blush. There is no need to add salt or spices. All these procedures can be done after defrosting, when preparing the dish.
Place the mushrooms from the frying pan on a tray, dish, baking sheet or board and allow them to cool. After this, they are laid out in portions into bags or containers and placed in the freezer.

Shelf life

If the porcini mushrooms were processed according to all the rules before freezing, they can be stored 6-8 months(only in the freezer). Moreover, throughout this period they will retain their aroma and taste properties.

The temperature in the freezer should be -18°C.

Did you know? Until the end of the twentieth century, they were considered, and today they are classified as and in many countries their consumption is prohibited. Scientists have proven that it contains muscarine, which remains even after heat treatment and can provoke blood diseases and cause allergic reactions.

Defrosting rules

Having found out whether fresh mushrooms can be frozen, I want to find out how to defrost them. Experts say that defrosting should take place gradually, by moving boletus mushrooms from the freezer to the refrigerator overnight. Then they should be kept for 3 hours at room temperature.
After defrosting, the product must be used immediately; after re-freezing, the mushrooms will turn into a shapeless mass.

To prepare some dishes, preliminary defrosting is not required; the product is immediately used frozen. For example, when preparing first courses (soups), mushrooms are immediately thrown into boiling water and boiled until completely cooked.

With the onset of autumn, our forests are filled with a huge number of mushrooms. However, if you are not a fan of following them into the forest, this is not at all scary. There are no less of them on market shelves. Main - When choosing mushrooms, follow certain rules in order to get a truly tasty and healthy product for your table.

You can prepare many delicious dishes from mushrooms. Moreover, you can delight your home with culinary masterpieces not only in the fall. Honey mushrooms, chanterelles, boletuses, and oyster mushrooms can be present on your table in winter.

Especially for you, KitchenMag has analyzed several ways to prepare mushrooms for the winter, which will help preserve almost all the beneficial substances and taste. It is important to remember that only fresh mushrooms are suitable for any canning method.

1. How to dry mushrooms

Since there are not many sunny days in autumn, it is best to dry mushrooms in a stove or oven. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet in a single layer, place in the oven, and leave the lid ajar to allow air access. Set the oven to 70-80 degrees and dry for several hours. If the mushrooms are not dried enough, you can put them in the oven in several stages.

It is best to store dry mushrooms in a dry place in a glass or ceramic jar. Some mushrooms can be ground in a coffee grinder, so they will take up less space. In addition, they will be needed for sauces and flavoring of dishes.

An important point: before cooking, dried mushrooms must be washed well and soaked in hot water for 2 hours. This water should never be used for making soups.

2. How to freeze mushrooms

To do this, mushrooms should be cleared of leaves and soil. It is not necessary to wash them, but if you do, then you need to dry them well afterwards, laying them out on a towel. Place dry mushrooms in a thin layer of plastic bag and place it in the freezer. It is better to defrost raw mushrooms in the refrigerator. After such a soft defrosting, they will be just like fresh, as if from the forest.

If you are afraid to freeze raw mushrooms, you can pre-boil them for five minutes. You can use mushrooms of absolutely any size. If they are too big, cut them into small pieces. After you have boiled the mushrooms, let them cool and drain in a colander. to drain excess water. Then place the mushrooms in bags, seal tightly and place in the freezer.

Please note that thawed boiled mushrooms are an excellent place for the growth of various bacteria, so calculate that the number of mushrooms in one package is necessary for preparing one dish.

3. Pickling mushrooms

You can use any mushrooms for pickling, as long as you like them. However, this also has its own characteristics: saffron milk caps are often salted raw, and honey mushrooms like to be pickled. It is the small crispy mushrooms that will look best on any table and will be remembered by your guests for a long time. In general, before pickling mushrooms, they should be cut into equal slices. This way the marinade will saturate them equally.

There are a lot of recipes for salted and pickled mushrooms. However, when choosing one of them, it is important to remember that the most important thing in this method of harvesting mushrooms is safety. The fact is that homemade salted and pickled mushrooms often become the cause of an infectious disease - botulism. To prevent this, you need to follow simple rules and create conditions so that carrier bacteria cannot multiply.

First, create an acidic environment, that is, add lemon or vinegar. The lid should not be tightly closed, because bacteria multiply with triple force in such conditions. Be sure to sterilize all jars and lids. To do this, you just need to boil them. By the way, if you add more salt to the water, the boiling point will increase, and this is additional protection against botulism. Store jars at temperatures below 10 degrees.

How to freeze mushrooms?

We are accustomed to the fact that mushrooms need to be pickled or salted for the winter; especially diligent housewives also dry mushrooms. But salted mushrooms are good mainly as an appetizer; they cannot be used to make a flavorful, rich soup, pizza topping, or delicious julienne. And in winter, sometimes you really want to remember summer and taste fried potatoes with mushrooms! In this case, only frozen mushrooms can help out; when cooked, they taste indistinguishable from fresh ones. Do you doubt whether you can freeze mushrooms for the winter yourself? You can freeze mushrooms, but this issue has its own nuances. You will learn about them from the article. And in this article we will look in detail at the process of freezing mushrooms.

What mushrooms can be frozen?

You can freeze almost all types of edible mushrooms, but if there is not so much space in the freezer compartment of your home refrigerator, it makes sense to freeze porcini, Polish, chanterelles, boletus, saffron milk caps, boletus and aspen mushrooms. Freezing porcini mushrooms is described in detail in a separate article. Champignons also freeze well, but since they do not disappear from store shelves all year round, there is simply no need to prepare them for the winter.

How to freeze whole fresh mushrooms for the winter?

Mushrooms can be frozen whole - this method is especially good for porcini, polish, saffron milk caps and butter mushrooms. It is better to remove the brown slimy skin from butter before freezing. In boletus and aspen mushrooms, the stems are hard and fibrous, not of particular nutritional value, so in these two species the stems are usually broken off and only the caps are frozen.

Mushroom selection

For freezing, it is necessary to select young, strong mushrooms of small size that do not have spots or mechanical damage. The mushrooms must be fresh, collected on the same day, or at least the day before. You only need to freeze one type of mushroom. Under no circumstances should wormy mushrooms be frozen.

Preparing mushrooms

1. Mushrooms should be carefully sorted, mercilessly discarding all that do not meet the above criteria.
2. Next, the mushrooms must be cleared of forest debris - blades of grass, sand, pine needles and leaves. This can be done conveniently with a soft brush or sponge.
3. If the mushrooms are very dirty, they need to be washed. You should wash the mushrooms one at a time, quickly rinsing them under running water - this way they will not become saturated with moisture and will not become soggy.
4. After washing, the mushrooms should be dried by spreading them on a kitchen towel.
5. When the mushrooms are dry, you can start freezing them.

Freezing mushrooms

Place the prepared mushrooms in one layer on a tray so that they do not touch, and place the tray in the freezer. The lower the temperature in the freezer, the better. If your refrigerator has the “Enhanced Freezing” function, which allows you to set the temperature in the freezer to 24*C, be sure to turn it on.

After 12 hours, check the quality of the freezing. If the mushrooms ring like pebbles when you tap each other, it means they can be packaged in thick plastic bags or plastic containers. Two small useful packaging tips:

• Provide each package with a label on which you write the type of mushrooms and the date they were frozen.
• Since mushrooms cannot be re-frozen, pack them in small portions so that one package is designed for preparing one dish.

Place the mushrooms packaged in this way in the freezer and store them there for no more than six months at a standard temperature of -18*C.

Other ways to freeze mushrooms

Good quality mushrooms that have slight mechanical damage or mushrooms that are too large can also be frozen for the winter. To do this, sorted and peeled substandard mushrooms must be cut into thin (3 - 4 mm) slices before freezing, removing damaged areas when slicing. Next, treat the sliced ​​mushrooms in the same way as with whole ones - place the slices on a tray and put it in the freezer. Sliced ​​mushrooms freeze faster than whole ones. After about six hours, they can already be put into bags and put in the freezer for storage.

Mushrooms for the winter can be frozen not only raw, but also boiled or stewed with a small amount of vegetable oil.

To do this, prepare the mushrooms as described earlier, then cut them into slices and boil for 10 minutes in salted water or simmer in a deep frying pan until almost done. The boiled mushrooms are placed in a colander, after the liquid has drained, placed in portioned food containers, tightly closed with lids and allowed to cool to room temperature. Stewed mushrooms are packed into containers along with the juice that they released during stewing, and also cooled. After this, the containers with mushrooms are signed and put into the freezer, where they freeze and are subsequently stored.

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 anything is suitable for such purposes. But preserves its taste best:

• boletus;
• boletus;

• saffron milk caps;

Most often, purchased oyster mushrooms or. 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, etc. 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, part useful properties will get lost, but safety comes first);
• After washing, they are laid out on a towel and dried.

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.

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 a large saucepan over medium heat. 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).

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?

Mushrooms for the winter © Depositphotos

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During the quiet hunting season, have time to enjoy the wonderful taste of mushrooms, and also think about preparations for the winter. It's so nice to treat yourself to a steaming portion on a cold winter evening, feed your friends, or cook something rich and incredibly fragrant!

Unfortunately, real forest ones are found only in the warm season, but in winter you won’t be able to enjoy their fresh taste. You'll have to be content with just champignons and oyster mushrooms. In order to prolong your pleasure from feasting on fragrant forest gifts, find out how to freeze mushrooms for the winter.

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All those edible forest mushrooms that you collect for eating in the summer are suitable for freezing mushrooms for the winter: from chanterelles and honey mushrooms to porcini mushrooms.

How to properly freeze mushrooms for the winter - tip No. 1

If you want to get high-quality, beautiful and aromatic mushrooms after defrosting, make a preparation from clean, fresh, young, hard, whole mushrooms, collected within 1-2 days.

How to freeze for the winter in the refrigerator mushrooms - tip #2

Mushrooms should be cleaned of soil, leaves and debris, remove all wormy mushrooms, and cut large ones into pieces. At the same time, if you are going to freeze raw mushrooms, it is better to wipe them with a napkin than to wash them with water. Mushrooms easily absorb water, which during the freezing process will become excess ice in the freezer.

How to freeze mushrooms correctly - tip No. 3

The easiest way to freeze mushrooms for the winter is in their raw form. Boletus, boletus, honey mushroom, boletus, aspen, and chanterelles are suitable for raw freezing. After defrosting, such mushrooms will retain their flavor, keep their shape and decorate any dish. After you clean the mushrooms, place them on a flat surface in the freezer, and after 10-12 hours you can pour them into prepared bags or containers.

How to freeze mushrooms in the freezer - tip No. 4

If you don’t want to take risks and are wary of raw mushrooms, you can boil them a little before freezing. This is the best way to freeze fresh and tasty mushrooms that have lost their shape and beautiful appearance. You can later fry such semi-finished products or use them for filling in all kinds of pies, dumplings and kulebyaks.

How to freeze boiled mushrooms for the winter - tip No. 5

Before freezing boiled mushrooms for the winter, they should be peeled, cut into small pieces and boiled in boiling water for no more than 5 minutes. Then cool, drain in a colander and place in bags or containers in small portions - 300, 500 or 700 g. Such portions are convenient to take out and use for preparing one dish.

How to freeze fried mushrooms for the winter - tip No. 6

Similarly, you can freeze fried mushrooms for the winter. To do this, fry clean, prepared, chopped mushrooms in a small amount of vegetable oil for 20 minutes so that excess moisture evaporates from the pan. Then cool the fried mushrooms completely, put them in bags and put them in the freezer.

How to store mushrooms for the winter - tip No. 7

After you freeze mushrooms for the winter, they can be stored at -18°C for up to a year.

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Frozen mushrooms should be thawed properly before cooking. It is best to defrost them in stages, i.e. Immediately transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator, and only then place them at room temperature. Then they will not lose their aroma and will be just like fresh.

After completely defrosting the mushrooms, they should be used immediately for cooking and under no circumstances should they be left in the refrigerator for “later.” Mushrooms should also not be re-frozen. This is why portioned freezing of mushrooms is convenient.

Bon appetit!