How to properly freeze mushrooms for the winter - freezing mushrooms at home

Porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, honey mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, champignons and other types of mushrooms can be frozen at home. 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.

The few types of marsupial mushrooms must be boiled and thoroughly squeezed before placing them in the freezer.

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.

See video from Lubov Kriuk - How to freeze porcini mushrooms

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.

See the video from the channel “Tasty and Nourishing” - How to freeze mushrooms for the winter

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 are not defrosted, but are immediately added to the dish during cooking.

See video - How to cook mushrooms for freezing

See video - How to freeze champignons