Drying porcini mushrooms at home: how to properly dry mushrooms for the winter

There is a category of aesthetes who cut and peel mushrooms only with plastic knives, and they are right in some ways. Not very high-quality knife steel can react with some components of the fungus, which can destroy some of the beneficial substances. However, if you have a good stainless steel knife, then you don’t need to worry too much.

Mushrooms intended for drying are not washed, but simply cleaned with a knife and, if necessary, wiped with a damp cloth.

Porcini mushrooms can be dried in several ways:

Natural drying in the fresh air

This drying method is suitable for small or medium-sized mushrooms. String the mushrooms on a strong twine and hang them in a draft, avoiding particularly bright sun.

You can speed up the drying of porcini mushrooms using a stove, radiator, or heater.

Drying mushrooms in the oven and electric dryer

Large mushrooms should be cut into slices and laid out to dry on a baking sheet or in an electric dryer.

In an electric dryer, porcini mushrooms are dried at a temperature of + 55 degrees for 6 to 9 hours.

In the oven, set the temperature to 90 degrees and, with the door ajar, dry until done. This is from 4 to 6 hours, depending on the size and number of mushroom pieces.

How to properly dry porcini mushrooms in an electric dryer, watch the video:

If you want to save space for storing mushrooms, prepare mushroom powder. You can use it to make mushroom sauce, or simply add it to soup.

Mushroom powder

Grind the mushrooms dried using any of the above methods with a coffee grinder or blender, add a couple of allspice peas, a little salt and sift through a sieve.

Large pieces can be ground again.

You can store mushroom powder in a glass jar with a lid.