- The article contains tips for storing mushrooms: drying, freezing and preserving in vinegar.
- Drying mushrooms: you can dry in the sun, in a dryer, oven or microwave (shorter, with breaks, low power).
- Freezing mushrooms: the best is frying mushrooms in butter before freezing so that they keep the aroma and do not bitter; Raw mushrooms can be stored up to 6 months, and those after thermal treatment for up to a year.
- Mushrooms in vinegar: boil mushrooms, prepare a pickle from vinegar, water and spices, pour mushrooms and pasteurize jars.
However, before winter is in a good time outside the window, it is worth thinking about how to stop their aroma for longer. Fortunately, there are several proven methods that will allow us to enjoy the taste throughout the year. Drying, freezing and preserving in vinegar are seemingly the simplest methods of storing forest gifts. However, as usual, the devil is in the details. How to make frozen mushrooms do not catch bitter, how to dry the mushrooms without a dryer and how to prepare an ideal vinegar pickle? We suggest.
How to dry mushrooms?
Drying is the oldest and one of the simplest methods of mushroom maintenance. It allows them to preserve their intense aroma and concentrated taste. Porcini mushrooms, mushrooms, koźlars and Riga are ideal for drying. Drying mushrooms in the sun is one of the oldest methods. However, the moist and rainy autumn is not conducive to such conservation of the gifts of the forest. It will be much easier to dry the mushrooms in a special dryer. However, this device that few people have. An alternative can be an oven or a microwave. Supporters of the latter method emphasize that thanks to the drying of mushrooms in the microwave they save a lot of time.
How to prepare mushrooms for drying?
Regardless of whether we intend to use a method using microwaves or other equipment when drying mushrooms, we should not soak them before. We use a brush and a knife to clean them. Small hats can be dried in full, largely cut into smaller parts. Also remember that not every mushrooms are suitable for drying. E.g. buttermilk is better to marinate.
Drying mushrooms in the microwave. What temperature will be suitable?
As we mentioned above, drying mushrooms in the microwave is a great alternative to drying mushrooms in the sun. Thanks to this method, porcini mushrooms and mushrooms keep an amazing aroma, and we save time. Although it is best to combine both methods. Then we are sure that our harvest is well protected against mold. To dry the mushrooms in a microwave, just put them in the device and heat them with maximum power for two minutes. Then the water should evaporate from them. After a few minutes, open the microwave door, wait a while and repeat the operation (reduce the power to 100 W) until the mushrooms are dry enough. It usually takes about 20 minutes.
Drying mushrooms in the oven
Cut the larger specimens into slices about 0.5 cm thick, then spread the mushrooms on the grill, sieve or thread into the thread. Dry in the oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees C with the door ajar.
How to store dried mushrooms and what to use them for?
Well -dried mushrooms should be fragile and brittle. Store them in tight containers or jars in a dry and dark place. You can also freeze them. Add dried mushrooms to soups, sauces, stew and stuffing to enrich their taste. Use to prepare aromatic broth or ground for powder and use as a spice for meats and vegetables.
How to freeze mushrooms?
Freezing mushrooms is a good way to store them, provided that we do it correctly. If we want the mushrooms to keep the full aroma and do not bitter, we must remember a few simple rules. Mushrooms can be frozen raw. However, you need to remember that not everyone is suitable for it. Chanterelles, Riga or Kanie then become bitter. They should not be soaked before freezing mushrooms. Soiled water after freezing and subsequent thaws will lose its firmness and structure. Mushrooms can also be cooked earlier, but then they lose their deep aroma. So how best to freeze fungi so that they are not bitter, but full of taste?
Do not cook mushrooms before freezing
In order for the mushrooms not to lose their form, aroma and taste before freezing, they must be fried in butter. Thanks to such maintenance of the chanterelles or ribs, they will not be bitter. Just about five minutes to close the taste in hats or in slices depending on what we plan to use frozen food for later. Before frying mushrooms, you need to clean them thoroughly (it is worth removing the skin from butterflies). It’s best to do it using a wet cloth and a brush. The mushrooms that we throw into the pan should be dry. Large hats should be cut into smaller pieces in advance. Small copies are worth frying in whole, removing the tail beforehand. Such a procedure will also eliminate worms. Frying mushrooms should not last too long, the only thing is to catch a temperature that will allow you to close the taste, which we will also store thanks to the addition of butter. It is important that there is a lot of butter. If we want to further emphasize the forest aroma, you can also add a branch of rosemary, salt and pepper to frying. For mushrooms, which we plan to use, e.g. for sauce, you can also add onion shallot. We cool the mushrooms prepared in this way and translate into special containers or bags for freezing. It is worth freezing small portions, it will be easier to use them in full. Mushrooms, like other products, are not freezed again. The same applies to dishes using frozen food. Raw mushrooms can be stored in the freezer for half a year. Mushrooms previously subjected to thermal treatment for up to a year.
Frozen mushrooms – what to do from them?
Add frozen mushrooms to soups, sauces, risotto and meat dishes. Use to prepare stuffing for dumplings and ears. Fry in butter with onions and serve as an addition to main dishes.
Mushrooms in vinegar – how to do?
Mushrooms preserved in vinegar are a delicious and aromatic snack that perfectly matches sandwiches, salads and meat dishes. To prepare them, clean the hats and cut them into smaller pieces. Boil the mushrooms in boiling water for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a pickle from vinegar and water (in a 1: 3 ratio) sugar (about 2 teaspoons per liter of water), salt (about 2 teaspoons per liter of water), allspice, bay leaves and mustard. Boil. Place the mushrooms in jars and pour the hot pickle. Pasteurize jars in a pot of water for about 15-20 minutes.
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