How to freeze mushrooms for the winter at home: all the ways to properly freeze
Ryzhik - very fragrant mushrooms. In autumn, avid mushroom pickers arrange a real hunt for them. Having collected a sufficiently large amount of this delicacy, many are wondering: “Is it possible to freeze mushrooms?”. The answer to this question is yes, but in order for the mushrooms not to taste bitter during defrosting, they must be properly prepared.
First of all, we sort the mushrooms by size and density. Small and strong mushrooms are best frozen raw and whole in order to maintain an attractive appearance. And large mushrooms are set aside for freezing using heat treatment.
Those mushrooms that are planned to be frozen raw do not need to be washed. You can simply wipe them down with a damp cloth or a clean (new) dishwashing sponge.
Mushrooms with large caps are cleaned of dirt and gently washed in cool water, trying not to break.
How to freeze mushrooms raw
Prepared strong mushrooms are laid out on a pallet or cutting board covered with cellophane. Then the container is placed in the freezer for 10-12 hours. After this time, the mushrooms are taken out and transferred to a separate bag or container.
The package is labeled with the date of freezing and sent back to the freezer.
How to boil mushrooms before freezing
Large clean mushroom caps are cut into pieces of approximately the same size. Then they are dipped in boiling water for 10 minutes. After the next boil, the fire is adjusted down so that the mushrooms do not fall apart from strong seething.
Mushrooms will give a lot of foam when cooked, so you should arm yourself with a spoon to remove it.
As soon as the mushrooms are cooked (this can be determined by the fact that the mushrooms in the pan have settled to the bottom), they are carefully removed with a slotted spoon and cooled in a colander.
After the mushrooms have completely cooled, they are laid out in portioned bags or containers. The containers are signed and sent to the freezer.
See the video from the channel "Tasty and Satisfying" - We freeze mushrooms for the winter
Fried mushrooms for the winter
Sliced clean pieces of mushrooms are laid out on a hot frying pan with the addition of a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Roast the mushrooms for 20 minutes until all excess moisture has evaporated.
The finished frying is cooled, and laid out in containers for freezing. On each package put a mark on the date of laying the mushrooms in the freezer.
See the video from the Lazy Kitchen channel - How to freeze mushrooms for the winter (Mushroom blanks)
How to prepare mushrooms for freezing in the oven
For this method, clean mushrooms are laid out on a baking sheet, without adding vegetable oil. Set the oven to a low temperature, approximately 100 ºС and slightly open the oven door.
After 30 minutes, the mushrooms dried in this way are laid out in bags and put away for storage in the freezer.
Is it possible to freeze salted mushrooms
Freezing salted mushrooms is an ideal option for storing them. With this method, salted mushrooms do not turn sour and do not deteriorate, as happens with them in the usual compartment of the refrigerator.
For this storage method, mushrooms are cold-salted, but not salted. After withstanding salting under oppression in the refrigerator for a couple of days, mushrooms are packed in bags and put in the freezer. The main thing is to pack bags for exactly one serving, since re-freezing mushrooms is unacceptable.
How to store and defrost mushrooms
Some housewives complain that mushrooms are bitter after defrosting. This is due to non-compliance with the shelf life of mushrooms. Raw frozen mushrooms can be stored in the freezer for no more than 10 months, and processed - no more than six months.
As for the issue of defrosting, it is better to use frozen mushrooms without first defrosting. If there is already a need to defrost mushrooms, for example, when defrosting salted mushrooms, then this should be done gradually - first in the refrigerator, and then at room temperature.