Freezing for the winter - recipes with photos
Mushrooms, if all necessary precautions are taken, will help to please loved ones and surprise guests. How to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter in the freezer...
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Frozen porcini mushrooms can be bought today both in the supermarket and at the market. Why does home freezing remain relevant? For me, as a housewife, the answer to this question is very simple. Mushrooms are not the most harmless product, I want a 100% guarantee that my loved ones will not end up with low-quality, overgrown or poisonous mushrooms, and only I myself can provide a 100% guarantee.
The main rule: caution
IN last years Poisonous mushrooms are increasingly disguised as edible ones. This also applies to porcini mushrooms. They have “doubles” in the forest, which only a real mushroom picker can recognize. And if you look in an amateur’s basket: what’s not there, God forbid it all ends up in a saucepan or frying pan! Without false modesty, I consider myself an experienced mushroom picker; I had not yet gone to school, but with a small basket in my hands I accompanied my mother into the forest.
In addition, as a housewife, I am inherently cautious: if I have even the slightest doubt about the quality of a mushroom, I will throw it away without the slightest regret. Health is more valuable.
Freezing, unfortunately, does not make bad mushrooms safer than they actually are, but it can get confusing if, for example, the seller offers the stems separately from the caps. You won't always understand what they are selling you. That’s why the best porcini mushrooms for freezing are gifts from the forest, collected with your own hands.
And one more tip: freeze young, strong, fresh mushrooms. Fortunately, you won’t have to bother with them for a long time. Brought from the forest - immediately processed.
Not “wholesale”, but “retail”: why you need to freeze mushrooms in small bags
Freezing mushrooms couldn't be easier. What you need to have on hand for this:
- White mushrooms;
- food bags (preferably especially for freezing);
- colander;
- plastic containers or trays.
I never freeze mushrooms in large portions. The contents of the bag should be enough for one mycelium, or for one julienne (this is why small bags or containers will be required). I know the “consumption norm” of my family, I think that any, even a novice housewife, will solve this issue without difficulty.
You will need a colander to immediately load the quickly washed mushrooms into it so that the water can drain: there is no place for excess moisture in the freezer. If you picked the mushrooms yourself, you can do without water procedures - scrape the soil from the root part with a knife, remove the blades of grass and leaves from the cap of the porcini mushroom. This is often enough.
Three popular freezing recipes
There are several types of freezing when they are sent to the refrigerator: raw mushrooms, boiled, fried.
- How are raw mushrooms frozen? Small ones - whole. Large ones - cut into not very small pieces. If the mushroom has large greenish-yellow pores, and the pulp itself is of good quality, it is advisable to cut off the pores - otherwise, after defrosting, in a soup, for example, they will become limp and ruin your entire dish. Don’t be greedy at all: in my many years of experience, you need much less frozen mushrooms for soup than fresh ones - their aroma becomes stronger, more concentrated or something. In addition, it is customary to cook “winter mushroom mushroom” using noodles, which means that less forest products will be needed.
- Boiled mushrooms, as is generally clear from the name, they cook before freezing, but not until fully cooked, but for about five minutes, no more. Then put it in a colander to drain the water. Then they are frozen.
- WITH fried mushrooms everything is also clear: they are fried on vegetable oil, until fully prepared, and then laid out in small containers.
From the “north pole” to the hot “south”: unwinding
Of the three methods, I prefer freezing raw mushrooms (quick and convenient) and fried ones (take them out of the freezer and put them in a frying pan where the potatoes are already simmering). In addition, a friend taught me how to prepare caviar from fried mushrooms by grinding them (still frozen) through a meat grinder, and then lightly frying them and adding finely chopped onions and grated boiled carrots. The dish must be seasoned with vegetable oil.
I don’t really like the option with boiled mushrooms - I don’t want to waste time on cooking, if later, during use, I still have to cook, and not until half-cooked, but until fully cooked.
You can defrost mushrooms in different ways. I do this by dousing them cold water from the tap: it comes off quickly, five to ten minutes, and the mushrooms can already be chopped. My aunt does this “according to science”, having read advice in some book: she transfers mushrooms from the freezer to one of the refrigerator shelves, and there they go away without experiencing a shock temperature change. My aunt claims that mushrooms retain their natural flavor better this way.
Be careful with your neighbors
Frozen mushrooms belong in the freezer. It’s good if, in addition to a refrigerator, you also have a freezer, like I do: I look into it less often, which means I don’t disturb the mushrooms, letting warm air in, albeit for seconds.
Storage bags must be durable so that porcini mushrooms do not absorb the odors of surrounding products. I had a similar mistake with bell pepper, which I saved for winter stuffing. Its strong smell has permeated all its neighbors, especially mushrooms, because they absorb various aromas like a sponge.
Who needs supplements?
Frozen mushrooms for me I like it best in soup, or rather, in a mushroom picker (it sounds more appetizing and very summery). You can also make julienne with mushrooms, use them as a filling for pies. In general, I often add a little frozen porcini when I cook meat in pots in the oven or some meat or vegetable dish in a slow cooker. Don’t be afraid to experiment: if your family loves mushrooms, then you won’t ruin the dish with them, that’s for sure.
Frozen mushrooms, if all necessary precautions are taken during their preparation, will help make your table more varied - please loved ones and surprise guests. By the way, they are also good in terms of saving: just imagine how much money you will need to spend to fry a frying pan of champignons (let’s be honest, not the most aromatic mushrooms), how you will give yourself an order: next fall I will collect and freeze the mushrooms myself!
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Mushrooms are a favorite food of millions. Every housewife knows at least several recipes where these forest guests are the key figures. Great amount recipes from mushrooms is explained by the versatility of the product - nutritional value and unusual taste mushrooms are incomparable to anything.
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. Great idea for those who like to please themselves with flavors in the winter early autumn, porcini mushrooms will be frozen 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 fix a few important points, which are worth paying close attention to:
- all your boletus mushrooms should be clean and fresh - a stale product will not make you particularly happy delicate taste in 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 equal to -18 degrees, then your workpiece 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 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!
IN Lately, freezing food is gaining widespread popularity. In this regard, one can increasingly hear the question: is it possible to freeze porcini mushrooms and how to do it correctly. In this article I want to talk about all the ways to properly freeze porcini mushrooms, their shelf life and defrosting rules.
Before freezing, boletus mushrooms collected in the forest or purchased at the market should be cleaned with a brush or a clean sponge for washing dishes. It is not recommended to wash porcini mushrooms. If the dirt is significant, then you can rinse it under the tap, but under no circumstances soak it. This is due to the fact that the spongy structure of the cap easily absorbs liquid, and there is no need for excess moisture for freezing.
Methods for freezing porcini mushrooms
You can freeze raw porcini mushrooms
Clean mushrooms should be sorted by size. Small porcini mushrooms can be frozen whole, and large ones can be cut into slices or cubes.
From whole small mushrooms you can prepare a dish for festive table, and from the chopped legs and caps cook soup or make goulash.
Prepared mushrooms are placed in containers or bags for freezing. If the mushrooms were previously rinsed with water, then in order to avoid freezing among themselves, the mushrooms can be laid out on a flat surface and frozen. After 12 hours, frozen boletus mushrooms can be transferred to bags.
See video from Lubov Kriuk - White mushroom. Boletus edulis. Great ways to prepare for freezing porcini mushrooms
Boiled porcini mushrooms for the winter
Boiled mushrooms take up much less space in the freezer, which allows people with small freezers to use this method. At the same time, mushrooms with cut wormholes, that is, those that have lost their presentation, can be frozen.
Before freezing, the mushrooms are cut into cubes and then immersed in boiling water for 5 minutes, no more. Then they are transferred to a colander to get rid of excess liquid. Completely cooled boletus mushrooms are packaged in bags or containers.
Boiled frozen mushrooms are used to make soups and gravy.
The water in which porcini mushrooms were boiled can also be used. It is boiled until reduced in volume and slightly thickened, and then frozen in ice cube trays.
See the video from the channel “Tasty and Nourishing” - Freezing mushrooms for the winter
How to fry porcini mushrooms for the winter
Clean mushrooms are cut into slices or cubes and placed on a hot frying pan. After some time, liquid will begin to release from the boletus mushrooms. After the moisture has almost evaporated, which will take about 20 minutes, add vegetable oil to the mushrooms. Fry sliced mushrooms until light golden brown.
Place the finished mushrooms in a colander to allow them to drain. excess fat. The cooled porcini mushrooms are put into portioned bags, one at a time, and put in the freezer for storage.
These mushrooms are completely ready to eat. You can simply add them to fried potatoes and warm up.
See video from Dmitry Yakov - Frying porcini mushrooms correctly
How to store and defrost mushrooms
Frozen porcini mushrooms can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 year. They will completely retain their taste and aroma, subject to the temperature regime of -18ºС.
To prepare most dishes, there is no need to defrost porcini mushrooms. But if preliminary defrosting is needed, then they are first kept for several hours in the refrigerator, and then at room temperature.
Porcini mushrooms surprisingly combine bright taste and health benefits, as well as a wide distribution in forests.
They have the most common appearance in spruce forests, namely a dark cap and a white leg. In birch forests, their tops are lighter, which allows inexperienced mushroom pickers to confuse them with some inedible species. They grow from the second half of August until late autumn, and therefore housewives can be content with them for a very long time, especially if they are prepared for the winter. Thus, freezing porcini mushrooms is extremely convenient, because it preserves their properties. But canning, drying and other types of preparations are also used. However, all this somewhat reduces the benefits and dulls their real taste, while mushrooms after freezing are practically no different from fresh ones. But it is precisely their composition that allows them to be classified in the first category, since they contain a high content of riboflavin, essential amino acids, potassium and phosphates. And soup made from them will be 7 times more caloric than meat, which allows you to safely eat them in the winter, as well as when switching to vegetarianism.
Freezing technology
Freezing of which can be carried out both raw and prepared, first of all you need to properly prepare it. To do this, you should select mushrooms that are dense in consistency and small in size so that you do not need to cut them. It is also important that they are well cleaned, washed, preferably undamaged and sufficiently dried. Freezing wet porcini mushrooms threatens to disrupt the neat structure of the product, and when defrosting, instead of the expected result, you will only get an unformed mass. Next, you should choose in what form (fresh, boiled or fried) you will prepare the product. In the first case, freezing porcini mushrooms should be done in small portions, per one dish, and also with minimum quantity air in a bag or container.
If you want to boil them first, then a ten-minute heat treatment without the use of salt will be enough. And after completely cooling and drying, you can safely put them in the freezer. And porcini mushrooms should be fried on sunflower oil before the liquid evaporates, also without using spices.
Product Application
In any case, freezing porcini mushrooms is a sure way to preserve the product almost unchanged for a long time. However, this period should not exceed two years, and most the best option is one year, that is, until the next harvest. After defrosting, mushrooms can be used in any dish: cook soups based on them, make salads, fry them with potatoes or other vegetables in a stew. They do not darken during heat treatment. The dish will not only be tasty and rich, but also pleasant to look at. It will be very beneficial to use them in fillings for pies, juliennes and buns, as well as in roasts and casseroles. Rest assured, the porcini mushroom will enrich any dish with its rich taste and beneficial substances.
Mushrooms contain a lot of valuable protein; they rightfully take their place in kitchens different nations peace. There are several cooking methods: boiling, frying, freezing, salting, pickling. This material will tell you how to freeze and preserve porcini mushrooms.
Freezing is used to preserve the properties of mushrooms and preserve them for as long as possible. Anything can be subjected to this type of processing. known species– boletus, aspen, chanterelle, boletus, and also white. Industrial freezing is used to extend the shelf life of oyster mushrooms and champignons, but personally processed mushrooms will have an order of magnitude higher taste.
Important. Frozen mushrooms are a long-term NZ for cooking delicious soups, frying, winter salads. The main thing is to carefully sort the collection before processing, removing spoiled, stale, or too saturated with moisture stems and caps.
Porcini mushroom is especially valued by connoisseurs for its delicate and rich taste; its protein-rich fleshy parts are not inferior to meat in energy value. And if you properly preserve such a treasure and freeze it, you can provide yourself with a tasty and healthy delicacy for a long time.
Selection and preparation of mushrooms before freezing
Experienced chefs place special emphasis on the process of preparing mushrooms for long-term storage. After all, it will depend on this whether they will remain in their original form for a long time or whether the whole freezing idea will end in failure. So, to put them in the freezer you need mushrooms:
- fresh;
- strong;
- clean;
- with minimal liquid content.
If you use mushrooms that are 2 or more days old, then after defrosting they will almost immediately become unusable. The same applies to caps and legs that have been heavily soaked in water and have picked up moisture. It is imperative to clean the surfaces of mushrooms before cold packaging from debris, twigs, and damaged areas. Whole, strong and fresh mushrooms will preserve for a long time taste qualities, and the “old” ones, dented, will immediately lose their shape after thawing, and will look very unappetizing, gray.
Methods for freezing porcini mushrooms for the winter
There are several classic options freezing porcini mushrooms, the recipes for their preparation are quite simple: cooling raw or after preliminary boiling. Which method to choose is up to everyone to decide for themselves.
“Raw” saves time on processing for direct freezing, “boiled” allows you to quickly prepare a semi-finished dish - soup or roast.
Under no circumstances should you mix different mushrooms. Firstly, each type has its own structure: there are mushrooms with a strong stem and a loose cap, very delicate ones that quickly lose their presentation if handled carelessly, and others.
Secondly, such a “hodgepodge” will affect the taste of the product - you will end up with some kind of average mushroom, similar to everything at once, as if taken from the farthest refrigerator of a regular supermarket.
Such a product has no more advantages than a hastily purchased briquette of frozen champignons of uncertain taste. And our goal is to fully preserve all the notes of the exquisite taste of the porcini mushroom.
Raw
This technique allows you to preserve as much as possible all the taste qualities of the mushroom and preserve it in its original form. We need fresh, strong, worm-free and clean white hare, so the issue of sorting is approached with the utmost care. All damaged, watery, too soft legs and caps are mercilessly rejected - they are not suitable for freezing.
Next, the fungi are processed whole or, after cutting them into slices - whichever is more convenient for you. For freezing, it is good to use zipper bags made of thick polyethylene: they reliably store the contents and are easy to open.
Boiled
And this method will require mandatory heat treatment. It is also used when you are not sure (or are afraid) about raw mushrooms, although all mushroom pickers and cooks unanimously repeat: if you don’t know whether your find is edible or not, it’s better not to take it. The method is well suited for preserving “substandard”: broken caps, damaged (but not rotten) legs, small mushrooms.
Boil the product before freezing for no more than 5 minutes, after cutting it into slices or crumbling it into cubes. They are immediately thrown into boiling water, then allowed to cool, filtered, left in a colander, and only then placed in a bag for cold preservation. You can use 1 large package or several small ones - whichever is more convenient for you, but the second option is preferable.
A small portion is used immediately, it is easy to make a pie or soup from it, but a large-sized package will then have to be re-frozen, which is not very good.
Stewed
Another way to reduce the time spent preparing a finished dish. Sorted, peeled and washed mushrooms are cut into small portions, then fried over low heat in vegetable oil (no longer than 20 minutes). The second method is to stew in the oven, on a baking sheet, in its own juice - this way the piquant, sweetish taste of the mycelium is better preserved. The completely cooled product is placed into bags and frozen.
Fried in the freezer
One of the most famous harvesting methods that everyone is familiar with experienced housewife. Mushrooms are fried in vegetable or butter, then placed in glass jars suitable container and fill with the resulting juice. Frying in pork lard is allowed - this depends on personal taste preferences. Heat-treated mushrooms filled with fat can be stored for quite a long time, completely retaining all their taste.
A simple method for the “lazy” and those who give credit to their own products rather than purchased semi-finished products. Prepared (clean and chopped) mushrooms are boiled with the addition of spices or just like that. The finished broth can be stored in several ways:
- In glass jars.
- Food containers.
- Regular packaging bags.
- Divided into cubes.
Any of the above methods will allow you to quickly prepare a hearty lunch or dinner using pre-frozen rich mushroom broth.
How long can they be stored?
A reasonable question that arises among home-cooking lovers: how long can frozen mushrooms and semi-finished products from them be stored? If the above conditions are met (strong and fresh mushrooms, not damaged, without wormholes or rot), the product will be stored in the freezer for a whole year. But for this we must not forget about a few simple rules.
Important. The lower the temperature, the longer term storage (the longest period is ensured by an indicator of -18 ºС), and mushrooms taken out of the cold are immediately used without residue - re-freezing is unacceptable.
How to defrost mushrooms correctly?
Freezing and packing raw, boiled or fried mushrooms is half the battle. You still need to defrost them properly. In order for frozen foods to retain their taste and not lose them in a couple of minutes, it is recommended to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator before preparing the dish. Such intermediate defrosting will allow the semi-finished product to gradually gain temperature, without losing color and taste.
The method of forced defrosting in a microwave or oven, beloved by some housewives, will do harm, not good: instead of fragrant, tasty mushrooms, as if picked yesterday in the forest, you will end up with an unappetizing grayish mess, which is scary to use as food.