How much frozen mushrooms can be stored in the freezer: terms and rules for home conditions

Freezing methods

Raw

After washing and drying, fresh mushrooms are freely laid out on a board or tray and placed in the freezer for 1-2 hours. By this time, they freeze and do not stick together later.

Then they are transferred to containers or sachets (in small portions) and placed in the freezer for long-term storage.

Boiled

Freeze as a semi-finished product. The fruits are also pre-peeled, cut and washed, and then blanched for 7-10 minutes in boiling water.

Boiled mushrooms are unloaded into a colander and left for a quarter of an hour to allow excess moisture in the glass. After complete cooling, they dry a little and put them in bags in small portions.

Fried

Pre-boiled mushrooms are fried in a skillet in vegetable oil. In time, the process takes 15-20 minutes.

You can add onions cut into pieces to them. When excess moisture evaporates, the workpiece is removed from the heat.

The cooked product is cooled, and then laid out in sachets.

Stewed

Mushrooms must be prepared for freezing.

Boil fresh mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, then drain the water and put the saucepan on low heat.

You can add salt, pepper, onions, herbs, sauces or vegetables to the workpiece.

After extinguishing for a quarter of an hour, they are laid out in a colander, cooled and dried a little, after which they are laid out in bags and sent to the freezer.

Baked

Spread raw fruit bodies on a baking sheet without adding oil or other fats.

They are baked in the oven at 180 ° C for about 15-20 minutes. Then it is cooled, laid out on a tray and frozen for an hour.

Next, the mushrooms are poured into containers or sachets and placed in the freezer for permanent storage.

How to store frozen mushrooms

The preparation for freezing depends on the structure and chemical composition. So that chanterelles containing milky juice do not taste bitter, they are pre-boiled. They also do with conditionally edible milk mushrooms, volushki and russula.

Boletus, mushrooms, boletus, boletus, boletus and other tubular species become watery and tasteless after cooking, so they are stored raw. Oyster mushrooms and mushrooms grown in greenhouses are frozen blanched or fried to improve their taste.

Preparation and freezing of fresh raw materials

Wormy, spoiled, soft specimens are discarded, dense ones are left. Conditioned products are sorted by size, and then they act according to plan:

Small damage is removed with a knife.
Thoroughly washed under running water, discarded in a colander, dried on a napkin.
Large specimens are divided into legs and caps, or cut into pieces.
Pour in one layer on a baking sheet or cutting board, place in the freezer for 12 hours.
Take out the baking sheet, pack the product and send it for long-term storage.

Freezing boiled semi-finished products

Raw materials are cleaned, washed and sorted, after which a simple instruction is followed:

Dip the mushrooms in boiling water.
After boiling again, cook for 10 minutes.
Strain through a colander, allow to cool, then squeeze lightly.
Cooked blanks are placed in containers under the lid or in plastic bags, placed in the freezer.

Mushroom broth is boiled down to reduce the volume, cooled and filled into plastic bottles. It is stored in the freezer for up to six months.

Choose whole, undamaged mushrooms for freezing

Freezing fried mushrooms

The peeled mushrooms are washed and dried thoroughly in a towel, and then proceed in stages:

The hats are cut into pieces, the legs are cut into circles.
Fry the slices in vegetable oil in a frying pan without a lid for about 20 minutes to evaporate as much moisture as possible.
Mushrooms are transferred to a plate covered with a paper towel, cooled.
The cooled product is packed into containers and frozen.

Freezing fried convenience foods

How beautiful to freeze mushrooms

Samples of the same size are selected, cleaned, washed under running water. Large mushrooms are cut lengthwise into 4 pieces.

After that, the following action plan is carried out:

Prepare the marinade: 0.5 l. water, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1.5 tsp. citric acid.
So that the mushrooms do not darken after thawing, they are marinated for 5 minutes.
The workpieces are removed from the solution, steamed for 3 to 5 minutes (depending on size).
After natural cooling, the mushrooms are packed and sent to the freezer.

Capacities

For raw blanks, plastic bags are the best option. In refrigerators with small freezers, they save space. Heat-treated mushrooms tend to soften and are best kept in plastic containers with tight lids.

Manufacturers mark containers with special symbols:

"Fork and glass" - means that the plastic is food grade;
"Snowflake" - the container can be placed in the freezer (usually the minimum temperature that the plastic can withstand is indicated under the icon);
"Wave" - the container is suitable for defrosting in a microwave oven.

It is advisable to choose rectangular or square containers: they are more compact than round and oval ones. Metal and glassware are not suitable for a freezer: they cannot withstand temperature changes.

Frozen mushrooms in briquettes

Helpful hints

Defrost raw mushrooms in the refrigerator. The best option is to leave them on the bottom shelf overnight and take them out of the container in the morning.
Boiled, stewed or fried preparations do not need special defrosting. They can be shaken out of the bag directly into the stockpot or skillet - they will defrost during the cooking process.
You need to freeze in small portions - each of them is intended for one use. After defrosting, the product rapidly loses its useful substances and taste, its shelf life is significantly reduced, and its appearance deteriorates.
The best option for freezing is small young white and redheads, which are convenient to freeze whole. Their dense pulp perfectly retains its shape, preserves the taste and rich aroma.
Under no circumstances should wormy specimens be frozen. If you do not want to cut them, but there are suspicions of worminess, leave them in salt water for 2-3 hours so that the worms come out on their own.
Blanching is sometimes used instead of boiling. Mushrooms are dipped in boiling water for a minute, and then thrown into a colander and immersed in ice water.
Owners of large freezers, who often make blanks, find it useful to mark the containers - to write down the freezing date. This is especially true for semi-finished products that are less stored and should be eaten faster.
Frozen mushrooms have the ability to absorb aromas, so they should be placed in the freezer separately from other products (in tightly closed containers or special bags with fasteners).
Tubular varieties are recommended to be frozen raw or fried without boiling or blanching. When boiled, they are saturated with moisture and become watery, which negatively affects taste, preservation and appearance.
If you need to save space in the freezer, it is better to freeze pre-boiled or fried items. During the preparation process, they lose their volume and are compactly placed in bags. If you want to stock up on fresh mushrooms, cut them into 1 cm thick slices.
Never put mushrooms hot after boiling or frying in the freezer - condensation will appear on them, which will eventually turn into an ice crust. In addition, do not freeze wet specimens - the moisture in them will also become ice crystals. However, if you plan to cook mushroom soup soon, you can freeze the main ingredient for it along with the broth.

Observing all these simple rules and recommendations, you can delight your friends and home with wonderful dishes from the amazing gifts of the forest - mushrooms for the whole winter.

Method for storing nutrients in mushrooms

Mushrooms have a lot of protein, about 1% fat, about 3% carbohydrates, amino acids and vitamins. Also trace elements (copper, zinc, iron, cobalt, calcium and potassium). Due to this content of nutrients, mushrooms are considered a dietary product, but still one should not forget that mushrooms are difficult for the body to assimilate, and you cannot eat a lot of them.

White mushrooms

There are mushrooms that have a healing effect on the body:

Porcini mushrooms destroy Escherichia coli.
Russula: greenish (scaly), brownish, blue-green, olive, inhibit the growth of malignant tumors.
Chanterelles and russules suppress staphylococci.

Russula greenish (scaly)
Chanterelles

Various edible mushrooms are useful for headaches, gout, and chanterelles improve liver health.

Many useful substances in mushrooms are preserved if they are processed and pickled or salted immediately after collection.

But most of the nutritional properties are preserved in mushrooms when frozen.

Here's an unusual way to freeze mushrooms:

We clean edible (conditionally edible) mushrooms, rinse them in cold water, cut large ones into quarters, small ones whole.
Prepare a lemon solution (1 teaspoon of lemon juice or 1.5 teaspoon of citric acid, 0.5 l of water), and soak the mushrooms in it for 5 minutes so that they do not darken and remain a beautiful natural color.
Boil the mushrooms: medium-sized whole - 5 minutes, small or cut into quarters - 3-5 minutes, finely chopped - 3 minutes.
Distribute the cooled mushrooms in bags and freeze in the freezer.

Basic rules for preparation for storage

Before preparing the blanks for storage, the mushrooms can be washed or thoroughly wiped off the caps with paper napkins.

Mushrooms have the ability to absorb moisture like a sponge. If you plan to cook mushroom marinades, then it is better to wash the fruits. They will boil and the excess liquid won't hurt. Boiled beets are also perfectly stored.

Wet processing degrades the structure of the mushroom body. If you plan to freeze it fresh, it is recommended to remove the contamination with a paper towel or cloth.

Collection and storage of mushrooms

The peculiarities of preparing fresh champignons for storage in the refrigerator depend on where they are taken:

In the shop:

Processing is not recommended. Peel and wash the fruit before cooking.

In the woods:

Remove visible debris and dirt. Large amounts of dirt will spoil the product.

Sometimes it is not possible to use up fresh mushrooms before the expiration date. Use heat treatment to prolong the life of the mushrooms. Blanch them and store in the cold for 2 more days.

Whether it is worth washing the mushrooms before freezing is up to you. This has its advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

It is better to freeze pure champignons, products with dirt particles are difficult to use in food.

Minuses:

fragility increases when frozen;
the shelf life is reduced.

Sort the harvested crop before harvesting. It is better not to put spoiled, old, sick ones in storage. Suitable for eating are young mushrooms with a light pink underside of the cap. With a black / brown color of the plates, the mushroom cannot be harvested.

For fresh storage, choose containers with ventilation holes or paper bags.Can be stored for a short time in plastic bags and under plastic wrap. However, the resulting condensation will shorten the lifespan. Frozen can be stored in containers and zip-lock bags.

How to store at home

Room temperature is not suitable for storage. Fresh champignons will spoil in 7-9 hours.

If initial processing is impossible, place them in a cold place (basement, cellar, next to the balcony door), folding them into a saucepan or bucket. After 12 hours, you need to start processing and harvesting for storage in order to avoid blackening and loss of useful vitamins. You can also store horseradish in the cellar.

At temperatures up to 8 degrees Celsius and low humidity, it is permissible to keep in the cellar for up to two to three days. In this case, you need to use paper bags or other containers in which the mushrooms can be laid with paper napkins.

Do not put the crop in several layers, but place the container on a stand out of contact with the wall.

It is best to keep fresh champignons in the refrigerator:

store packaging up to a week;
opened packaging - up to four days;

in water, the shelf life will be reduced by 2 times;
under vacuum - will increase up to 10 days.

There are several ways to extend the shelf life of a product as much as possible: freezing, drying, conservation.

In the freezer, you can store not only raw mushrooms, but also after heat treatment (boil, fry, blanch). Yeast can also be frozen for future use.

Blanching does not wash out vitamins, while preventing bacteria from entering and reducing spoilage.
Frozen boiled mushrooms are a finished product, after defrosting, all that remains is to heat up and add seasoning. The shelf life is reduced to 6 months.
Fried - pre-washed, dried with a paper towel, cut and put in a pan. Additionally, use vegetable oil for frying.

After cooking, separate the excess water through a sieve to prevent decay. In the process of frying, watch the evaporation of water to a minimum, blot the remaining oil with a napkin before preparing. Do not salt the mushrooms.

For drying, use an electric dryer or oven. Shelf life up to a year in glass containers or cloth bags in a cool dry place. Canned champignons in jars can be stored in the cellar.

Storing mushrooms in the refrigerator and in canned form

How to prepare mushrooms for freezing

Mushrooms are perishable foods. After collection or purchase, they are immediately processed and sorted by type. Each is frozen separately and in different ways: tubular - raw, marsupial and lamellar - in boiled. Whole, elastic, young specimens are selected. After sorting, they are cleaned of debris, the lower part of the leg is cut off, if it is in the ground. Contaminated caps are cleaned with a knife or sponge. All areas damaged by insects and dark spots are cut off.

Before freezing, raw mushrooms are wiped or washed with water, not soaked. Then they are laid out on a paper towel to dry out. If they plan to boil or fry them before freezing, they are pre-soaked in salt water so that all the dirt is soaked off and the hidden worms emerge. Then they are washed in cold water and discarded in a colander so that the glass has excess moisture.

To get a quality product, adhere to the following rules:

Only whole, undamaged specimens are used for freezing.
Do not soak raw before freezing. Excess moisture crystallizes during freezing and destroys the structure of the fungus.
To preserve the shape of the whole mushrooms, they are frozen on a tray and then laid out in storage containers.
To preserve the color, blanching is used before freezing.
The storage container is filled completely, leaving a minimum amount of air. This preserves the natural mushroom flavor.
To protect the product from foreign odors, use an airtight storage container.
Instant freezing allows you to preserve vitamins and nutrients to the maximum.
Once thawed, the product cannot be re-frozen. Therefore, mushrooms are frozen in small single portions.
When freezing a boiled product with broth, the taste and aroma are preserved.
Mushrooms are thawed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that they retain their taste and smell.

How to properly freeze mushrooms

The fresher the mushrooms are when you freeze them, the better they will keep in the freezer. Fresh mushrooms have a dense texture and a pleasant smell. Plus, there are no soft or dark spots on them.

Sometimes the best place to buy fresh mushrooms is at the local farmers' market, but you can also find mushrooms at your local grocery store.

Remove all visible contamination before freezing the mushrooms. Many people tend to wash mushrooms before freezing them, but this tends to make them softer when cooked.

If you choose to freeze raw mushrooms, trim the stems and place them in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing the bag and placing it in the freezer.

If you don't want to freeze raw mushrooms, here are two recommended methods for preparing them before freezing.

Steam blanching

Steam blanching is a quick cooking process that helps preserve food before freezing. It helps to destroy enzymes that can increase the spoilage rate of foods ().

An additional benefit of steam blanching is that it inactivates two common disease-causing bacteria such as listeria and salmonella, making the mushrooms safer before freezing ().

In addition, blanching foods can help preserve the nutrients they contain (,).

Blanching times vary depending on the size of the mushroom, so it is recommended that you either sort them by size or cut them into similar sized pieces before steaming.

To prevent discoloration during the blanching process, first soak the fresh mushrooms in a mixture of 2 cups (480 ml) water and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice for 5-10 minutes.

Alternatively, you can cook mushrooms using a mixture of 4 cups (960 ml) water and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice.

To steam them, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and place inside the steamer basket. Add the mushrooms to the basket and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Then remove the mushrooms and immediately place them in a container of ice water for the same amount of time. Drain and place the mushrooms in sealed, freeze-safe bags and store in the freezer.

Passing

Sauteing is a dry frying method that uses a small amount of fat and a relatively high temperature to quickly soften and brown food.

Cooking without water can prevent the loss of B vitamins. In addition, cooking with fat can improve the absorption of antioxidants and other plant compounds (,,,).

In a large skillet, add fresh mushrooms and a little hot vegetable or butter and bring to medium-high heat. Cook them for about 5 minutes, until almost completely cooked. The mushrooms should become tender, but not soft.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place them on a paper towel or plate to cool. Once completely cooled, place them in an airtight freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer.

Frozen mushrooms made using any of these methods can be used in a variety of ways. They are best for adding to dishes that will be cooked rather than consumed cold.

Features of storage of different types

Spongy and lamellar varieties differ slightly in storage methods, since they absorb moisture to varying degrees.

Chanterelles

How to store orange mushrooms:

do not wash before freezing - the variety absorbs moisture, and then releases it in a closed bag, and the product becomes moldy;
cooking will relieve chanterelles from bitterness;
only the hats are dried;
the variety is stored for a long time in sterilized jars.

Sterilization method: pour the mushrooms into the container, wipe the lid from the inside with alcohol, set the jar on fire and close it.

Champignon

How to store French mushrooms after purchase:

unwashed, unpeeled fungi can be kept on the middle shelf of the refrigerator in an open container for no longer than 3 days;
5-6 days the product is stored in paper at a temperature of +2 degrees;
it is not necessary to peel the mushrooms, but without the top skin they taste softer;
shelf life in the freezer - 6 months;
the dried product is usable for 12 months.

A bag of raw champignons should not be often shifted in the refrigerator, as dark spots appear on the surface of the caps from mechanical stress. Blackened mushrooms are dangerous due to accumulated toxins.

White mushrooms

How to store boletus:

collected are stored in the cellar up to 12 hours;
peeled mushrooms can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days;
cut the bottom of the leg before cooking;
boletus, dried in the sun or in a dryer, can be stored for a year;
mushroom powder is good for 3 years.

It is better to freeze boletus raw, since fresh they are stored longer than boiled.

Veselki

The variety is used in folk medicine against skin, oncological and broncho-pulmonary diseases. In cooking, they use young specimens that have not yet released an arrow-leg. Veselki are dried, ground into powder, or a medicinal alcoholic tincture is prepared from an egg-shaped base.

Mushrooms cannot be found in stores, but only in the forest, from May to October, or they can be purchased from a familiar mushroom picker. How to prepare and store a "funny" mushroom:

for cooking, the ovoid base is cleaned from the shell, as a medicine it is used entirely;
dried at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees;
the collected mushrooms are wiped with a damp cloth, without rinsing in water;
dried veselki are stored for 2 years in tightly closed glass jars, in a dark, dry place.

The tincture is stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 years.

Oyster mushrooms

How to store woody mushroom variety:

do not soak before freezing, otherwise, due to excess moisture, the taste will be lost;
at -2 degrees, sealed packaging will retain freshness for 3 weeks;
in warmer conditions, the shelf life is reduced to 5 days;
frozen boiled oyster mushrooms are stored for 8 months;
pickled mushrooms are edible for 1 year.

Whole caps retain aroma and flavor better.

Storing mushrooms in the freezer

You can keep the mushroom harvest in the freezer for much longer, and you can put fresh, fried and boiled mushrooms there.

How to freeze fresh mushrooms?

Collected mushrooms should be cleaned of debris and dirt by washing under running water.

After that, put them on napkins and let dry completely.
Then the largest mushrooms can be chopped coarsely, and the small and medium ones can be left intact.
Next, put the mushrooms on a tray in one layer and put them in the freezer overnight, and put the remaining mushrooms in the refrigerator compartment.
In the morning, put the frozen mushrooms in a plastic bag, tie and return to the freezer, and put the next batch of mushrooms from the refrigerator on a tray.
And do this until all the mushrooms are frozen.

How to freeze boiled mushrooms?

Peel fresh mushrooms, rinse and sort, then place in boiling water and cook after boiling for no more than 10 minutes.
Then discard in a colander to get rid of the broth and cool the mushrooms a little, and after a while squeeze them out by hand.
Boiled mushrooms can be folded into a plastic container with a tight lid or a plastic bag and placed in the freezer.
It is best to pre-divide the mushrooms into small portions, which will be enough to prepare one dish - this will make them easier to use later.

The broth that remains after boiling the mushrooms can also be frozen. To do this, the broth is boiled down to a small volume, cooled, poured into plastic bottles and folded into the freezer. You can store mushroom broth for several months. In the refrigerator, it can be no more than 4-5 days.

How to freeze fried mushrooms?

Fried mushrooms keep well frozen.

Fresh mushrooms should be peeled, washed, disassembled and dried on a napkin as usual.
After that, cut the hats into slices, and the legs - into circles.
Fry the mushrooms with a little vegetable oil.
It is necessary to evaporate most of the moisture, then remove the pan from the heat and cool.
Put the cooled mushrooms into plastic containers with tight lids, which are immediately put into the freezer.

How to beautifully freeze mushrooms whole?

To get strong, beautiful mushrooms after freezing that can be used to decorate dishes, you should select whole mushrooms and put them in the freezer on a flat surface, for example, on a cutting board. In this case, both the board and the mushrooms must be completely dry.
After a couple of hours, the frozen mushrooms can be folded into a plastic container and stored in the freezer.

It is best to harvest chanterelles, mushrooms, honey mushrooms, boletus and aspen mushrooms in this way.

How long can mushrooms be stored in the freezer?

If the temperature regime is set in the freezer to 0 ... -5 degrees, then the mushrooms will be suitable for consumption up to 3-4 months.
If the temperature in the freezer is -18 ... -14 degrees below zero, the shelf life of the blanks increases to six months.
At a temperature of -24 ... -18 degrees below zero, mushrooms can be kept in the freezer for about a year.

How long can defrosted mushrooms be stored?

If it becomes necessary to cook a dish, the required amount of mushrooms is removed from the freezer and defrosted either naturally or in a special mode in the microwave.

We are in a hurry to upset the housewives, who do not know how much defrosted mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator.

How to store fresh mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms are stored for a short time without processing. Therefore, it is better to recycle them immediately after purchase or collection.

First, the mushrooms are washed under running water, and then placed in a container with a salt solution for half a day. This is done so that they are cleansed of various insects, which often hide under the cap. If you returned from the store, and not from the forest, you can skip this point.

Then the mushrooms are washed and sorted. Old and too soft ones are not suitable for storage, so they are removed. Such specimens should either be prepared immediately or discarded. Black spots and damaged spots are carefully cut off with a ceramic knife.

After the mushrooms are dried on a towel, and then placed in a wide container. Covered with a napkin on the refrigerator shelf, they will stay fresh for up to 3 days. It is impossible to store them longer in such conditions - after 5 days they will become soft and covered with dark spots. And after 7, toxins that are dangerous to human health will begin to form in them.

Store-bought mushrooms do not require additional cleaning and processing. As a rule, oyster mushrooms and mushrooms are sold in vacuum packaging. To keep them fresh on the refrigerator shelf for up to 5 days, do not break the tightness of the package. And already before use, the mushrooms (oyster mushrooms) are washed under cold water, the yellowish parts of the legs are cut off and dried on a towel. Then they cook at their own discretion.