Mushrooms contain a lot of valuable protein; they rightfully take their place in the cuisines of different peoples of the world. 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. All known species can be subjected to this type of treatment - boletus, aspen, chanterelle, boletus, and white boletus. 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 source of food for preparing delicious soups, roasts, and 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 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 retain their taste for a long time, but “old”, bruised ones will immediately lose their shape after thawing and will look very unappetizing and grey.
Methods for freezing porcini mushrooms for the winter
There are several classic options for freezing porcini mushrooms; the recipes for their preparation are quite simple: cooling raw or after pre-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 furthest 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 in bags and frozen.
Fried in the freezer
One of the most famous harvesting methods, which every experienced housewife is familiar with. Mushrooms are fried in vegetable or butter, then placed in glass jars of a suitable container and filled 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 lovers of homemade preparations: 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 the shelf life (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.
Fry frozen mushrooms (ceps or honey mushrooms) in vegetable oil. For 100% quality, you can boil the mushrooms after boiling before frying. Frozen mushrooms are not defrosted before frying.
Frozen mushrooms with potatoes
Products
Frozen honey mushrooms - 400 grams
Potatoes - half a kilo
Onions - 1 head
Dill - 1 small bunch
Salt and pepper - to taste
Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons
How to fry frozen mushrooms with potatoes
Heat a frying pan over low heat, pour in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, add mushrooms and simmer them covered for 7 minutes, then over medium heat without a lid for 5 minutes.
Peel the onions, finely chop and add to the mushrooms. Fry mushrooms and onions for 5 minutes.
Peel and cut the potatoes, add to the mushrooms and onions, fry for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring.
Wash and dry the dill, chop finely, place in a frying pan, salt and pepper the dish, stir and simmer covered for another 3 minutes.
Frozen mushrooms with sour cream
Products
Forest frozen mushrooms - 300 grams
Sour cream - 100 grams
Onions - 1 head
Salt, oregano and ground white pepper - to taste
Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
How to fry frozen mushrooms with sour cream
Heat a frying pan, pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Without defrosting, place the mushrooms in a frying pan, cover with a lid and heat over low heat for 5 minutes, then over medium heat without a lid for 10 minutes. Add sour cream, salt, oregano and ground white pepper, mix well and cook for another 3 minutes over low heat.
In Russian cuisine, mushrooms rightfully occupy a special place - many dishes are prepared from them, using them boiled, fried or stewed. Even a small amount of mushrooms added as an ingredient in the main dish, side dish or gravy can brighten up any lunch or dinner, turning it into a real holiday. You can use not only fresh or dry mushrooms for this, but also frozen ones.
Photo by Shutterstock
Frozen mushrooms
You can freeze mushrooms and then use them for frying or prepare other dishes from them yourself. Usually at home, when there is no possibility of quick freezing, the mushrooms are first boiled, the water is decanted and placed in separate portioned bags of 200–300 g. In this way, you can freeze any mushrooms brought from the forest: porcini, aspen, boletus, chanterelles and even russula or honey mushrooms.
The store also sells frozen mushrooms - artificially grown champignons and oyster mushrooms, as well as forest mushrooms - white mushrooms or honey mushrooms. These mushrooms are frozen raw and can be purchased by weight in the quantities you need for cooking. To fry for two or three servings, you will need 500 g of frozen mushrooms of any kind or frozen assorted mushrooms.
When purchasing mushrooms in a store by weight, make sure that they are not sticky clumps: this is a sign of violation of storage conditions and that they have already been thawed
How to fry frozen mushrooms
Frozen mushrooms do not need to be thawed before cooking. If you want to fry them, first fry finely chopped onions in a frying pan and, when they turn golden, place boiled or raw frozen mushrooms in the frying pan. They will give juice, which must be evaporated by frying and stirring the mushrooms over medium heat. There is no need to put a lot of spices into the mushrooms, so as not to interrupt their natural taste and aroma, so the contents of the pan can only be salted and a little ground black pepper added. But 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream will only emphasize and enhance the taste of mushrooms.
If you want to cook potatoes fried with frozen mushrooms, it is better to do it in two stages
First, fry the mushrooms and onions separately until the liquid from them has completely evaporated. Then start frying the potatoes cut into small cubes in a separate pan. When it is already half-raw and a crust begins to appear, salt it and place the mushrooms fried with onions in the frying pan. Next, until the potatoes are ready, fry them together and serve, sprinkled with finely chopped herbs.
To prepare a delicious gravy from fried frozen mushrooms, fry finely chopped onions in vegetable oil. Once it begins to caramelize, add the coarsely grated carrots to the pan and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Add frozen mushrooms, fry them until the juices evaporate, sprinkle the contents of the pan with 1-2 tbsp. flour, stir, lightly fry everything in flour, and then add 1 glass of water. Simmer everything until the flour thickens, then remove from the stove and let stand for 10-15 minutes. This gravy can be poured over unsweetened porridge or served with meat or poultry.
Most people like to spend weekends and holidays in the forest on picnics, and many return home with baskets of mushrooms. At the same time, very often the baskets are filled with white ones, which have a special taste. You can not only cook various dishes from them, but also freeze them. But not everyone knows how to cook frozen porcini mushrooms and how to use them later.
Description and characteristics
This representative of the mushroom world is of great value and has a rich taste. They can be recognized by their stem and cap. They are found in the forest from June until October. It is worth noting that the porcini mushroom has approximately 15 relatives.
The hat has a diameter of 8-9 cm, but there are some that reach 27-30 cm. The color can be different: from beige to brown. The leg is 15 cm long, sometimes more. The pulp itself is dense and has a pleasant aroma.
Porcini mushrooms are considered valuable, and a wide variety of dishes can be prepared from them: soups, main dishes, pates, salads, appetizers and sauces. At the same time, they can be prepared for future use: pickled, dried, canned, and even frozen.
Freezing rules
It seems like it could be easier than freezing mushrooms. But to do this, you need to know a few rules:
- Before freezing, the product is washed and dried well;
- Now you should divide the portions, and cut large specimens into pieces;
- For freezing, you can use sealed bags or special containers in which the workpieces are sent to the freezer.
It is not necessary to freeze mushrooms raw; this can also be done with prepared ones. They can be stored in this form for almost a year. You don’t have to defrost them before cooking.
Dish recipes
Basically, you can cook anything from frozen mushrooms. There are countless recipes for frozen porcini mushrooms; the main thing is to take into account the form in which they were frozen and what you want to cook from them.
Mushroom soups
Almost every day every family cooks soup and thanks to mushrooms you can change the monotony and diversify the menu. So, a few recipes for mushroom soups.
Cream soup with melted cheese
- porcini mushrooms - 300 grams;
- any broth - about 2 liters;
- carrot - 1 pc.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- potatoes - 4 pcs.;
- processed cheese - 2 pcs.
The onion must be chopped as finely as possible and fried in a frying pan, and the carrots must be grated. Mushrooms also need to be added to the frying pan and fried. You should put chopped potatoes in the broth and then cook them for 20 minutes, and then add the contents of the frying pan. The broth is boiled for another 10 minutes and then finely chopped cheese is added. Wait until the cheese is all melted and then add salt to taste. Now the soup is ready, but you can also use a blender to finally achieve the consistency of a pureed soup.
Ingredients:
The mushrooms must be left to defrost, then washed, cut and fried. The broth must be prepared in advance. Add finely chopped carrots, onions and pickles to the mushrooms, fry everything well in oil. You need to throw the potatoes into the broth and let them cook for 10 minutes, then add the fried vegetables, add salt and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. At the end of cooking, you can add greens.
Second courses
The roast with porcini mushrooms is especially popular. It has a unique aroma that will definitely appeal to everyone in the household.
Ingredients:
- mushrooms - about 1 kg;
- bulbs - 3 pcs.;
- meat pulp - 600 g;
- carrot - 1 pc.;
- cream - approximately 100 ml.
Finely chop the onion and fry in oil, it is better to use butter. When it turns brown, add carrots, and at the very end - frozen mushrooms. As soon as they completely release water, you need to add pieces of meat. Simmer for about 30 minutes and make sure that the water does not completely evaporate. When the roast is ready, add cream or sour cream and salt.
Mushrooms with sour cream
This dish is suitable for any side dish and goes well with both potatoes and rice.
Compound:
The dish is prepared from defrosted mushrooms so that the water completely drains from them. Pour oil into a well-heated frying pan and fry the onion. Then add mushrooms and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt, add other spices to taste and pour in sour cream. Cover the top and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring while doing so.
The mushrooms should defrost within 2-3 hours, and then they should be cut. Finely chop one onion and bell pepper into strips. Place all ingredients in a frying pan and simmer with added oil. After this, you need to pour a handful of flour, while stirring the vegetables well, add salt, add cumin and pour boiling water so that the water slightly covers the dish. Close the lid and leave to simmer until the water evaporates. At the end add the tomato, which should be cut into cubes. Decorate with greenery as desired.
Delicate sauce
The sauce is added to any dish; it can whet the appetite and give a unique taste. It is worth noting that the most common recipe for porcini mushroom sauce will give you a much tastier dish than other mushrooms.
For the sauce you need:
Frozen mushrooms should be boiled, then cut and fried with onions in melted butter, and finally add flour. Total frying time is about 10 minutes. The cream should be warm and should be added at the end, then salt the sauce, add spices to taste and leave to simmer over low heat until it thickens. The sauce can be consumed cold or hot and is suitable for all dishes, especially meat.
Snacks and salads
It is worth noting that a large number of delicious snacks can be made from mushrooms, starting with pate and ending with entire snack compositions.
Mushroom pate
- frozen mushrooms - 800 g;
- lemon juice;
- butter - 200 g;
- salt and spices.
Mushrooms are boiled in salted water, and then they must be minced in a meat grinder. Oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper are also added there. This dish is very easy to prepare, and the appetizer is tasty, satisfying and suitable for both breakfast and a holiday table.
Salad “Tenderness”
Ingredients:
- chicken or turkey fillet - 400 g;
- porcini mushrooms - 500 g;
- eggs - 2 pcs.;
- cucumbers (preferably fresh) - 2 pcs.;
- onions - 1 pc.;
- canned corn - 1 can.
The onion must be finely chopped and fried until it is browned, and the excess oil must be drained. Chicken fillet needs to be boiled and cut. Do the same with eggs. Cucumbers and other products must be cut into cubes. Mix everything, add mushrooms, salt and mix well with mayonnaise. The salad is ready, it can also be made in layers, it turns out very tasty.
There are many recipes for preparing frozen porcini mushrooms, and it’s up to you to decide which one to choose, but it’s worth noting that in ancient times, cooks did not share recipes with anyone, especially dishes with mushrooms. They passed down all the recipes by inheritance, because porcini mushrooms were most often served on the tables of masters, and foreign guests were amazed when they tried them. You too create, and then your guests will be delighted!
You will need: frozen mushrooms, water, salt
1. Shake the mushrooms a little in the bag, defrost in the refrigerator (slowly), at room temperature (quickly), putting the bag of frozen mushrooms in warm water (quickly) or in the microwave (very quickly).
2. Boil water (a glass of water for a glass of frozen mushrooms), add salt - a spoonful of salt in a large saucepan.
3. Frozen honey mushrooms, chanterelles and champignons can be whole, so they should be cut and washed. Wild mushrooms, as a rule, are already chopped: just put them in water.
4. Cook honey mushrooms, chanterelles or champignons for 15 minutes.
5. Boil frozen store-bought mushrooms for 25 minutes.
6. Cook frozen mushrooms yourself for 30 minutes without pre-cooking.
How to freeze mushrooms (simple recipe)
Only fresh, healthy mushrooms are suitable for freezing. Cut fresh mushrooms into slices and boil for minutes. Allow the water to drain, dry for 10-20 minutes, place in plastic bags in even layers, and place in the freezer at -18 degrees. Your frozen mushrooms are definitely ready in a day.Cream soup of frozen porcini mushrooms
3 liters per panProducts
Frozen porcini mushrooms - half a kilo
Potatoes - 3 small
Pearl barley - half a glass
Onions - 1 head
Carrot - 1 small
Parsley - half a bunch
Ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 tablespoon
How to cook frozen porcini mushroom soup
1. Pour half a glass of pearl barley into a sieve and rinse.
2. Soak the pearl barley for 3-4 hours in cold water.
3. Pour 2 liters of water into the pan and put on fire.
4. Place frozen porcini mushrooms in a saucepan without defrosting.
5. Pour the swollen pearl barley into the pan.
6. Peel the onions and chop finely.
7. Peel the carrots, cut off the rhizome, grate on a coarse grater.
8. Heat a frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute, add oil.
9. Place onion in a frying pan and fry for 5 minutes.
10. Place carrots in a frying pan and fry for another 5 minutes.
11. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1.5 centimeter cubes.
12. Place potatoes in a saucepan.
13. After 15 minutes, place the fried onions and carrots into the pan.
14. Salt and pepper the soup.
15. Wash the parsley, dry it and chop it finely.
16. Boil the soup for 5 minutes, then leave for half an hour.
Serve frozen porcini mushroom soup, sprinkled with parsley.