Methods for freezing chanterelle mushrooms
Frozen chanterelles with a unique taste and aroma are loved by many. With them, they make preparations for the winter, including resorting to freezing. There are several ways to freeze chanterelles for the winter while maintaining nutritional benefits and gastronomic qualities.
Cooking methods for frozen chanterelles
Freezing fresh chanterelles
It is recommended to freeze chanterelles raw for the winter immediately after harvest. Before freezing, they are sorted: freshly harvested ones are suitable for freezing, without mechanical damage and defects, strong and whole.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Indeed, since fresh chanterelles can be stored in the refrigerator for a very short time - only 18-24 hours, they must be immediately processed and frozen. For this, only strong young specimens are selected, in which the cap has not yet opened. Such selection will avoid the occurrence of bitterness when defrosting. Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the back (bottom, lamellar) side of the cap, because this is where a lot of dirt accumulates. If you still decide to rinse the chanterelles, then it is better to do it under running water. Then they must be laid out for complete drying and only then sent to freeze. Please note that drying must really be complete, otherwise the taste may suffer.
Before laying in the freezer, the mushrooms are not washed, but they are wiped from dirt with a damp cloth, which avoids the appearance of excess moisture on the fruit bodies and maintains quality characteristics.
Please note! Freezing raw chanterelles is often accompanied by their subsequent bitterness after thawing.
Raw mushrooms are frozen in one layer, laying out on a tray or in another container. Duration of freezing - 12-15 hours. After this time, the frozen mushroom mass is transferred into packing bags, distributed in portions in the required amount, and sent to storage in the freezer compartment, where the temperature is maintained at a level not higher than -15 ° C. Frozen chanterelles retain food validity for up to 5 months.
Freezing fried mushrooms
Freeze chanterelle mushrooms for the winter so that they do not taste bitter, permissible when fried. Any specimen is suitable for pre-frying, including damaged ones, with the exception of only spoiled and moldy ones.
If the mushroom harvest is harvested independently in compliance with all the rules of hygiene, the product is not washed before frying, but only manually cleaned of leaves and branches.
Vegetable or olive oil is suitable for frying. Fry for 20 minutes, observing the complete evaporation of the liquid released from the mushrooms. No spices are added during cooking. Readiness is determined as golden brown appears.
Consider. When pre-frying with animal fat, the shelf life of the product is reduced from 5 months to 30 days.
The fried mushrooms are laid out on a paper napkin to drain excess oil and cool, then packaged in the amount necessary for a single use, and sent for subsequent storage in the freezer.
Freezing mushroom broth
Heat treatment will get rid of the bitterness in mushrooms
Freezing chanterelles for the winter at home is also permissible in mushroom broth. This method is especially good if you intend to use the mushroom blank later for making soups, and heat treatment allows you to make sure that they do not taste bitter.
The initial stage of cleansing for subsequent cooking is similar to that used in the previous (freezing fried and raw mushrooms) methods. The sorted specimens are put into a container, poured with the required amount of water and brought to a boil and the foam is removed with a slotted spoon. Then add salt and spices to the mushroom broth, reduce the intensity of the fire and cook for 7-10 minutes.
In the process of preparing mushroom broth for freezing mushrooms for the winter, it is permissible to immediately add fresh herbs.
The boiled mushrooms are thrown into a colander, keeping the mushroom broth in a separate bowl, and allowed to cool. For freezing, food containers are used, where polyethylene is lined, and then a layer of cooled mushrooms is laid out and poured with mushroom broth. The containers are placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours. After hardening, the mass is removed from the container by pulling it out by the polyethylene. The finished briquette is placed in a bag for subsequent storage in the freezer.
If there is sufficient free space in the refrigerator compartment, it is permissible to store the mushroom mixture in broth directly in food containers.
Freezing boiled mushrooms
The technology of freezing boiled mushrooms is not much different from the freezing process in broth. The advantage of this method of heat treatment is ridding the mushrooms of bitterness. To properly freeze boiled chanterelles for the winter, you must:
- peel and boil mushrooms for 7-10 minutes after boiling water,
- add rock salt at the rate of 15 g per 1 kg of chanterelles,
- discard in a colander, let the water drain completely and cool,
- Spread the cooled mass on a tray in an even layer and send to the freezer for 12 hours.
Remember! Do not use iodized rock salt for preparation, only regular salt.
Frozen chanterelles are packaged in portions. If there is free space in the refrigerating chamber, it is permissible to freeze boiled mushrooms in food containers without further packaging.
Conclusion
Freezing chanterelle mushrooms at home for the winter is a good way to preserve them for the winter. This is done by freezing them fresh, boiled, or pre-fried.
