Frozen oyster mushrooms for the winter: a step-by-step recipe with photos

Many housewives are wondering how to freeze mushrooms in the refrigerator for the winter. And not everyone knows that not only freshly harvested product can be frozen, but also one that has undergone a certain heat treatment, for example, boiled mushrooms or fried ones. In order to simplify the solution of such a task, later in the article we will describe how to properly implement such a process so that the mushrooms after defrosting will not lose their taste, flavor and useful qualities.

Advantages of the method

At the current time there are many different ways to prepare mushrooms for future use at home. But the most popular is just frost. Thanks to this method, it is possible to preserve the natural aroma and special taste of mushrooms, and also not to damage their natural structure, which is especially important for oyster mushrooms. It is about them and will be discussed further. When a large number of mushrooms is gathered, or it turns out to get them at a good price, then knowledge of how to freeze fresh oyster mushrooms will be more useful than ever.

In frozen form, it is possible to store such product for a period from 6 to 12 months, depending on their initial processing. They will be a kind of semi-finished product, which can later be used for preparing first and second courses, as an ingredient for filling pizza, cakes and pancakes, as well as for cooking pies, etc.

Comparing the freezing of products with other methods of storage, for example, with drying or canning, the first method has many advantages:

• You can implement this method in a relatively short time, the process is not difficult, and the product can be stored in the freezer for quite a long time.
• Thanks to this method, you can preserve the taste, color, flavor and structure of mushrooms.
• The content of vitamins, sugars and minerals in frozen foods is almost the same as freshly harvested.

The first option takes about 40% of the biological value of fungi, and freezing takes less than 20%.Also convenient for the hostess will be the possibility of small portions. Without problems, you can freeze 100-200 grams of mushrooms so that later it would be more convenient to cook for a family for one meal, and in the case of canning, this option would be impractical and difficult to implement.

How to choose mushrooms for freezing

Before you send oyster mushrooms in the freezer, you need to carefully select suitable mushrooms.

• At the time of purchase should inspect the product for the presence of yellow spots on the cap. If these do occur, then the mushrooms will not be suitable for freezing, because in the process of cooking the taste and smell of them will not be the most pleasant.
• It is also recommended to pay attention to the smell of mushrooms, which will be the most reliable indicator of their freshness. If there is a sharp, unpleasant aroma, you should not buy the product.
• Still need to pay attention to the presence of cracks on the caps. If they are, then this will also indicate that instances are not fresh.
• Legs of oyster mushrooms contain a very small amount of useful elements, moreover, they are unappetizing and often tough. So you need to pay attention to how well the mushrooms were cut. The legs of high-quality oyster mushrooms should be either completely cut or be completely short.
• The age of oyster mushroom can be determined by the size of its cap. Overgrown mushrooms are not as useful for the human body as young ones, and besides, they usually have fresh, fibrous pulp, which, after cooking, becomes almost “rubbery”. It is better to buy young mushrooms, which contain more vitamins. Such oyster mushrooms are juicy and soft, and their flesh is white.

How to prepare before freezing

Before freezing oyster mushrooms at home, you need to know how to properly prepare the mushrooms for such a process.

• To begin with, you should double-check the mushrooms for damage, leaving only high-quality specimens for freezing. A healthy product should have a uniform grayish-blue color.
• If you can not freeze them on the day of purchase, you can leave the mushrooms in the refrigerator for a while. It is important not to cut them and not to wash, so that they stay fresh longer.
• Before freezing, you need to clear the product of debris, rinse them under running water and dry thoroughly. It is not worth freezing wet specimens, as their structure can be damaged and the nutritional quality of the pulp will be reduced.

Ways of freezing: step-by-step instruction

Consider the most popular methods of freezing oyster mushrooms. It should be understood that the storage time depends on the method of freezing the product, as well as its pre-treatment. It is recommended to put a sticker on each bag of frozen mushrooms, where to indicate the date of freezing.This technique will help track the term of food availability.

Fresh

Answering the question whether it is possible to freeze raw oyster mushrooms, it is worth answering that it is not only possible but also highly recommended. These mushrooms will be the most useful, and can be stored for a long time. The harvesting process consists of a series of simple steps:

1. First you need to determine in what form the mushrooms will be stored. If necessary, you can cut them in advance, but it is best to leave them in a holistic form. Only large specimens should be cut, and only if there is not much space in the freezer.
2. Next you need to prepare trays or flat large plates.
3. On the trays, you should spread raw mushrooms in a uniform thin layer and send it all into the freezer for a day. The temperature regime in the freezer for this period should be set to the maximum cold indicator.
4. The next day, you need to get the products out of the freezer and pack them in portions. Bags should be tied and put back into the chamber, but the temperature can already be maintained, which is usually installed.

Boiled

Also some mistresses prefer boil oyster mushrooms before freezing them. Is it necessary to do this - everyone decides for himself. But this method allows you to hedge, if there are doubts about the freshness of the original product. Also, this method is suitable for those cases where the mushrooms for some reason broke or lost their appearance.

1. First you need to clean and cut the mushrooms into pieces.
2. Then you need to boil the water and throw the prepared product into it. Cook oyster mushrooms should be no more than 5 minutes.
3. Next, let the mushrooms cool down, drain the excess water.
4. Now it remains to expand the boiled product into containers or food bags and send them into the chamber to freeze.

Fried

Roasted oyster mushrooms can also be frozen. Implement this method is no less simple, like the previous ones.

1. First of all, clean and rinse the mushrooms.
2. Next, fry the product in vegetable oil for about 20 minutes. The exact time will need to adjust yourself. You need to fry them until all the excess moisture evaporates.
3. Next, the mushrooms should be left to cool, then packaged in packages and send to storage in the freezer.

Shelf life

Store frozen mushrooms should be exclusively in the freezer when temperature -18 ° C. The useful life of freshly frozen specimens can reach a year, while those that have been heat-treated remain somewhat smaller.

It is recommended to label the containers, where to indicate the method of preparation, as well as the date of preparation.In this way, it will be possible to track the timeliness of the fungi.

How to defrost

There is several ways to defrost oyster mushrooms. It should be chosen based on the availability of free time, as well as starting from the current situation.

• The most useful and correct method is slow defrosting. It takes a lot of time, but allows you to maintain the structure of the product and its taste. It is necessary in the evening to shift the bag of frozen oyster mushrooms into the refrigerator, and in the morning you can start cooking after they thaw out naturally. It is advisable to put them in a colander so that excess water can drain and the mushrooms are not watery. This may take about another 2-3 hours.
• More rapid, but somewhat less useful, is defrosting mushrooms in the microwave.It is necessary to set the defrost mode and heat the product.
• If the mushrooms were cleaned before freezing, then they can be simply thrown into boiling water and boiled there. In this case, they will not get a lot of excess fluid.

As you can see, freezing the mushrooms at home is not at all difficult. Any mistress will cope with such task. Having spent quite a bit of time, it will be possible to successfully use such a kind of semi-finished product during the winter for preparing various dishes.