The mushroom season lasts only a few months a year, which is why every lover of the forest product tries to harvest it long before the onset of winter. The most popular method of preserving mushrooms at home is preservation in a hot or cold way, but few people know that this drastically changes their taste, texture and often even appearance. The article describes in detail a simple way to preserve chanterelles by freezing, and also describes the conditions for the long-term preservation of the fungus in the freezer.
Is it possible to freeze chanterelles?
Today, most housewives seek to freeze food for the winter, and there are several reasons for this at once. First of all, this procedure does not imply strict observance of the pickling recipe, and is also simple and does not require special skills. However, many are asking quite a rational question about how deep freezing will affect the taste of chanterelles.
As practice shows, a freezer is the best place to preserve any product, since low temperatures help to preserve all useful and nutritious substances in fresh food, and chanterelles are no exception. Under the influence of high temperatures and household preservatives (salt, vinegar), the natural decomposition of vitamin A, C, K, group B occurs.
In addition, it also has a negative effect on proteins, valuable fats, as well as aromatic substances. That is why the freezing of mushrooms is not only possible, but with the proper preparation of each chanterelle, it helps to preserve the benefits and taste of the product.Did you know? In the Middle Ages in France, chanterelles were traditional food for the groom. It was believed that they increase libido, as well as the male ability to conceive offspring.
Preparation for freezing
Regardless of what type of mushroom is frozen, they must be properly prepared before the procedure. This will help in the future not only to simplify the preparation of the product, but also to avoid unpleasant bitterness and other flavors not characteristic of mushrooms.
First of all, chanterelles need to be well sorted and packaged in size, Small or medium fruiting bodies are best suited for harvesting. Overripe is best avoided, as low temperatures can adversely affect the elasticity of the pulp.
Next, each mushroom must be cleaned of residual dirt and forest litter. Particular attention should be paid to the cap, where a huge amount of sand and other small pollutants often accumulate. After this, you need to remove the lower part of the leg with the remains of the mycelium, as well as cut off putrid foci and traces of insect damage.
Important! Chanterelles spoil instantly, so they should be placed in the freezer no later than 24 hours after collection.
At the end of the pre-treatment, the mushrooms must be washed under running water. Only cold liquid is suitable for this, since hot water can damage the consistency of the legs and caps. At the same time, it is not recommended to soak the mushrooms, they are able to accumulate moisture, which will certainly lead to a decrease in the elasticity of the pulp after defrosting. Washed chanterelles must be wiped dry with paper towels, otherwise they will be covered with an ice crust.
Freezing methods
In cooking, there are several, radically different ways of freezing at home. Most often, a raw and peeled mushroom is placed in the freezer, but in some cases a pre-boiled and even fried product is used for this. Next, their main features will be considered.
Raw
This is the simplest and most effective method of preserving chanterelles. In this case, the smallest fruiting bodies are selected, only they best withstand prolonged cooling without losing fleshiness and elasticity of the pulp.
To do this, perform the following sequential steps:
- Arrange the prepared mushrooms in one layer on a cutting board or tray. Do this so that the fruiting bodies do not touch each other.
- Place the cutting board with the product in the freezer for 10-12 hours. This condition is mandatory, as it will prevent the mushrooms from sticking together into a single mass.
- Take the chanterelles from the freezer, and put them in small plastic bags or plastic food containers.
Boiled
Cooling boiled mushrooms is suitable for those cases when the bulk of the chanterelles in the basket are large specimens. Preliminary heat treatment can significantly reduce the unpleasant bitterness, which is a characteristic feature of each large mushroom. That is why it is recommended to boil large copies.
To do this, prepared mushrooms must be chopped to a convenient size, and then placed in boiling water. You need to cook them over medium heat for 15–20 minutes. This time is enough to thoroughly process the product, but to preserve its integrity, elasticity and composition.Did you know? The record country for collecting chanterelles is Latvia. More than 70 tons of this mushroom are harvested here annually.
At the end of cooking, chanterelles need to be thrown into a colander, then cooled and dried with paper towels. Further freezing is carried out according to the technology described above, used to cool a fresh fruiting body.
Fried
In recent years, frozen workpieces made from fried mushrooms have gained immense popularity. They are well preserved, and also allow you to perfectly complement almost any recipe. In addition, this method is ideal for those cases when it is not possible to calibrate the chanterelles.
Important! Each container should be provided with a small label with the bookmark date. This will help control the duration of its storage.
To do this, you must:
- Grind mushrooms in any shape to any convenient size.
- Grind 150-200 g of onion for each kilogram of product.
- Pour a small amount of sunflower oil on a dry frying pan (depending on the volume of chanterelles) and heat it to a boil.
- Place mushrooms and onions in a pan, then fry them until cooked.
- Cool the onion-mushroom mixture, and then portionwise pack it in plastic bags or plastic food containers.
One of the most popular questions that arises during this method of harvesting is how long do you need to fry the mushrooms to achieve the desired consistency and aroma? To get the best home-made product, frying should be carried out until the moisture is completely removed from the pan, after which it takes about another 5-7 minutes.
Terms and conditions of storage in the freezer
Raw chanterelles are able to freely preserve their aroma and all the useful properties in the freezer for a year after harvesting. For boiled or fried mushrooms, these periods are reduced to 3-4 months. In order to prolong the shelf life of chanterelles, the containers for their storage must first be cleaned with a soap solution. This will eliminate the bacteria, which are the main cause of spoilage of fungi. The rest of their storage does not require special knowledge and skills.
Chanterelles are stored in a separate place, at an average temperature of –20 ...– 25 ° С. At the same time, sharp fluctuations in the temperature regime should be avoided throughout the entire storage period. That is why, as the chanterelles are removed, defrosting is allowed to be carried out only once, since repeated cooling will lead to their aesthetic unsuitability.
Chanterelles are ideal for seasonal use, as well as for freezing for the winter, while boiled, fried and raw fruit bodies are used. The methods that provide for preliminary heat treatment are considered the most universal, since any mushrooms can be prepared in this way. Raw freezing is suitable for small young chanterelles, their tissues during prolonged freezing better retain elasticity and other characteristics important for further preparation.