Oyster mushrooms are one of the most common and affordable types of mushrooms. The universality of their application has been proven by many culinary experts and lovers of mushroom treats. And this is not surprising, because they can be subjected to any means of storage and preparation. Find out from the article which oyster mushroom freezing technology is at home and which specimens are suitable for this.

What oyster mushrooms are suitable for freezing: the rules of choice

An excellent way to store oyster mushrooms for the winter is their freezing. But it should be noted that not all mushrooms are suitable for this.

Important! Mushrooms for freezing should have an even grayish-blue color, not have mechanical damage and cracks.

In order for the product to retain all its taste and market properties during the freezing process, quality specimens should be selected before being sent to the freezer:

• it is better to take young mushrooms with white pulp, as they are more juicy, tender and soft. Overripe fruiting bodies with large hats have rigidity, practically have no taste and become “rubber” during cooking;
• the hat should not have yellow spots, their presence indicates freshness;
• oyster mushrooms should produce a pleasant, mushroom aroma. If they have a sharp, unpleasant, musty smell, then it is better to refuse to buy such mushrooms.

The leg of this species is quite rigid, tasteless, therefore not suitable for consumption. When buying oyster mushroom, it is recommended to see how well the leg is cut - it should be trimmed completely or as short as possible

Is it possible to freeze oyster mushrooms raw

Oyster mushrooms are allowed to be frozen both raw and boiled. Immediately before being sent to the freezer, they need to be thoroughly cleaned of dirt, washed and excess water removed, which, firstly, makes the workpiece heavier, and secondly, adversely affects the taste of the product.

You can keep fresh-frozen fruit bodies for one to two years. At the same time, they can not be subjected to secondary freezing, since they lose all their useful properties. For ease of storage and further preparation, it is recommended to pack the mushroom mass in portions, folded in a separate container or bag.

If fresh mushrooms cannot be frozen on the day of purchase, then they should be placed in a refrigerator for storage, but do not peel, cut or rinse, so that they can keep fresh longer

Step-by-step recipe for freezing for the winter at home

There are different ways and recipes for freezing oyster mushrooms. Some cooks prefer to keep food fresh, some cooked or fried. But it is worthwhile to understand that the shelf life of the workpiece will depend on the method of freezing. Experts recommend sticking a marker with a freeze date on each container with mushrooms, which will clearly control the shelf life.

Fresh

For the safety of oyster mushrooms in raw form, young, whole, without signs of damage, cracks, rotten specimens should be selected. It is important to understand that what kind of appearance the mushrooms will have before they are sent to the freezer, this will be after defrosting.

Further, it is recommended to perform a number of simple steps:

1. Thoroughly rinse the raw materials, put them on a paper towel (towel) so that the glass is excess water.
2. Cut large mushrooms into pieces, put on a wire rack in one tier, let dry completely.
3. Place the mushroom raw materials on a baking sheet in an even layer, send to the freezer for 3-4 hours, until each copy is frozen.
4. After the specified time, remove the oyster mushrooms from the camera, put them in a plastic container or bag. Return back to the freezer.

Important! It is necessary to freeze the product at temperatures of -18 ° C. It is allowed to apply the method of "shock" freezing, which is carried out at the lowest possible temperature parameters for one hour.

Boiled

Many housewives prefer to freeze boiled mushrooms. This storage method is suitable for those who want to protect themselves in case there are any doubts about their freshness. In addition, it is recommended to preserve oyster mushrooms in a boiled form, which have lost their presentation or broken.

The process of boiling fruit bodies is simple and based on the following actions:

1. Peel the mushrooms from dirt, rinse under running water, cut into arbitrary pieces.
2. Boil water in a saucepan, add 1/2 tsp. salt.
3. Throw raw materials into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Filter boiled oyster mushrooms, allow to cool.

After the mushroom mass has completely cooled, it must be placed in a thin layer on a board to dry. Then the mushrooms are laid out on a baking sheet covered with cling film, put in the chamber for 3-4 hours until completely frozen. The prepared product is then packaged in food containers or placed in plastic bags and sent to the freezer.

So that the mushrooms acquire a pleasant aroma and spicy taste, they can be boiled not just in salted water, but in a special marinade prepared from (per 2 kg of mushroom raw materials):

• salt: 2 tbsp. l .;
• citric acid: 1/2 tsp;
• laurel: 5 pieces;
• allspice and black pepper: 4 each.

Boil the mushrooms in 1.5 liters of water for a quarter of an hour, then add the above spices and boil the raw materials for another 15 minutes.

Fried

Oyster mushrooms are allowed to be frozen in fried form. Implementing such a storage method is no less simple than the previous two.

To do this:

1. Sort mushrooms, clean, rinse. Large pieces cut into pieces.
2. Fry oyster mushrooms in vegetable oil for 15–20 minutes, until the liquid has completely evaporated. In the process of frying, a little salt is recommended.
3. Place the fried mushrooms on a baking sheet so that they cool.
4. Place the cooled product in containers or bags made of food-grade polyethylene.

Did you know? Oyster mushrooms are fungi that primarily grow in colonies. The maximum number of copies that were counted in one nest was 473 units.

Shelf life of frozen oyster mushrooms in the freezer.

The method of freezing oyster mushrooms will determine their shelf life. With proper preparation of the product and proper observance of the temperature regime, the period of its storage is:

• fresh - up to 2 years;
• boiled - up to 1 year;
• fried - up to 12 months.

It should be remembered that the temperature in the freezer should be within the range of -18 ° C. Before sending the raw materials for freezing, experts advise marking on containers, indicating the date of preparation of the mushrooms and the method of harvesting.

Defrost Instructions

In order for the product to maintain an aesthetically attractive appearance and excellent mushroom taste, it must not only be frozen correctly, but also thawed.

There are several technologies for defrosting a product:

1. Slow defrost. A similar method is considered the most faithful and useful. Although it takes a large amount of time, it allows you to get mushrooms that have retained their original appearance and taste. Frozen raw materials are recommended to be transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator, left for 12 hours. In the morning, when oyster mushrooms unfreeze naturally, they need to be thrown into a colander. When excess liquid drains, the product is allowed to be used for subsequent cooking.
2. Quick defrost. If you need to defrost mushrooms fairly quickly, you should place the container with frozen specimens in the microwave and warm them in the defrost mode. Of course, such a method is less useful than the previous one, negatively affects the external and taste qualities of the product, but it is quite operational.

If the mushrooms were thoroughly prepared before freezing - peeled, washed, etc., then they can be immediately thrown into boiling water and boiled. Experts do not recommend defrosting the product at room temperature, as the taste characteristics change for the worse.

Important! Thawed oyster mushrooms are not allowed to be stored in the refrigerator. They need to be prepared immediately, since the product quickly deteriorates due to the action of pathogenic microorganisms.

Possible problems with freezing

During the freezing, you can encounter a number of problems that can be avoided if you follow the recommendations of specialists:

1. Excess moisture. Before sending the mushrooms to the freezer, they must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt, washed with a small amount of water. Do not wet the fruiting bodies too much, because they quickly absorb moisture, which, when frozen, gives the workpiece extra weight, and also negatively affects the taste.
2. Product freshness. Only fresh specimens should be selected, without significant damage, mold or rot. Mostly all oyster mushrooms should be intact, minimal damage is allowed. In case mushrooms have broken, lost their presentation, but remain fresh, they are advised to boil them before freezing.
3. Temperature mode. As noted above, it is necessary to freeze mushroom raw materials at a temperature of approximately -18 ° C. The increase in temperature indicators reduces the shelf life of the product. So, when storing mushrooms below -10 ° C, they must be eaten for 3 months.
4. Large volumes. Repeated freezing of the product is not allowed. That is why, before sending to the freezer, mushrooms should be packaged in portions, indicating the date of freezing on the containers.

In addition, housewives often face the problem of changing the taste and color of oyster mushrooms after thawing them

If oyster mushrooms turn yellow / green after defrosting

In some cases, after thawing oyster mushrooms, a change in their color is observed - they become dirty green or with a yellow tint. In most cases the reason for this is improper preparation of the product before freezing or the wrong method of defrosting. As for the latter, the color change may be due to the thawing of mushrooms at room conditions.

The reasons that the mushroom raw material has acquired an unpleasant color may be:

• excessive moisture during freezing;
• insufficient cleansing of fruit bodies from pollution;
• temperature differences during storage;
• the presence of pests in fresh mushrooms.

Did you know? The main value of oyster mushrooms is considered to be their ability to fight cancer diseases. The composition of fungi includes substances that block the mutation of cells and, thereby, inhibit the growth and development of cancers.

If oyster mushrooms are bitter after thawing

Another common problem that can occur after thawing oyster mushrooms is a bitter aftertaste. The reasons may lie in the improper preparation of the product before freezing:

• raw materials should be thoroughly cleaned of debris, dirt, swamps;
• mushrooms should not have rotted, damaged areas. All dubious places need to be removed, because even a small rotten copy can spoil the entire workpiece;
• before sending the raw materials to the freezer, it can be soaked for 2 hours in cold water;
• the product must be as dry as possible before freezing, free from moisture.

One of the most effective rules, which guarantees the absence of bitterness in thawed oyster mushrooms, is their boiling before freezing.

But even if all of the above recommendations did not help rid the product of a bitter aftertaste, then you can do it this way:

1. Boil water in a pan, add 1 tbsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice.
2. Throw the mushroom mass into the liquid, boil for 15 minutes over low heat.

Such processing will have a positive effect on the taste of the product.

Did you know? Oyster mushrooms are inherently predators. The fact is that they secrete a toxic substance - nematoxin, which paralyzes nematodes. In a similar way, mushrooms get the nitrogen required for growth.

Freezing oyster mushrooms at home is quick and easy. At the same time, a freshly frozen product fully retains its valuable qualities, active biological substances and mineral components. During the winter period, such semi-finished products are ways to become an excellent raw material for the quick preparation of delicious, fragrant and extremely healthy dishes.