Many people make mushroom preparations for the winter, so that they can then stew and fry the mushrooms, or eat them in (salted) form.
Those who have harvested boletus mushrooms are interested in how to freeze porcini mushrooms for the winter at home in order to preserve their wonderful smell and taste. Let's learn how to properly freeze fragrant boletus mushrooms at home in fresh, boiled and fried states.
Why is it worth freezing porcini mushrooms?
It’s not for nothing that boletus mushrooms are put on a pedestal: they are so tasty and aromatic that rare people will refuse to try them. In addition, they have a rich composition, which in terms of nutritional value equates them to egg whites or meat.
The composition of porcini mushrooms includes:
- Vitamins B1-B3, B9, E and C;
- Iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and many other minerals.
Regular consumption of porcini mushrooms speeds up digestive processes and helps to lose weight, improves endurance and performance, and tones the body.
To benefit from boletus mushrooms in the winter, it is important to know how to freeze porcini mushrooms.
If the mushrooms are already boiled, housewives do not have to cook them before preparing different dishes: just defrost them and add them where needed.
Let's find out how to freeze boiled porcini mushrooms at home:
- We sort through the mushrooms, peel, rinse, and dry.
- If desired, cut them into halves or quarters, or into cubes.
- Pour water into a saucepan, add salt and place on the stove. After boiling, add the boletus and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water, discarding the boiled mushrooms in a colander. The water should drain completely, and the mushrooms should reach room temperature.
- Place the boiled mushrooms on a towel to dry.
We put them in bags and, squeezing out the air, tie them tightly. We select one compartment in the freezer just for mushrooms, so that they do not absorb the smells of fish or meat, and put them there.
The healthiest frozen boletus mushrooms are raw, so most often they are put away in the cold in this form. Let's learn how to properly freeze porcini mushrooms without heat treatment.
- Mushrooms, preferably small ones (they taste better and don’t lose their shape), are cleaned from forest debris and areas rotten or eaten away by worms.
- We quickly rinse the boletus mushrooms with running water so that they do not have time to become saturated with it, and lay them out on towels to dry.
- We distribute the mushroom mass into portions so as not to defrost them several times - this will lead to the loss of nutrients.
- If the mushrooms are large and thick, cut them into cubes measuring 1x1 cm.
- Place the mushrooms on a wire rack so that they wilt slightly and are not covered with ice.
We distribute them into bags, expel the air and tie them tightly. It is advisable to fill the bags to capacity so that as little air as possible remains. Afterwards, we put the bags in the freezer in a separate box, away from other products.
How to freeze fried porcini mushrooms in the freezer
Frozen fried boletus mushrooms are a completely ready-made dish: just defrost them and you can stuff pies or, after heating, serve as a side dish.
If you want to freeze fried mushrooms, follow this plan:
- We clean the porcini mushrooms from forest debris, wormy and rough parts, wash them and cut them into small cubes.
- We peel a couple or more onions, depending on the volume of the harvest, and also cut them into cubes. With onions, the mushrooms will become even juicier and more aromatic.
- Pour a little oil into a deep frying pan, heat it and fry the onion until transparent.
- Add the mushroom raw materials, mix and fry over medium heat, stirring regularly and without covering with a lid. After 15 minutes, remove the onion and mushroom mixture into a plate to cool.
Place the cooled mass into bags (containers), tie them well (close them) and put them in the freezer.
You can store frozen mushrooms for a whole year if you keep the freezer temperature at minus 18 degrees.
Now you know how to freeze porcini mushrooms and how to store them. And in order to defrost them without losing valuable qualities, put them in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator 2-3 hours before cooking.
