Champignons are on sale all year round, and it would seem that there is no need to purchase them for future use. Despite this, many housewives prefer to stockpile. But you can’t just keep mushrooms in the refrigerator for a long time. And today I will tell you how to freeze fresh champignons correctly.
Material Content:
Which mushrooms can be frozen and which are not worth it
Before you start freezing mushrooms, you need to choose them correctly. Young, recently cut mushrooms are best suited for these purposes.
You can recognize them by the following signs:
- The size. Get small or medium copies. Large mushrooms should not be frozen; they may turn out to be old.
- Color. Choose white champignons, with a light cream tint and a uniform surface color. Yellow peel, black and brown spots indicate that the product began to deteriorate. It is no longer suitable not only for storage, but also for immediate cooking.
- The color of the inside of the cap. This area should be cream or pink. A dark brown color is a sign that the mushrooms lay for a long time, and it is not worth freezing such specimens.
- Surface structure. The skin of young and fresh champignons is dry and silky to the touch. Sticky, sponge-like mushrooms most likely lay for a long time, and they are not suitable for freezing.
- Smell. It should be pleasant, “mushroom”, without a hint of dampness and rot.
Champignons that meet these requirements will not lose their elasticity and taste even after several months in the freezer.
How to prepare and freeze champignons correctly
Mushrooms can be frozen both sliced and whole.
The preparation process in both cases is the same and includes the following steps:
- Selection. Look through the specimens and discard those whose freshness is in doubt.
- Dry clean. Using a soft brush or the blunt side of the knife, remove dirt from the surface, renew the mushroom legs - shorten them by about 1 cm.
- The washing up. Rinse the mushrooms in warm (not hot!) Water.
- Drying. Place the copies on a cloth towel to dry.
Attention! Do not soak the champignons or even keep them under a stream of water for a long time - if saturated with moisture, they will freeze more slowly, and during subsequent preparation they will release a lot of liquid.
Whole
When freezing mushrooms whole after washing and drying, they will need to be laid out on a tray covered with cling film. Moreover, the instances must be placed so that they do not touch. After that, put them in the freezer for a day. Champignons should freeze well, otherwise they will stick together.
After this time, you can pack the mushrooms in bags or plastic trays for further storage.
Cut
Slicing champignons will require a good sharp knife - so the slices will be smooth and beautiful, will not crumble and break. Then lay out the pieces on the tray, pre-tightening it with a film so that they do not touch each other, and send it into the freezer for at least 12 hours. After you can start packing.
On a note. Regardless of whether you froze the champignons whole or pre-cut, it is recommended to store them no longer than 3-4 months at -18 ° C and up to six months at -20 ° C.
Useful Tips
In conclusion, I will share some useful tips:
- It is better to start processing the acquired mushrooms immediately after purchase so that they do not turn black. Before freezing, they can be kept for up to 1 day in the refrigerator and no more than 6 hours at room temperature.
- When storing champignons whole, try to choose specimens of the same size, and when slicing, make plates of the same thickness - this contributes to uniform freezing.
- Pack mushrooms in portions of such a volume so that they can be used without residue in cooking. Re-freeze champignons is not worth it.
- When packing, stick the sticker indicating the date of freezing, so that when defrosting you can be sure that you are using a quality and not old product.
Guided by these tips, you can safely freeze mushrooms at home, without fear that they will deteriorate or lose their taste during storage.
