Methods and recipes for storing porcini mushrooms at home in the freezer and apartment
Absolutely everyone knows how to store porcini mushrooms after harvesting. For example, boletus mushrooms are known to be kept fresh in a refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours. But few people know how to store porcini mushrooms for the winter, except how to traditionally pickle or salt. Therefore, we decided to fill this gap. This page contains methods for storing porcini mushrooms in different forms. Recipes for storing porcini mushrooms in a freezer and in an apartment at room temperature are proposed. Choosing the right method is pretty easy. It is necessary to think in advance about such a moment: in what form the preserved boletus will be used in winter. So, storage of porcini mushrooms frozen has a right to exist as a way to prepare a product for frying, baking, stewing or making soup. But storage of porcini mushrooms at home in the freezer for subsequent conservation is generally not advisable. It is easier to salt or pickle boletus in the fall.
Keeping porcini mushrooms fresh
If it is not possible to process the mushrooms on the same day (although this is not recommended!), They are stored for one night (no more!) Peeled, but not cut. To store fresh porcini mushrooms, they are left in a basket or transferred to a flat dish and, without closing, stored in a cool room with good air access, for example, in a basement, a shed, or a corridor. Of course, the best place is the refrigerator, its lower part with a temperature of + 2- + 4 ºС.
Mushrooms to be boiled can be poured over with cold water. The soaking dishes should be wide and low. Before further processing, the mushrooms should be sorted out again and removed previously unnoticed individual wormholes, spots and other damage that have increased so much during storage that most of the mushroom will become unusable.
Salted, pickled or pickled mushrooms are stored in glass jars, enamel buckets, wooden tubs or stainless steel tanks. In enamel buckets, check the strength of the enamel: old buckets with damaged enamel are not suitable for storing mushrooms. Tinned and galvanized buckets are absolutely unsuitable: their top layer dissolves under the influence of acids (mushroom liquid), and forms poisonous compounds.
Wooden utensils should be new or always used only for storing mushrooms.
Tubs from pickled cucumbers or cabbage are not suitable, since mushrooms, when stored in them, acquire an unusual taste. Mushrooms quickly deteriorate in rainwater barrels. Jars and bottles for storing mushrooms must be hermetically sealed.
Mushrooms left in open jars will quickly deteriorate. Before use, the dishes should be thoroughly rinsed as follows: keep in warm water for at least 8-10 hours, then wash in alkaline water using soda (1 tablespoon of soda per 1 liter of water), pour over boiling water or boil in clean water (without additions) 5-10 minutes, then let the water drain; do not dry with a towel. The mushroom dishes are immediately washed and stored under a lid or upside down in a clean, dry place with good air access.
Wooden dishes should be equipped with two lids: a small wooden circle that fits freely into the container, on which the oppression stone is placed, and a larger circle that completely covers the dish. Both lids are wiped clean with sand and soda water, poured over with boiling water and allowed to dry. On the mushrooms, under a circle with oppression, put a clean, dense boiled napkin that completely covers the mushrooms. Cleanly washed cobblestone is used as oppression. Metal oppression impairs the taste and color of the mushrooms.Glass jars and bottles are tightly closed with cellophane, parchment, rubber or plastic covers, corks and metal lids. Cellophane and parchment are rinsed in boiling water. Tires and plastic plugs are soaked for 10-18 minutes in a solution of soda, then rinsed in boiled water. Rubber lids and plugs are thoroughly washed with soda water and boiled in clean water for 5-10 minutes, then the water is allowed to drain on a clean napkin.
Metal lids are washed with soda water, left in this water for 5-10 minutes, and then several times, changing the water, rinsed with boiled water and laid out on a clean napkin. Storage. Store mushrooms in a clean, cool, dark place. The most favorable room temperature is from +1 to +4 ºС. Dried mushrooms and mushroom powder should be stored in a very dry room, at the same temperature or slightly higher. Mushrooms can be preserved for a long time if the microorganisms are destroyed or their development is delayed. There are a number of possibilities for this. Cold. At temperatures below +6 ºС, the development of microorganisms is delayed. It is good to store mushrooms prepared for future use in the cellar or in the refrigerator on the lower shelf, where a constant temperature is maintained.
How to properly store dry porcini mushrooms
You need to know how to properly store dry porcini mushrooms in a city apartment so that insects and mold do not get in the product. If the water content of the mushrooms falls below 14%, the metabolism of the microorganisms will stop, as a result of which the mushrooms can be preserved. This is the basis for the drying of mushrooms and the preparation of mushroom powder, since these products contain 13% moisture. Salt. Salting is a cheap and widespread method of harvesting mushrooms known for a long time. Table salt has a strong hygroscopic effect, so when salt is added, the amount of water in the mushroom cells decreases, although it seems that there is a lot of water in salted mushrooms.
How to store fried porcini mushrooms
There are several ways to store fried porcini mushrooms and one of them is freezing. At temperatures below -18 ° C, in most cases, the development of microorganisms almost completely stops. There are several ways to freeze mushrooms. Raw mushrooms are peeled, cut, divided into portions, put in jars or bags and frozen quickly. Boil in salted water, let the water drain and freeze in portions. Freeze well and fried mushrooms. You can use such mushrooms for cooking any dishes. However, mushrooms can become poisonous after thawing. To avoid this, frozen mushrooms, especially raw, must be thrown into salted boiling water. And boiled in a preheated pan or in boiling water. The taste of the mushrooms changes.
How can you store porcini mushrooms
You need to know how to store porcini mushrooms in an acidic environment. Many microorganisms, especially putrefactive bacteria, do not thrive in an acidic environment. This circumstance is used for pickling (acetic acid is added) and for pickling mushrooms (lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acid). To obtain the desired preservative effect, the acid strength should be approximately 0.6 to 1.5%. When using a weaker vinegar solution, the jars must be sealed. Heat treatment. With the hot processing method, microorganisms are destroyed and the fungi are free of microbes. To prevent new microorganisms from entering the air, mushrooms are stored in a hermetically sealed container. Jars must be sterilized for 60–90 minutes at 101 ° C. Deterioration of fungi can be caused by microorganisms that survived after a single heat treatment. To completely destroy them, in a day or two, jars of mushrooms are boiled again for 30 minutes. Jars need to be monitored frequently during storage.If the lid has come off, bubbles or mold appear, the smell has changed, then canned food should not be eaten.
Keeping fresh porcini mushrooms after harvest
The collected mushrooms quickly deteriorate due to the fact that, due to the large amount of water, they are a suitable environment for the development of various microorganisms. Even during storage of fresh porcini mushrooms, the growth of their fruit bodies continues (lengthening of the stem, opening of the cap), discoloration of the integumentary color, darkening of the pulp may occur, and with an increase in storage temperature, these processes are significantly accelerated. The shelf life of fresh mushrooms is 6–8 hours. For storage, fresh mushrooms are carefully laid out in a thin layer on trays, tables, clean bedding and shaded places. Do not fold them in a thick layer (5–8 cm), as they quickly get warm and deteriorate, they can wrinkle. Temporary storage, no more than 4 hours, possibly in containers with cold, slightly salted water. During storage and transportation, fresh mushrooms must not be covered with plastic wrap or other airtight materials.
Storing porcini mushrooms in the freezer
One way to store porcini mushrooms in the freezer at home is to freeze them. They do it like this. Young, tender mushrooms are chosen for freezing. Clean with a stiff brush outside and between the plates. The hard and dark places of the legs are cut off, the mushrooms are cut in half lengthwise. Put 200 g of mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes in 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan with medium heat, turning to evaporate the juice. Mushrooms are boiled, quickly cooled and frozen in bags. Store up to 12 months at –18 ° C. It is better to cut the porcini mushrooms raw into slices and freeze, then pack and keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Cook frozen mushrooms in the same way as fresh ones, for example, quickly fry in preheated brown butter and add spices.
How to properly store dried porcini mushrooms in an apartment
It should be remembered that dried mushrooms easily absorb other people's odors, so it is not recommended to store them next to spices or strong-smelling foods. Before storing dried porcini mushrooms in an apartment, arrange them in dense polyethylene bags, as well as in metal, wooden or cardboard boxes covered with cellophane. Before properly storing dried porcini mushrooms, it is important to carefully protect them from the penetration of insect pests.
If, during storage of dried mushrooms, insect pests have climbed into the container, it is recommended to immediately disinfect the product.
To do this, sprinkle the mushrooms on a baking sheet, put in an oven preheated to 60-70 ° C and leave for 25-30 minutes. If you do not break any of the rules during drying, then the mushrooms will be elastic and light.
Shelf life of dried porcini mushrooms
Dried porcini mushrooms have a shelf life of about 2 years if they are placed in cotton bags, glass or cans with tight-fitting lids. Dried mushrooms are easy to prepare a more versatile product - a powder that can be used as an additive to add a spicy taste and pleasant aroma to various dishes. For its preparation, it is necessary to dry the mushrooms more thoroughly - to that consistency, when they can be easily crumbled. Then you need to grind the mushrooms to a powdery state in a coffee grinder or food processor. It is recommended to store dried mushroom powder in glass, tight-fitting jars or small bottles in a cool, dry place. The shelf life is about 3 years.