How to freeze fresh champignons in the freezer?

Preparatory stage

The champignons should be sorted. Remove blackened and contaminated areas from those selected. Next, wash them under running warm water. Then spread evenly on a clean towel to dry.

You cannot soak them, since mushrooms that are saturated with moisture are not suitable for freezing.

You need to take a responsible approach to preparing containers and packages. They should be clean, dry and closed to prevent air from entering.

Preparing mushrooms for freezing

Before sending mushrooms for long-term storage, you must first sort them out. Cut out all darkened areas of the caps and legs. Trim off the lowest parts of the legs. They may be in the ground, it is difficult to wash it off.

We will not soak the mushrooms; there is no need for excess liquid when sending them to the freezer shelf. You just need to rinse them with warm water and wash off the dirt from the legs and caps. Spread a paper towel folded in several layers on the table and spread all the mushrooms on it in a thin layer.

The purpose of this action is to rid the product for freezing of excess moisture.

How to properly freeze champignons at home

The method should be chosen depending on personal preferences, goals, freezer volume and quantity of mushrooms.

Fresh whole

After the preparatory work you need:

Take a baking sheet and wrap it in cling film.
Place dry mushrooms at some distance from each other.
Cover with a bag.
Transfer to the freezer for 4-12 days.
Remove and place in portions into containers. If these are bags, then the air should be removed from them .
Place in the freezer.

How to store fresh sliced champignons in the freezer?

Cut the selected and prepared mushrooms into slices 1-1.5 cm thick. The procedure is then similar to the previous one with one exception: you can put another layer on top of the bag and cover it with polyethylene. Alternating mushrooms with a plastic layer, distribute all the mushrooms on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Leave for 4-5 days, then remove and distribute into containers.

Spoiled

Rejected ones need to be boiled or fried. Only then freeze it.

Fried

Cut the prepared mushrooms into equal-sized slices.
Grease a frying pan with sunflower oil and pour food into it.
Fry with the lid open over low heat until the moisture completely disappears.
Set aside.
Place the cooled workpiece into bags.
Place in the freezer.

Boiled

Boiled for 15 minutes. Drain mushroom slices in water with added salt in a colander. Let cool and put into containers.

Along with the broth

Salt the water in the pan.
Let it boil, add champignons.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Set the pan aside until it cools completely.
Place 1 packet into containers.
Distribute broth with mushrooms.
Place in the freezer.
Once completely frozen, remove the bags and tie them.
Place back into the freezer.

Popular freezing methods

First, the mushrooms must be thoroughly washed under cold running water, cutting off the lower part of the stem with the remaining soil or renewing the darkened sections, and if desired, remove the thin films from the caps. The washed raw materials must be laid out on a clean towel and dried well for at least 20 minutes so that there is no excess water in the workpieces.

Raw

The first and easiest way is to freeze the mushrooms whole . Small, strong specimens are perfect for this. It is better to put them in a container so that the caps do not wrinkle or lose their shape, close them tightly and put them in the freezer.

In winter, whole mushrooms can be used to decorate various dishes or, after boiling for a couple of minutes in the marinade, served as an independent snack or added to salads

The pre-cut option is best used for preparing champignons of different sizes, intended, for example, for frying. Fruit bodies are cut into thin slices or plates . If you want to preserve the attractive appearance of the pieces, it is advisable to immediately sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent them from darkening, lay them out in one layer on a board and put them in the freezer. After a few hours, the frozen slices can be transferred to bags and stored for long-term storage.

Mushroom slices - a universal preparation for salads and appetizers, soups and main courses

The third method is relevant for lovers of stuffed mushrooms. For large specimens, it is necessary to carefully separate the caps , for example, by twisting the stem, put them in a container, or carry out the initial freezing on a board, so as not to disturb the shape. The legs (whole or chopped) can be frozen separately and used for other dishes.

Tip: raw champignons used in the preparation of hot dishes do not need to be defrosted in advance, otherwise the product may darken and lose its appetizing appearance.

With pre-heat treatment

For more compact storage, many housewives consider it correct to freeze champignons in the form of semi-finished products that have undergone heat treatment. The most gentle and fastest option is blanching , which involves scalding with boiling water or steam. To do this, small mushrooms are immersed in boiling water or kept in a double boiler for only 1-2 minutes, and large ones a little longer - up to 3-4 minutes, depending on the size. After blanching, the raw material must be immediately transferred to a cold 1% citric acid solution, allowed to cool for several minutes and placed in a colander to drain all the water. Then blot well, pack into bags or containers and place in the freezer.

When boiling, you can add salt, sugar, citric acid and various spices to taste in the water - this way the mushrooms will turn out marinated

Freezing boiled champignons is also often practiced . In this case, they are boiled in salted water for 5-10 minutes after boiling, then drained in a colander and laid out on a towel to dry. Then they are packaged in tight bags (preferably with zippers) or in containers and put in the freezer.

Tip: freeze mushrooms in portions so that you can remove from the freezer the amount of product needed for one dish.

Another method of heat treatment before freezing is frying . The raw materials need to be cut into medium-sized pieces, pour a little vegetable oil into a deep hot frying pan, add the champignons and fry as long as necessary until the liquid has completely evaporated. It is better to place fried mushrooms on a paper towel, which will absorb excess fat, let them cool completely, put them in bags or containers and put them in the freezer.

Baked champignons have a brighter taste and sweeter aroma

A healthier alternative to frying is baking on a baking sheet in the oven. This does not require any oil, just cover a baking sheet with baking paper and the mushrooms will cook in their own juice.

The undoubted advantage of preparing semi-finished products is that such a product does not require further heat treatment. All that remains to be done is to take it out, defrost it, heat it up and eat it or add it to any other dish.

Before loading it into the freezer, it is advisable to stick a sticker with the date of freezing on the container, because do not forget that the correct shelf life of raw frozen mushrooms is no more than one year. If the product has undergone preliminary heat treatment, then it is recommended to store it for no more than eight months. After defrosting, champignons should be used immediately; under no circumstances should they be left “for later” or re-frozen.

Shelf life

The duration is influenced by several factors: method of preparation, temperature and sealing of the packaging. Store baked, fried or boiled for up to 6 months. Raw - up to one and a half years, depending on temperature.

In a refrigerator

At a temperature of 5 degrees in a common chamber for vegetables, the shelf life is 3-6 days. The packaging must be ventilated to avoid the formation of condensation, which significantly accelerates the deterioration of the product.

In the freezer

Is it possible to store champignons in the freezer at 12-14 degrees? Yes, but no more than 3-4 months. If the chamber is maintained at 18-20 degrees - one year, at a lower temperature - up to one and a half years.

In what form can champignons be frozen?

Raw fruiting bodies are considered the best. You can prepare any dish from them. For this reason, housewives reasonably wonder whether it is possible to freeze raw champignons in the freezer to preserve their original qualities. Such technology exists and is successfully used at home and in food factories.

See also: How to ferment cabbage for the winter at home, recipe

You can freeze any mushroom: fried, boiled. Many people practice initial heat treatment to reduce volume. After boiling or frying, more food is placed inside the freezer.

Should I defrost before cooking?

This is necessary to remove excess moisture that will spoil the dishes. Defrost at low temperature. It is best to place the container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. A more emergency method is allowed - immerse the container in cold water.

If the product is added to stews, porridge, or soup, it is not necessary to defrost. You just need to reduce the amount of water . Because frozen foods have a high liquid content.

What can you cook from frozen mushrooms?

Depending on the chosen harvesting method, mushrooms can be used as follows:

Fresh whole ones are suitable for stuffing, baking with vegetables or meat, marinating, followed by grilling or grilling.
Fresh pieces can be used to prepare various dishes, from soups and stews to pies, stuffed with champignons.
Boiled ones are needed for salads, enriching cereal side dishes or sandwiches.
Baked or fried are also used in the same way as boiled.

conclusions

The method of freezing fresh champignons in the freezer should be determined based on the family’s preferences. If mushrooms are used only in soups, stews or salads, there is no point in freezing them entirely. To save space in the freezer, it is better to give preference to methods of freezing in pieces, boiled or fried.
Regardless of the harvesting method, champignons must be carefully selected. Limp and spoiled products will spoil the taste and aroma.
Fresh mushrooms can be stored for about 1 year, heat-treated mushrooms for no more than 6 months.

What mushrooms are suitable for freezing, how to prepare them for storage

Champignons are divided into artificial and forest varieties according to their place of growth. Additionally, they differ in varietal characteristics. All mushrooms without exception can be used for freezing. Another question is what they should be:

The best are considered to be young specimens with a cap up to 5 cm in diameter. They are recognizable by their light color and pink plates of the spore-bearing part.
It is advisable to give preference to closed hats. This is especially important for forest mushrooms. Under the open caps, a lot of sand accumulates inside the spore-bearing part, which is difficult to wash out.
Preference is given to mushrooms with a fresh appearance without wrinkles, dents, or other damage.

Wrinkled champignons with large open caps and dark spore-bearing parts are considered bad for freezing.

Important! There are golden and brown colored champignons. The dark color is considered a varietal feature and does not in any way indicate the old age of the fruiting body.

Preparing for freezing

Instructions on how to freeze fresh champignons at home are simple. The process begins with preparing the mushrooms:

A large mushroom does not have to be old. Young champignons can also be large, so they are sorted before freezing. Small fruiting bodies are left in their natural form. Large specimens are set aside for slicing.
After sorting, each portion is washed under running water. Do not soak for a long time. The porous pulp will absorb water and freeze into ice.
During washing, each fruiting body is inspected. Damaged and suspicious areas are cut off with a knife.
The washed champignons are laid out in one layer on a paper towel or cotton fabric and left to dry.

Primary preparation is complete. The next step is to think about how best to freeze champignons, raw or boiled, whole or cut into slices, slices, or slices. It all depends on the purposes for which they are intended to be used.