The best recipes on how to properly freeze chanterelles fresh for the winter at home
In the autumn season, lovers of forest walks bring mushrooms in whole baskets. Bright fresh chanterelles are much more aromatic and tastier than their store-bought mushroom counterparts, so many people dream of saving their prey. They use different methods of canning and drying. Let's consider how best to freeze chanterelles fresh for the winter, preserving the taste, smell and useful properties.
Can chanterelles be frozen for the winter
The mushroom picking season is short, so lovers of "quiet hunting", who managed to fill their baskets to the top, try to preserve the product for the whole year. Canning impairs the taste of chanterelles, and freezing not only does not spoil it, but also preserves the aroma and valuable qualities.
Useful properties that are retained in the product after freezing:
- remove radioactive substances and toxins;
- protect against the development of tumors;
- strengthen the immune system and promote the synthesis of hormones;
- lower the production of cholesterol, protect against atherosclerosis;
- stimulate the brain.
Valuable substances remain when properly frozen and stored. Chanterelles contain amino acids, vitamins, including PP, group B, trace elements. In terms of phosphorus content, they correspond to sea fish. They freeze mushrooms with dense pulp, which will not turn into dust after thawing and will keep their shape perfectly after several months in the refrigerator.
Features of working with mushrooms
After returning from the forest with a large batch of mushrooms, it will not be possible to rest. The raw materials must be dealt with immediately. Despite the fact that there are no worms in chanterelles, they need to be processed as soon as possible.
If the production is large, relatives are called for help in order to reduce the time of work. In this case, only the smallest batch to be processed should be in a warm room. The rest are stored in the refrigerator, cellar, or simply taken out to the loggia, where the temperature is much lower.
Raw materials need to be quickly sorted out, divided by types, if they are different. Doubtful specimens are discarded so as not to infect healthy ones.
Mushrooms are frozen raw, boiled or fried. In the process of preparation, they are sorted into two groups - for heat treatment and simple freezing.
Important: mushrooms tend to accumulate toxins and heavy metals from the surrounding air, so specimens collected near highways, hazardous industries will not be useful. Harmful components remain even after cooking.
Selection and preparation of mushrooms before starting the process
Elements for raw freezing are especially carefully selected. Chanterelles are often bitter; large mature individuals have this feature. Only young small fungi with unopened caps without damage are frozen raw. The prey needs to be sorted out, sorted by size, if it is decided to freeze it raw. Garbage and grass are removed from the fungi, carefully shaking out fine dirt from under the caps, where it gets clogged between the plates.
If the mushrooms are clean, without earthen lumps, you can not wash them before freezing, just thoroughly clean the garbage. It is impossible to soak mushrooms before raw freezing; they must be quickly washed under running water. After washing, before being sent to the chamber, the workpieces will have to be dried on towels so that they do not turn into an ice lump.
Bitterness in chanterelles often appears after being stored raw in the freezer, so many mushroom pickers prefer to freeze pre-boiled raw materials. For cooking - boiling, frying, stewing, any specimens are suitable, they need to be washed well and cut into identical pieces.
Important: you need to process the chanterelles within 10-16 hours; you cannot store cut mushrooms for longer than a day.
Preparing the refrigerator
Prepare the refrigerator before freezing mushrooms. To do this, free space, ventilate and rinse the freezer. The fungi will fit open on large trays, so a lot of space is needed. The thermostat is set to a position that will create a temperature of -18 ° in the chamber. This will ensure fast and high-quality freezing without losing useful properties.
Recipes for freezing chanterelles at home
Each type of blank has its own merits. Freezing fresh is quick and easy. Since the mushrooms then still have to be cooked, because they are not eaten raw, like strawberries, there is no particular point in fresh harvesting.
Many people believe that it is better to cook right away, so that later they can simply be added to the dish when cooking.
Freezing raw mushrooms
Freeze step-by-step plan without heat treatment:
- Select small whole specimens with unopened caps. Wash and dry or just clean well from dirt.
- Arrange on a pallet in a single layer, not very tightly to ensure even freezing.
- Freeze for 12-15 hours in a chamber at a temperature of -16-18 °.
- Transfer to containers as tightly as possible, pack well to avoid excess moisture and odors. The containers must be sized correctly to consume at one time.
The container must be signed to indicate that these are fresh mushrooms if other types are stored in the freezer.
Boiled chanterelles
Freezing boiled mushrooms will take longer, but will avoid possible bitterness and speed up cooking. Boiled chanterelles can be added to the dish directly from the freezer. Stages of work:
- Any non-spoiled specimen is suitable for this type of blanks. They are well washed and cut into equal sized pieces.
- Next, the mushrooms need to be boiled. Proportions - for 1 kilogram of chanterelles, 2 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Cooking time - 6-8 minutes after boiling. To preserve the chanterelles well, they cannot be overcooked.
- Throw in a colander or sieve, let the water drain well. Put on a clean towel, dry as much as possible.
- Spread loosely on a pallet, put in a chamber for 10-12 hours.
Transfer to storage containers, seal tightly.
Fried or stewed
Fried chanterelles are well preserved in the freezer, remaining fragrant and tasty. Before freezing, you must:
- Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut into equal slices. Do not boil the chanterelles before frying.
- Put in a saucepan and fry until the liquid is completely released.Pour in oil and wait for a little browning.
- It is necessary to cook in vegetable oil; it is not recommended to use animal fats for long-term storage. Also, do not add spices and vegetables.
After that, you need to wait until the frying has cooled down, ensuring that excess oil drains. You can use a sieve or paper towel to do this. Transfer to a storage container and place in the freezer.
Broth
If the volume of the freezer allows, you can freeze the mushrooms for storage right in the broth. In this way, you can prepare the basis for the future soup:
- Boil water, add salt, pepper, add mushrooms.
- Boil for 6-8 minutes, skimming off the foam.
- Pour with mushrooms into containers, wait for cooling.
- Place containers in the refrigerator, after freezing, pack well in bags.
So the empty broth remaining after boiling the chanterelles for freezing is also frozen.
How much and how the workpieces are stored
Frozen chanterelles retain their good taste and smell for 3-4 months. At a constant temperature, they can be stored in the freezer for up to a year, but their taste will inevitably deteriorate. If it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator, the containers must be moved to another cold place to prevent thawing, since they cannot be re-frozen. With long-term storage, bitterness may appear in chanterelles, which will have to be dealt with in several stages of boiling, as a result of losing all taste and smell.
How to defrost properly
Frozen fresh chanterelles require a long, gradual thawing. They are transferred from the freezer to the main compartment, on the lowest temperature shelf. When the ice is gone, the container is placed in the room for further warming.
Speeding up the process in the microwave or hot water will lead to sourness, loss of shape and taste. If the chanterelles need to be cooked, it is best to remove them from the freezer in advance and place them in the refrigerator overnight. Mushrooms that have been previously boiled or fried do not need to be defrosted. They are immediately added in ice cream to the prepared dish. That is why it is better to store chanterelles in small portions at a time.
Freezing chanterelles and other forest gifts helps to diversify your menu in winter, make your diet more healthy and balanced. And although fresh mushrooms are constantly in stores, it is impossible to compare them with the forest beauties - chanterelles, even frozen ones.
