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The season of “silent hunting” should not pass by the freezer. To pamper your family with fragrant and tasty dishes even in the cold season, you need to freeze the umbrella mushroom. If done correctly, the fruiting body will retain its flavor throughout the winter.
Is it possible to freeze mushrooms umbrellas
In its raw form, it is optimal to freeze only a few species, which include umbrellas. If the dimensions of the freezer allow, you can thus keep the fruits fresh for use in the winter.
How to prepare umbrella mushrooms for freezing
Fruits for freezing need to be prepared. They should be fresh, clean and as unbroken as possible. The appearance of the product after removal from the freezer depends on this. Suitable “yesterday’s” assembly, but not a week.
The edible species must be with a hat of at least 25 cm, not wormy, not pecked by birds
How to freeze properly:
- Clear from the earth, leaves and twigs. Blow out from inside to remove debris.
- Rinse with water.Attention! You can’t get too wet. The mushroom absorbs water well, which will turn into ice in the freezer.
- Separate the hat from the stem. The upper part is fried, battered or marinated. The legs are not suitable for use in this processing, they are hard. The lower part is used for grinding.
For freezing, it is better to take strong young fruits.
To save space in the freezer, small ones are left whole, they are used to decorate dishes, large ones are cut into small pieces.
How to freeze umbrella mushrooms for the winter
There are several ways to freeze – fresh, boiled or fried. It is recommended to freeze raw. Boiled or fried specimens lose their taste, become rubbery after cooking.
How to freeze fresh umbrellas
Peel with a knife and wipe each with a dry cloth. No need to soak them in water, one rinse is enough.
Freezing method:
- clean, put in one layer on a tray;
- send to the freezer for 4 hours;
- Arrange in prepared containers or bags in such a way that only one of them is used for cooking.
Freezing in portions is the best option
It is not recommended to re-freeze, otherwise they will turn into a tasteless watery porridge. Therefore, batch freezing is convenient.
It will take about 1,5-2 hours to freeze 12-15 kg. The product can also be used fresh. This is the best way to freeze fruits. You can use them for cooking any dishes, stewing and frying, without the need to cook.
Before you cook a frozen product, you need to properly defrost it. Do not put in hot water or microwave. Defrost proceeds in stages. First you should transfer the package to the refrigerator, and then put it on the table. So the fruiting bodies will not lose their aroma and will be as fresh. Do not leave them in the refrigerator after defrosting, they should be cooked immediately.
How to freeze boiled umbrellas
For storage in this form, it is recommended to boil the fruiting bodies. The semi-finished product takes up less space. In addition, immediately after defrosting, they can be sent to the pan.
Freezing process:
- Pour water into a saucepan. Add salt. Do not add other spices. Boil and add mushrooms. Boil 5 minutes.
Boil over low heat, the water should not boil
- Pour with brine into a colander, let excess water drain. Spread the cooked fruits on a towel and leave to dry for 10-15 minutes. Try brine. If it is very salty, rinse the fruit a little under running water.
- Arrange on a tray in a single layer, send to the refrigerator. When the mushroom product has cooled, move it to the freezer.
- Arrange the finished fruiting bodies in portioned packages when they are frozen on a tray and so that 1 container is enough for 1 preparation. Send to the freezer.
If you immediately put the boiled into bags, they will stick together
Stewed fruits are frozen in a similar way. The stewing method is simple: rinse, cut into strips and simmer in its own juice for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Freeze, like boiled fruiting bodies.
You can save umbrella mushrooms in the freezer for the whole winter using the steam treatment method. To do this, you need a pan with a wire rack. Pour water into a container, boil. Put the grate on the pan, then the mushrooms. Steam for 3 minutes. If they are whole, they should be subjected to heat treatment for 6 minutes. Do not hold over the steam for a long time so that the fruits do not absorb a lot of moisture.
Transfer to a clean tray. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Then you can send to freeze.
The use of fruits treated with steam is universal. This method of freezing better preserves the taste.
How to freeze fried umbrellas
Fried mushrooms have a special, characteristic taste, which is difficult to confuse. Fresh fruit bodies are used for frying.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg hat;
- 2 heads of onions;
- salt to taste;
- olive oil.
Preparation:
- Rinse the caps with water, cut into any shape.
When frying, the hat decreases by 3 times, do not cut too finely
- Simmer in your own juice. Add chopped onion and vegetable oil. Salt at the end when the fruiting bodies are fried.
Fry until the moisture completely disappears from the pan, you can leave it a little for juiciness
- Cool down. Transfer to bags and freeze.
Fried foods defrost easily. You can do this in the microwave or in a frying pan with a little olive oil. The taste and smell of fried fruit bodies is very pleasant and unique even after defrosting.
Terms and conditions of storage of frozen umbrellas
Fresh umbrella mushrooms should be stored at a temperature of 18-20 ° C, boiled – at 28 ° C. Subject to this requirement, the mushrooms will remain in the freezer all winter. The maximum term is 12 months.
Conclusion
There are many ways to freeze an umbrella mushroom. It is allowed to boil, stew, fry and cook the dish in batter before sending it to the freezer. Freezing is the best way to store for the winter.
