How to freeze mushrooms in the freezer. How to freeze and how much to store fresh mushrooms

Champignon mushrooms are often used by many housewives in the cooking process. delicious dishes However, this product is not always easy to find and is sometimes expensive. So that you have these useful and delicious mushrooms, learn how to freeze mushrooms at home.

It is not difficult to make such a blank, however, before choosing suitable recipe, read some rules and expert advice on how to freeze mushrooms at home so that they do not lose their taste qualities and did not harm the body.

Be sure to consider these helpful tips:

  • Frozen mushrooms can be stored in a freezer at a temperature of -18 for a year, if the mushrooms have not been heat-treated before.
  • Pre-fried or boiled fruits are stored in the freezer for no more than 8 months.
  • Frozen mushrooms must not be thawed or re-frozen. Given this rule, it is advisable to initially decompose them in portions in bags or special containers.
  • In order not to violate the shelf life of frozen products, a sticker with the date of placing the product in the freezer should be glued to each package.
  • Can be frozen fresh champignons whole or cut into portions.

Can mushrooms be frozen raw in the refrigerator?

If you do not know how to freeze champignon mushrooms, read the rules for preparing them.

The process of preparing a fresh product for freezing looks like this:

First of all, the mushrooms are washed in warm water... This is necessary so that the legs and caps are slightly steamed, because it will be much easier to clean them this way.

When the mushrooms are washed, they need to be laid out on a paper or cloth towel to drain the excess liquid. This is a very important point, you may have to change the towel several times, since with excess moisture, the frozen mushrooms will darken during defrosting before cooking, and will lose their appearance and gastronomic properties. To ensure that the work is not done in vain, the drying time should be at least 20 minutes.

When the excess moisture is absorbed, you can peel the mushrooms. With a sharp knife, scrape off all dark spots from the caps, separate the legs from the caps, because it will be much more convenient to clean them this way. Be sure to remove the lower part of the stalk, because it was in contact with the ground.

Cut the peeled mushrooms into cubes or slices of suitable size. Keep in mind that after defrosting, it will no longer be possible to cut the champignons of the shape and size you need, so do everything at once.

For freezing, you can use special plastic bags or plastic containers. Distribute the prepared mushrooms in bags, squeeze them with your hands, releasing air, bandage so that the product does not saturate foreign odors. If you choose plastic containers for freezing, wash them thoroughly and dry them well.

Before freezing mushrooms in the refrigerator, consider this important tip.

There is one nuance when defrosting champignons.

Champignons do not need to be thawed at all; they should be used frozen in the cooking process.

Many inexperienced housewives are interested in whether mushrooms can be frozen raw. It is the fresh ones that these mushrooms are most often harvested.

How to properly freeze whole mushrooms?

How to properly freeze whole fresh mushrooms without cutting them into smaller pieces? First of all, to freeze whole mushrooms, you should choose fresh and small neat specimens.

Follow this photo recipe for frozen champignons:

  1. After preparing the mushrooms, when they are washed, cleaned and dried, they are laid out in bags and placed in the refrigerator.
  2. If your refrigerator has a turbo-freezing mode, activate it for 2-3 hours, and you can freeze the whole mushrooms in such a short time.

Harvesting champignons for the winter: freezing in plates

Harvesting champignons for the winter in the form of freezing in plates - good way prepare the product for further use in the process of preparing mushroom-based dishes. Champignons, frozen in plates, are suitable for making soups and side dishes.

Stick to this method of preparing frozen chopped champignons:

  1. Prepare fresh and strong mushrooms. Rinse them under running water, remove all debris, scrape off dark spots with a knife.
  2. Clean the cap and stem of the mushrooms.
  3. Using a sharp thin knife, cut the mushrooms together with the stem into thin plates.
  4. Put the cut plates on a clean, dry towel, waffle or terry cloth is best for this. Leave them for 10 minutes to drain the water.
  5. Spread cling film on a cutting board, on top of it lay the sliced ​​mushrooms, placing them close to each other.
  6. Send it to the freezer for a few hours.
  7. Then transfer the frozen mushrooms to bags in small portions.
  8. There is no need to defrost the mushrooms before cooking, just add them to the dish.

Frozen sliced ​​mushrooms after boiling

You can freeze mushrooms for the winter not only raw, but also boiled. How to properly freeze champignons for the winter after pre-boiling?

Everything is very simple:

  1. Peeled mushrooms should be dipped in boiling water, slightly salted and cooked for 10 minutes.
  2. Then the boiled champignons should be thrown into a colander to drain the water from them.
  3. Cut the cooled mushrooms.
  4. Then they need to dry a little by spreading them out on a paper or cloth towel.
  5. Mushrooms are laid out in containers and frozen.

Freezing fried mushrooms

You can freeze fried mushrooms.

They are fried in the usual way:

  1. Select the freshest and strongest specimens.
  2. Then fill the vegetables with warm water for 10 minutes so that the upper skin softens well and debris and other impurities are easily removed.
  3. Then, using a thin knife, carefully remove the skin from the cap, cut off the lower part of the leg with which the mushroom was in contact with the ground.
  4. Pat the peeled and washed mushrooms lightly with a paper or cloth towel to remove moisture.
  5. Cut the mushrooms into small cubes or thin slices.
  6. Pour a small amount into a hot skillet vegetable oil, put the mushrooms and fry them until the liquid evaporates completely.
  7. Fried cooled mushrooms are packed in bags and frozen.

The advantage of this winter harvesting the fact that it does not need additional heat treatment, it is enough just to defrost, heat up and eat. You can also incorporate the fried product into other delicious dishes.

How to freeze champignon mushrooms with broth

If you harvest boiled mushrooms, mushroom broth you can not pour it out, but also freeze it to prepare delicious dishes in winter. How to freeze champignon mushrooms at home with broth?

To do this, follow these step-by-step instructions:

  1. Prepared mushrooms - washed, peeled and cut into pieces of the desired shape and size, cook until tender.
  2. Remove the pot from the stove and let cool with the broth.
  3. Then take the container, put the bag in it so that its edges go beyond the sides of the container.
  4. Pour the broth along with the boiled mushrooms and send to the freezer.
  5. After freezing, remove the broth in the form of a briquette together with the bag from the container, tie it and send such a bracket to storage in the freezer.

Recipe for freezing champignons for the winter after blanching

If you decide to use the recipe for freezing mushrooms raw for the winter, you must first blanch them. Blanching allows to preserve the color of fresh mushrooms, their structure and taste of the product as much as possible. In addition, such a method is preliminary heat treatment maximally cleans mushrooms from dirt.

To prepare mushrooms for the winter by freezing and pre-blanching, you will need a large saucepan.

Stick to the following scheme for blanching mushrooms for freezing for the winter:

  1. Pour water into a saucepan at the rate of 5 liters per 1 kg of mushrooms. Put on fire.
  2. While the water is heating, prepare the mushrooms. Wash them, remove the skin, cut into pieces of the shape and size you need.
  3. As soon as the water boils, pour the chopped mushrooms into a saucepan and wait until it boils again.
  4. After the second boil of water, wait another 2 minutes, and then remove the pan from heat, strain through a sieve.
  5. Place the mushrooms in cold water to cool down. Strain again, discard in a colander to glass the water. Divide into containers and place in the freezer to freeze.

It is important to learn how to freeze champignons, for those housewives who manage to do everything at work, and their homes are clean, comfortable, and the kitchen always smells delicious of freshly prepared food. With such housewives, everything argues precisely because they always spend their time correctly. I took the time to freeze the mushrooms for the winter, and then I saved it 10 times when making sauces, mashed soups, pies with mushrooms. There are at least four ways to freeze. We will evaluate them all now. But first, we will learn how to properly prepare the mushrooms.

Before sending mushrooms for long-term storage, you must first sort them out. All darkened areas of the hats, legs, cut out. Cut off the lowest parts of the legs. They can be in the ground, it is bad to wash it.

We will not soak the mushrooms, we do not need extra liquid when sending them to the freezer shelf. You just need to rinse them with warm water, wash off the dirt from the legs and hats. Spread a paper towel rolled in several layers on the table, spread all the mushrooms on it in a thin layer.

The purpose of this action is to rid the product to freeze from excess moisture.

Container preparation

Let's figure out which container is best suited for storing mushrooms in the freezer before learning how to properly freeze mushrooms. The main storage condition is the tightness of the package, a reasonable volume of one serving.

Re-freezing is prohibited. The thawed product must be consumed at one time. We select containers for storage according to this requirement. You can save the frozen product in the following container:

  1. Zip freezer bags.
  2. Soft plastic containers.
  3. Used sour cream jars.
  4. Small volume containers for single use.

I freeze in small rectangular containers. For tightness, I put the container in a regular plastic bag. I tie the bag tightly. This method is convenient for three reasons:

  1. Saving space, the container can be placed tightly to the very top of the shelf.
  2. The sticker with the date of packing is clearly visible. I put it from the end of the container.
  3. Convenient to take out and defrost.

Freezing methods

How best to freeze fresh mushrooms is a reasonable question for any housewife. I was also interested in whether it is possible to freeze mushrooms that have not been heat-treated, it turned out that it is possible. Now I have successfully mastered the possible methods, I use all the options in my life, I use mushrooms: raw, boiled, fried.

Now I will tell you how it is easier to freeze fresh mushrooms in two ways.

How to freeze whole raw mushrooms

Not every mushroom can be frozen. First, let's decide on the size of the mushrooms. The large size does not fit exactly, only small and medium hats will suit. For mushrooms with a large cap, you should choose another storage option - with slicing.

Above, I have already told you how to prepare raw materials: wash, dry. Now I will share my way of freezing. I use baskets for a steamer. I have a great soft plastic steamer. Soft plastic baskets can be used to freeze food in the refrigerator, cook and thaw in microwave oven and for its intended purpose - steaming.

I put the mushrooms strictly in one layer at the bottom of the container. I put the container in the upper chamber. I read that you need to freeze champignons from 4 to 12 days, so I keep them in a cell for 5-7 days quick freeze, then I put them in bags or containers, send the whole frozen mushrooms to the bottom shelf of the freezer. Remember: store frozen in fresh champignons can be used for no more than a year at a temperature of -18 ° C.

Proper freezing of chopped champignons

We know how to freeze whole mushrooms for the winter, it's time to deal with chopped mushrooms. Chopped, frozen mushrooms are easier to use, they will go into soup, sauce, potatoes when fried (stewed) without thawing. Harvesting chopped tomatoes for the winter using the quick freezing method consists of 4 stages:

  1. Primary preparation of raw materials.
  2. The process of slicing mushrooms.
  3. Freezing process.
  4. Packaging.

We carry out the initial preparation of raw materials in the manner described above. We select whole specimens, preferably a large one. Cut into slices 3-4 cm thick. Place the slices on a pallet, cutting board or silicone baking sheet. The surface can be lightly greased with vegetable oil. The frozen food is easier to pull off the oiled surface. That's it, the frozen product is ready, you can put it in the freezer. Pack up in 4-5 days. Cut, fresh mushrooms are stored frozen for about a year.

Freeze fried mushrooms

It is better to fry and freeze all mushroom substandard. For mushroom substandard I refer to raw materials that have lost their shape, broken, large in size. Before frying, I cut all specimens into random pieces of approximately the same size.

I take a stewpan for frying. I have it of a large diameter, all the mushrooms are placed in it at once. I grease the bottom of the saucepan with oil (any). I fry the raw materials until the liquid evaporates completely. I make a frying pan from the stove, let the mushrooms cool in a natural way, and pack it. I pack the fried mushrooms in strong bags, forming a layer of no more than 2 cm. Be sure to put a piece of paper with the date of preparation. It must be remembered that fried mushrooms no more than 6 months.

Boil champignons for freezing for the winter

There is another way to freeze mushrooms at home. Champignons can be boiled, and only then sent to freeze. Let's figure out the features of cooking. The first condition is to fill the prepared raw material with cold water.

The second condition is to salt the water. There are no other conditions. After boiling the champignons, cook for 15 minutes, put in a colander, cool, sprinkle in containers. We put a piece of paper with the date of packing in the container and send it to the upper compartment of the freezer. After a few days, the container can be lowered into the lower compartment, the boiled mushrooms are frozen, ready to eat within 6 months.

Make your life easier. Cook high-quality frozen mushrooms, they will speed up the process of preparing delicious dishes with the addition of champignons.

Usually, in order to freeze mushrooms, I buy only the freshest mushrooms. They are snow-white in color, without brown spots or dents. In addition, most often I take medium-sized mushrooms - they are the most versatile.

For any method of freezing, mushrooms must be washed well under cold water. There are housewives who even prefer to peel champignons. I am not one of them: I just wash them thoroughly, lightly brushing off thin films with my fingers. The washed mushrooms must be laid out to dry. There is no point in freezing additional water, because the mushrooms themselves are quite watery.


The first way to freeze. Champignons can be frozen whole. To do this, put the washed and dried mushrooms in a bag with a clip, expel air from the bag and close it.



Do not forget about the sticker on which you need to indicate what exactly and when exactly we froze. After all, it seems only today that it is impossible to forget this information. And when your freezer is full, it will be very difficult to navigate in it.

Frozen mushrooms are stored in the same way as vegetables, for about 1 year at a temperature of -18 degrees.

Thus, I use frozen mushrooms when I bake fish or poultry. It is with such whole mushrooms that you can fill all the voids on the baking sheet. Moreover, mushrooms should be put directly frozen, without preliminary defrosting.



The second way to freeze. But even more often than whole mushrooms, we use mushrooms cut into plates. Let's make such a blank too!

Cut the washed champignons into neat slices.



In order to prevent fragile pieces of mushrooms from breaking during the freezing process, they must first be frozen with a thin layer. I usually put mushrooms in one layer on any substrate. I put the bowl in the upper section of the freezer for quick freezing.

Kira Stoletova

Champignons are considered one of the most popular edible mushrooms in the world. They are used in culinary recipes different countries, they are great for artificial cultivation. In winter, it is easier to use frozen mushrooms: they do not lose useful properties and easy to prepare.

Beneficial features

These mushrooms for their pleasant taste and delicate aroma, which remains at any culinary processing are an established delicacy. Even if you freeze fresh chopped champignons, it will not impair their taste. They are a storehouse of protein, vitamins and minerals: zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and also contain 18 types of amino acids. By the way. Many of the amino acids that make up mushrooms are considered essential - they are not synthesized in the human body, but come exclusively with food.

They consist of 90% water, the calorie content per 100 g does not exceed 27 kcal, for which this product is appreciated in vegetarian cuisine and dietary nutrition especially with a salt-free diet.

Beneficial features:

  • lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels;
  • improve memory and mental abilities of a person;
  • strengthen immunity and increase resistance to disease;
  • reduce weight and improve metabolism;
  • treat migraines and headache attacks;
  • oil extract heals wounds well, treats psoriasis and other skin defects.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

The presence of a large amount of vegetable protein in the pulp of the mushroom allows the feeling of satiety to compare champignons with meat. This is possible due to the fact that the percentage of protein in mushrooms is much higher than that in meat and chicken eggs... Promoting quick satiety, mushrooms prevent weight gain. This property allows them to be used in diets. different kind... Because Since mushrooms have the ability to lower blood cholesterol levels, champignons will be indispensable in the diet of people suffering from atherosclerosis (the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the blood vessels), as well as those who are at risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack.

You can also freeze fresh mushrooms at home. Freezing mushrooms is one of the most popular ways to prolong their freshness and use them throughout the winter.

How to choose mushrooms for freezing

Freezing mushrooms at home begins with their purchase. You should choose fresh specimens, small champignons are tastier and more convenient to process. Large mushrooms are chosen if they plan to stuff their caps with filling.

When choosing, be guided by the following signs of freshness:

  • fresh mushrooms have White color, sometimes with a pinkish tinge, and in overripe ones it is brownish and after cooking they will be tough;
  • dark spots or dents on the caps are a sign of deterioration and improper storage;
  • the film between the leg and the cap in small ones is intact, without damage, in medium ones it may have small tears, and in large ones it may be absent;
  • the aroma is rich, pleasant, intensifies when cut, without the smell of dampness;
  • fresh surface is matte, smooth, elastic; in stale ones, it is sticky, resembles a sponge in consistency.

It is necessary to approach the choice of this product for preparation responsibly, so as not to spoil the prepared dish later.

Storage at temperatures from 2 ° C to 4 ° C allows them to preserve their freshness for up to 5 days, while storage at room temperature will significantly reduce this period - up to 6 hours.

Freezing methods

It is possible to freeze champignons correctly by observing all the stages of their preparation for this process:

  • It is necessary to wash them under running water. room temperature, then drain and dry thoroughly.
  • The next stage of preparation for freezing mushrooms for the winter is their inspection and removal of dirty and damaged areas, the remnants of the root system.
  • It is better to separate the cap from the leg - this will make it easier to pack and avoid breaking. After that, it is decided whether this product will be heat treated and in what form the mushrooms will be frozen: whole or cut.

Before freezing champignon mushrooms at home, it is important to prepare a storage room. Attention! There should be no meat or fish next to vegetables in the freezer section of the refrigerator.

Champignons can be frozen:

  1. Boiled: they are boiled for 10 - 15 minutes in salted water, then cooled, laid out in a container and sent to the refrigerator directly into the freezer.
  2. Fried: for this, the prepared mushrooms are fried over low heat with the addition of vegetable oil until the moisture evaporates, cooled, packaged and stored in the refrigerator at a low temperature. As a result, after defrosting, such semi-finished products do not require additional heat treatment and reduce the cooking time.
  3. Dried.
  4. Fresh:
  • whole: for this they are laid out in containers or small plastic bags and tightly closed. Then you can freeze the mushrooms in the freezer using the quick freeze mode. In the future, during use, they should not be thawed so as not to darken.
  • chopped: the advantage of this option will be their compactness and time savings during subsequent preparation for use. To do this, they are cut into plates, laid out on a flat surface and sent to the freezer, after which the frozen chopped champignons are poured into bags and put back in the freezer. In this form, it is convenient to cook soup from them, add when cooking potatoes or meat.

Advice. Freeze champignons (and any other mushrooms too) in portions. In this case, you do not have to worry about what to do with the unnecessary part of the thawed food.

Defrosting rules

Champignons, frozen in the freezer or fresh, are popular among culinary experts. So that frozen champignons do not lose their taste, it is important not to exceed the shelf life and defrost them correctly. In the freezer in their raw form, they are stored at a temperature of -18 ° C for no more than 8 months, at -20 ° C - up to one year. The shelf life of fried or boiled is much shorter - no more than 3 months.

Frozen mushrooms must be thawed gradually naturally on the lower shelf of the refrigerator (it is better to place them there in the evening) or using the appropriate microwave setting, in small portions so as not to freeze again. From this they become hard and lose their taste. And when preparing some dishes (soups, casseroles and other hot snacks), you should not defrost them to avoid moisture loss.

Frozen champignons. How to properly freeze mushrooms

FREEZING MUSHROOMS, CHAMPIGNONS | Irina Belaja

Champignons for the winter. 2 ways to freeze mushrooms.

Conclusion

Freezing mushrooms at home is quite simple. The process maximizes the preservation of their taste and useful properties.

Like any other mushrooms, they should be used with caution by people who have problems with the digestive system, suffering from pancreatitis, ulcers, and liver dysfunction. Mushroom dishes cannot be introduced into the diet of children under 5 years of age.

Mushrooms of this variety have become especially popular due to the possibility of their artificial cultivation and cultivation. Champignons available all year round, but even with them, there may be a need for long-term storage. It is convenient to have some stock on hand, instead of buying mushrooms every time, because most often a small amount is put into the dish.

Is it possible to freeze fresh champignons

Of course you can. Mushrooms are prepared and stored at low temperatures, as necessary using for cooking. All the rules for pre-processing and storage should be followed, then you will have the most wonderful product.

An equally frequent question is: should the mushrooms be washed before freezing? Yes, this is highly desirable, since mushrooms are mainly used not completely thawed. And to maintain the shape and, which is important, the quality of mushrooms, it is used additional processing... Mushrooms can be stored as follows:

  1. Blanched.
  2. Sauteed.
  3. Raw.

In any case, the pulp of the mushrooms is exposed to a low temperature, and when thawed, it partially loses its original elasticity and juiciness. To minimize losses, heat treatment is used.

Let's consider the first two methods briefly, and then we will separately tell you whether you can freeze mushrooms raw in the freezer.

Partially cooked (blanched) vegetables and fruits are stored much better than completely raw, this is especially true for prolonged freezing. When deciding whether you can freeze mushrooms whole in the freezer, proceed from how large the mushrooms are. The method is good in case they are not particularly large with you.

The champignons are carefully sorted, removing any darkened specimens. Small spots can be removed, but it is better to set aside such a mushroom and then freeze it sliced. After the obligatory washing, the mushrooms are dipped in boiling water for 8-10 minutes, then cooled and dried.

Store such blanks at the lowest possible temperature in sealed bags or containers.

Having figured out whether it is possible to freeze whole fresh mushrooms, one cannot help but notice that sliced ​​mushrooms occupy a noticeably smaller volume, and this does not affect the shelf life. If you blanch the mushrooms cut into slices, heat them faster than whole ones, 4-6 minutes is enough.

Another way to prepare sliced ​​mushrooms is by partial frying. This technology is most suitable if you often cook in pots or pizza.

Is it possible to freeze mushrooms in the freezer completely cooked, or is it worth only lightly browning them? Definitely, you should not fry the mushrooms until cooked. After washing, they are dried, dissolve in thin slices and then sautéed in a frying pan without oil, achieving only evaporation of moisture and a thin brown crust.

Is it possible to freeze mushrooms raw

We left the most popular method for last. Mushrooms are stored unchanged for up to six months, all mandatory requirements, such as: cleanliness and tightness of containers, quality of raw materials, remain the same. In this way, you can freeze champignons and then defrost them practically without loss of taste and appearance, subject to strict observance of all conditions.

So, as in previous cases, we sort the mushrooms, rinse and dry slightly. Further, they should be divided by size and packaged in small portions in sealed bags.

Pay attention to the last requirement! Is it possible to freeze fresh mushrooms in the freezer and ignore it? In principle, yes, but only on condition that you store them for no longer than a month, and only if the refrigerator is not equipped with a dry freeze function.