Do you like picking mushrooms? What to do with a large harvest? They can be prepared in different ways. For example, I pickle honey mushrooms, dry the white ones, boil them, fry them, and freeze them. Today I want to talk about proper drying, without loss.
Forest gifts are rich in nutrients, allow you to diversify your diet and give your favorite dishes a rich taste and aroma.
To stock up on the forest gifts of nature, it is important to choose the right mushrooms, pay special attention to the preparatory stages, and also know how to dry this wonderful product.
I really love soup with this dried product. It is this method that allows you to preserve the forest harvest, and it is stored very well, and it is very easy to prepare.
What mushrooms can be dried?
In order not to harm the health of your loved ones, you need to remember all the types of forest products that can be taken for such purposes.
1. From the group of tubular mushrooms, boletus, porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, oak mushrooms, moss mushrooms, goat mushrooms, and also Polish mushrooms are suitable.
2. It is recommended to process marsupial morels using the natural method. It is best to do this outdoors, by hanging the product in canvas and gauze bags for 4-5 months.
After this time, the product is freed from toxins. Only after this stage is it suitable for food, since the risk of poisoning by harmful substances is reduced.
3. Lamellar mushrooms are also suitable for preparations, namely: saffron milk caps collected at different times of the year, variegated umbrella mushrooms, sorrel mushrooms, deer mushrooms, and champignons.
4. Chanterelles are also suitable for similar procedures. This type is the only one that can be processed in this way. Other ingredients may be a little bitter in many recipes.
Preparing for drying (important rules)
Forest gifts are collected mainly in dry and clear weather; only dense mushrooms are selected, without particles of dirt or other damage.
Mushroom masters prefer not to wash the product so that it does not absorb additional moisture and lose its characteristic aroma after drying.
Manually, using a damp cloth or knife, carefully remove any remaining dirt, pine needles, and adhered soil. It is necessary to get rid of the mycelium by cutting it off with a knife.
Wormy and rotten specimens should be thrown into the trash.
It is recommended to dry the hats separately from the legs. Forest products need to be sorted. For drying, you will need medium-sized mushrooms; small ones can be set aside for canning, and larger ones can be fried or stewed in a frying pan. Cut the legs into small pieces.
Large workpieces can be cut into layers 5 mm thick. For beauty, you can make transverse cuts on blanks with legs.
The weight of the initial raw materials decreases after processing, for example, from 10 kg of forest gifts, 1 kg of blanks rarely comes out; in general, only 600-700 g can be saved.
During the winter season, the finished product must be protected from odorous substances, moisture and other factors that negatively affect the shelf life of the product.
Useful tips
The ratio of the mass of dry mushrooms to the mass of fresh peeled mushrooms is 10–14%. That is, from 10 kg of fresh mushrooms you will get no more than 1–1.4 kg of dried ones. Ready mushrooms must be removed from the oven and removed in a timely manner. You should carefully monitor the remaining ones so as not to miss the moment of drying them to the desired state.
In no case should you overdry, because they will lose their aroma, their beneficial properties, and simply become tasteless. An overdried product is not restored during heat treatment, does not boil or soften. But this does not mean that it is better not to dry it, since undried ones are poorly stored, mold forms on them at the slightest dampness, and they begin to quickly deteriorate. The duration of each of the drying and drying processes of mushrooms cannot be determined precisely.
It depends on the area where they grew, on the type of mushrooms, on their size. If both the caps and the plates are the same in size, then, of course, they will dry out at the same time.
- Choose only clean, whole mushrooms. They should not have any flaws (rotten or damaged by worms are not suitable).
- Rinse the porcini mushrooms well and clean them of forest debris (sand, leaves, branches). But under no circumstances soak in water.
- Remove the mushroom film from them and blot them with a cloth kitchen towel to remove any remaining water. Wet porcini mushrooms take longer to dry.
- Remove the bottom of the leg.
These mushrooms have a fleshy texture. In some dishes they can completely replace meat. Having a pleasant aroma, they are suitable for various culinary purposes: from salads to individual main courses.
Drying temperature and time
The temperature regime is determined in accordance with the chosen drying method, the amount of raw materials, the degree of preparation, and the time that should be spent on the process is also taken into account.
Whatever method is chosen, all the workpieces are laid out in a thin layer, separately from each other, since if they are placed one on top of the other, then all the raw materials will dry unevenly and the desired result will not be achieved.
It is necessary to regulate the temperature and keep it at a level of fifty-five to seventy degrees. The average processing time is approximately six to eight hours.
How much fat can you lose and in what time?
If you follow strict drying rules, you can lose quite a lot of weight by reducing the percentage of body fat to below normal. Provided that the excess weight is from 10-20 kg.
In recent weeks, cutting becomes much more difficult, the weight goes off worse, and there is less and less strength left to maintain the diet. At first, weight is lost rapidly, since salt is eliminated, in the first week we lose a lot of water, a reduction of up to 3-5 kg is possible, but it is too early to rejoice, because fat has not yet had time to burn in large quantities.
Then you can see how subcutaneous fat disappears; here it is important to look not at the scale, but at the volume and percentage of fat in the body, because the goal is to dry out the body, not to lose weight. Of course, during drying, some muscle mass is lost. Restricting carbohydrates is not able to supply muscles with energy, so it takes strength from muscle protein
Restricting carbohydrates is not able to supply muscles with energy, so it takes strength from muscle protein.
How to dry porcini mushrooms on a string at home
This method is the most common; it takes relatively little time, about a day, to obtain blanks, which, if necessary, can be additionally dried in any other equipment.
Two preparation methods:
1. String mushrooms onto a strong thread, making small indentations from each other. The ends of the threads must be fastened together. Drying is carried out in a well-ventilated area.
To protect from insects and dust, all workpieces are covered with a piece of gauze. The pieces should not get wet. At night, all products are transferred indoors.
2. You can also lay out the records on sheets of paper or soft cloth, you can take a newspaper. The decomposed raw materials are dried in direct sunlight for at least two days. If you neglect this point, the workpieces may change color and become dark.
The total processing time for raw materials is 2-7 days.
The food is turned over approximately twice a day to ensure even drying.
Drying mushrooms in the microwave
For this method, drying is carried out in several approaches. Before processing, the product should be pre-cleaned and crushed. After which you can start cooking.
If it’s a sunny day outside, you can leave the pieces in the air for a couple of hours and start drying using the chosen method.
Drying steps:
1. Place mushroom slices in a flat container suitable for a microwave oven, making sure that they do not stick together. Place the container in the device, set the power to 100-150 W. It will take 20 minutes.
2. Next, remove the container and drain the resulting liquid. Leave the microwave with the door open for 5-10 minutes. Then the whole process is repeated. Power and cooking time remain the same.
Such manipulations should be repeated several times to achieve the desired effect, until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, they become dry but plastic. To dry completely you will need 3-4 approaches.
Storing dried mushrooms
It is recommended to prepare in advance the room in which the jars with blanks will be stored. Dry, clean, ventilated, no light. Mushrooms are very capricious, especially if they are not dried well enough. When dry, they do not fall apart, have a strong structure, and smell pleasant, but their disadvantage is their ability to absorb moisture from the environment.
Dried mushrooms absorb the odors of surrounding foods and moisture very well, so storing them is often more difficult than drying mushrooms in the oven. Tightly closed glass jars are ideal, from which the oxygen should be evaporated by igniting the alcohol on the lid. If there are no cans, thick fabric bags, thick bags, and plastic containers will do.
How to dry mushrooms correctly in an electric oven
This method is in demand for city apartments for ovens with electric heating elements. Allows you to dry the desired product in a short period of time and prepare it for long-term storage.
Some electronic appliances are equipped with a convection mode, which significantly speeds up cooking.
- Well-cleaned and, if necessary, chopped pieces are laid out on a wire rack. Baking sheets lined with parchment are also useful for these purposes. During the cooking process, the pieces should be changed sides.
- The temperature is set to 45-50 degrees.
- If there is no convection mode, then the door is opened slightly so that the moisture released during the drying process can evaporate freely.
- When the product becomes dried, the temperature is increased to 75 degrees and cooked for several more hours.
The pieces are considered completely finished when they are slightly bent and not painted.
General rules for using ovens
It doesn’t matter what exactly the housewife decided to do: either dry the mushrooms in the oven of a gas stove or dry them in an electric oven. All this requires careful preparation.
For example, we will answer the question of how to dry mushrooms in an electric oven. It is very important to place the mushrooms on the grill, since electric ovens are designed in such a way that the lower heating element always heats up more than the upper one. When placing mushrooms on a baking sheet, they will simply stick, moisture will form at the bottom, and ultimately may become moldy during storage.
When using an oven with a stovetop, you should make sure that no one plans to cook anything on the frying surface in the near future while drying mushrooms in the oven. The drying temperature is usually set around 70°C. There are several options: for raw mushrooms, it is better to first set the temperature to a lower temperature (30-40°C), and then increase it to 60-70°C. Or, initially set a constant temperature from 40 to 60°C, preheat the oven and place the workpieces in it.
Drying mushrooms in an electric dryer
Many housewives have acquired a similar device and use it to stock up on berries and fruits, both dry and dried. This device can also process mushrooms; it is enough to correctly determine the temperature.
Prepared raw materials are placed in removable pallets and placed in place. The temperature regime is determined in accordance with the amount of raw materials and the thickness of the slice.
By default, you can set it from 30 to 70 degrees. If the model is equipped with a fan, you should definitely use this function to start the circulation of warm air.
This will reduce the likelihood of overcooking and significantly speed up the entire process.
How to dry mushrooms in a gas stove oven
The prepared product is placed on wire racks or on self-made wire rack trays. Set the temperature to 60-70 degrees, leave the door open for free passage of air inside the oven. The dried batches are swapped and reinstalled from the upper position to the lower.
This option is most optimal for apartment conditions, where it is not possible to procure raw materials in other ways. For this task you will need many lattices. If there are not enough of them, then you can make your own by purchasing a large-mesh wire mesh for this.
Having armed yourself with the necessary equipment and prepared forest products, you can proceed directly to the cooking itself.
Trays can be replaced by wire racks. Similarly to the previous methods, the raw materials are laid out on existing grates and placed into the device, the door remains ajar.
The product is pre-dried at 45 degrees.
If at the first stage the temperature is set too high, then there is a possibility that protein substances will be released on the surface of the mushrooms, which will subsequently dry out, which can ruin the entire drying process and give the raw materials a dark color.
At the same time, the pieces become soft and it is impossible to create dishes on their basis. Therefore, it is important to control the moisture and ensure that the stickiness of the mushrooms disappears and only after partial drying can the temperature be raised to 75-80 degrees.
It is impossible to accurately determine the cooking time; it is necessary to periodically check the caps and plates, which are equal in size; they will dry in approximately the same amount of time. Dry blanks are removed, and all the rest are subjected to additional drying.
Preparation
Dry the mushrooms at a temperature of 50 degrees for 2 hours. Important tip: Roll an oven mitt or kitchen towel into a tube and insert it into the oven door to create a space while keeping the oven door ajar. Mushrooms consist of 80–90% moisture, and when dried, this moisture evaporates and accumulates in the oven. So, a steam room will form in the cabinet during cooking, which will lead to unwanted condensation. Droplets will appear on the mushrooms, and this will disrupt the drying process.
It is worth looking into the oven periodically to separate any stuck mushrooms from the grill and from each other. When the mushrooms become non-sticky, increase the oven temperature to 70 degrees. Leave to dry for another 2 hours at 70 degrees in the oven.
The drying process needs to be monitored. If you see that the mushroom has dried out, you can slightly increase the temperature. If we notice droplets, then we lower the temperature again and wait for them to dry as long as necessary. If you want to speed up the process, you can chop them into pieces. In addition, it is possible to speed up cooking and drying in modern ovens by turning on the fan mode, but the door should be left ajar.
After a couple of hours in this mode, some mushrooms will already dry out. Ready-made, that is, dried, should not crumble into pieces; they retain slight elasticity and firmness. Each dried mushroom should be checked separately for readiness, and those that you consider ready should be placed in a glass hermetically sealed jar.
Mushrooms can be considered dried when they are dry to the touch, light, bend slightly and crumble with some effort. Properly and well dried, they have an aroma and taste like fresh ones.
Is it possible to dry mushrooms in a Russian oven?
The Russian stove is not as in demand as other electrical appliances in the house. The lucky owners of this unit have a unique opportunity to create any kind of preparations from available fruits and vegetables.
Before starting processing, the oven is cleaned of dust and accumulated dirt is removed. Remove foreign products.
Pre-heat the stove thoroughly, wait until it cools down to 70 degrees, and the coals begin to go out. The resulting coals must be raked to the sides and a baking sheet with raw materials placed in the center of the stove. Close the damper tightly and wait 15 minutes until all the heat has subsided properly.
They try to maintain this temperature throughout the drying process. Open the valve three-quarters and close it again.
Cooking options:
1. Place the pieces, caps down, on baking sheets or racks on bricks.
2. Thread the forest gifts onto skewers and build a hut, placing the entire structure inside the oven.
Drying mushrooms in the sun correctly
For approximately seven days in clear weather, forest products are dried until fully cooked. For these purposes, whole pieces are collected onto a dense thread, maintaining a distance between each other.
Hang the string in direct sunlight. The entire suspended structure can be covered with a piece of gauze to prevent dust from settling and protect against midges.
Dried products can be sent for additional drying to an oven or any other device. To do this, they are moved to flat surfaces and placed inside the selected device.
Did you know that forest gifts can be dried in a bathhouse? It turns out, yes, they are dried by stringing them on threads and hanging them. This way they dry out nicely. Whether to cut into pieces or not depends on the size.
To see how to dry in a bath, start the video and watch. If you do not have another suitable place for drying, then a steam room may be it.
