The most popular forest mushroom is considered to be white, because it has an attractive appearance, a huge number of useful properties and a pleasant taste and aroma that remains even after processing. Boletus mushrooms are delicious in any form: fried, frozen, salted and pickled. In addition, they are often included in various dishes and caviar is prepared from them.
Naturally, for a dish of porcini mushrooms to be tasty, boletus mushrooms must be cooked correctly. The main stage is cooking, which is practiced with any cooking method. In this article we will look at how to cook porcini mushrooms correctly and how long this process will take.
How long to cook porcini mushrooms
Before heat treatment, boletus mushrooms must be properly prepared. That is, they must be cleaned. To do this, the stem and cap are first cleaned of large particles of debris: remnants of forest soil, adhering leaves and pine needles.
Note: Next, it is advisable to soak the product in cold water for 1 hour, but if you are going to dry the boletus mushrooms, it will be enough to simply peel them. In this case, you cannot wash or soak them.
Soaking helps to naturally remove small debris from hard-to-reach places. After this, you need to remove all the darkened pulp, and in old specimens you should additionally remove the thin skin from the stem. Next, all that remains is to cut the mushrooms into pieces of the desired size. Small boletus mushrooms can be cooked whole (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Preparation for heat treatment
Cooking porcini mushrooms is a mandatory step in their preparation. While there are some general principles to this process, the duration and method of cooking will largely depend on how you cook them next. So that you don’t have any questions regarding preparation, we will look at each option in more detail.
How long to cook before frying
Boletus mushrooms belong to the highest category, that is, they contain many useful substances, have a pleasant characteristic aroma and a pronounced taste. However, this does not mean that you can skip the stage of thorough heat treatment.
Often they prefer to fry them with onions and then add them to boiled potatoes or porridge. To make the flesh tasty and dense, boletus mushrooms must be properly boiled before frying. To do this, the prepared product is poured with water so that it completely covers the pulp. Place the pan on the fire and bring the liquid to a boil. Foam will form on the surface: be sure to skim it off with a slotted spoon, then add salt and spices to taste and continue cooking until done. Typically, this process takes about 30 minutes for small specimens, and 45 minutes for large ones (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Preparing for frying
Since in the future the product will undergo additional heat treatment in the form of frying, it makes no sense to change the water or cook the mushrooms longer. Overcooked pulp will lose density and simply fall apart during frying.
How long to cook porcini mushrooms for freezing
Freezing is an excellent option to preserve delicious boletus mushrooms during the winter and be able to include them in your favorite dishes at any time (Figure 3).
Note: Despite the fact that some housewives prefer to freeze boletus mushrooms raw, it is better to boil them first. The fact is that such pre-treatment will help not only reduce the cooking time in the future, but also preserve the density, taste and aroma of the pulp.
If you plan to freeze them, the first step is to sort them by size. Large specimens are cut into pieces, while small and medium ones can be boiled and frozen whole. As in the case of processing boletus mushrooms before frying, they are boiled only once before freezing, and it is better to do this in different pans, since small pieces cook much faster than large ones.
Figure 3. Cooking before freezing
Fill the prepared and sorted boletus mushrooms with water and bring to a boil. When the mixture boils, remove the foam from the surface of the liquid, add salt and your favorite seasonings to taste and continue cooking over medium heat. For the pulp to cook, it will take 35 minutes for small pieces and whole mushrooms, and 45-50 minutes for large specimens.
How much to cook for soup
Mushroom soup is considered one of the most delicious dishes, and if you add wild porcini mushrooms to it instead of ordinary champignons, its taste will become completely exquisite.
Naturally, to prepare such a soup, you need to properly prepare the main ingredient - boletus mushrooms. According to the rules, they are added to the soup dried or pre-boiled, but a frozen product can also be used (Figure 4).
To pre-boil a product to add to soup, you must:
- Peel fresh boletus mushrooms and rinse them under running water.
- Place the prepared product in a saucepan and fill with clean water so that it completely covers the pulp.
- You need to add salt to the water. On average, 2-3 liters of water require a level teaspoon of salt.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat so that the water does not boil too intensely.
- After boiling, the cooking time for fresh boletus is 35-40 minutes, and for dried boletus – 20 minutes.
During cooking, foam will constantly form on the surface of the liquid, which must be removed. The mushrooms will be ready when they settle to the bottom of the pan. After this, they can be thrown into a colander, allowed to drain off any remaining moisture and added to the soup.
Figure 4. Cooking boletus mushrooms for soup
When such preparatory activities are completed, you can begin to directly prepare the soup. When using pre-boiled fresh boletus, they are added to the soup about 20 minutes before the end of cooking. If you use frozen ones and did not have time to defrost them in time, you can add them 30 minutes before the end of cooking, along with the potatoes.
Advice from experienced housewives
Porcini mushrooms do not darken, so the broth always turns out clear. But if you leave them in the pan for a long time, then the aesthetics decrease. When digested, the taste of the product is lost. To preserve their properties, remove the mushrooms in a colander and continue cooking the dish. Dried mushrooms are very aromatic, so you don’t need to add a lot of spices to the dish. Only black allspice and bay leaves are used.
Boletuses absorb aromas, so they should be stored away from foods with a strong odor. And when cooking, it is better to use sunflower oil rather than butter, and season the stewed product with sour cream sauce. Now we know how long to cook porcini mushrooms depending on the type of dish, the main thing is not to overcook them on the fire.
How long to cook dried porcini mushrooms
As a rule, dried boletus mushrooms are used as a separate ingredient for preparing stews, soups or casseroles. Unlike fresh ones, dried ones must be properly prepared for heat treatment (Figure 5).
First, they need to be soaked in water for 2-3 hours. This will not only allow the pulp to swell, but also remove any small particles of debris that may have accumulated on the surface. Secondly, it is advisable to pre-boil dried boletus mushrooms before adding them to dishes. To do this, fill them with water, add a little salt and cook over medium heat until tender within 20 minutes after boiling.
Conservation rules
Boiling before pickling and salting is the first step before preserving boletus mushrooms for future use, for the winter, in glass jars. In order for the preservation process to proceed correctly, and the resulting canned product to be of good quality and stored for a long time, you need to follow simple preservation rules.
How to properly sterilize jars
- In the microwave - jars and lids should be washed with soda and mustard, and then wiped dry. Boil the lids for 7 minutes, pour one and a half centimeters of water into the jars and rotate them for 5 minutes in the microwave at a power of 800 watts. They are sterilized with hot steam from boiling water.
- In water - wash jars and lids thoroughly with laundry soap, and then boil in a large saucepan for 7 minutes. Place the sterilized jars on a clean towel with the neck down.
- Steam - wash jars and lids thoroughly. Boil water in a large container, place the lids directly into the water, and place the jars over the pan on a sieve or colander with the necks down. Boil for 25 minutes. The jars will be well sterilized when large drops of water appear inside them. The finished jars should be placed on a clean towel with their necks down.
- In the oven - jars and lids must be thoroughly washed and kept in the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 150. This method is not suitable for lids - screws with rubber bands - they will have to be boiled separately.
How to preserve properly
- The product must be placed in jars hot, immediately after preparation.
- The formation of voids inside the jar should not be allowed.
- When the product is placed in the jars, the lids should be placed on them, but not screwed on yet.
- Next, the jars need to be disinfected in the oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 120 degrees, then screw the lids tightly.
- While the jars are cooling, invert them onto their lids.
- Store cooled jars in a cellar or other dark and cool place.
How long to cook for marinating
Pickling is a process in which the density of the pulp, taste and aroma of boletus mushrooms are preserved with the help of preservatives - vinegar and citric acid. With this method of harvesting, boletus mushrooms must undergo a full cycle of heat treatment, since during pickling the pulp is simply soaked in brine. Accordingly, they must be completely ready for use.
There are several options for cooking before marinating. The first is that the boletus mushrooms are boiled separately, and only after they are completely cooked are they poured with brine and sterilized. According to the second option, they are boiled together with brine. In terms of taste, preference should be given to the second option, since with such preparation the workpiece acquires a rich taste and aroma.
Regardless of the chosen method, boletus mushrooms must be cooked so that their pulp is completely cooked, and this depends on the size of the fruiting bodies. For example, small mushrooms, whole or pieces, are boiled for about 35 minutes from the moment of boiling. Large specimens require much more time to prepare: they are cooked for 45-50 minutes after the brine boils.
Figure 5. Preparing for marinating
You can determine that the mushrooms for pickling are fully cooked by several signs. First, the fruiting bodies must settle to the bottom. Because of this feature, you need to periodically stir them in the pan so that they do not stick to the bottom. In addition, you need to constantly remove the foam that has formed on the surface of the liquid.
Secondly, the color of the brine also serves as a sign of readiness. It should become completely clear, although the mixture will appear cloudy when mixing the ingredients directly.
Regardless of the chosen method of cooking for pickling, it should be taken into account that for long-term storage at room temperature or in the refrigerator, it is advisable to sterilize such a workpiece. This process will destroy pathogens, but at the same time preserve the taste and smell of forest boletus. On average, the duration of sterilization is 30-40 minutes for half-liter jars, and 45-50 minutes for liter jars.
When salting boletus mushrooms
- Salting usually requires an appropriate container. It should be wooden, glass or enamel.
- Also, usually, an object that acts as a lid is required, with a diameter smaller than the container. A large flat plate performs this role perfectly. And glass jars filled with water work well as a load, and if the salting is carried out directly in the jar, a plastic bottle filled with water.
- The standard amount of water when boiling mushrooms is 2.5 liters per 1 kg. raw materials.
- The degree of readiness of mushrooms during boiling can be easily determined by their position in the pan - when they are boiled, they sink to the bottom.
- You should use regular table salt. Iodized may cause the product to sour. Usually 50 g is required. salt per 1 kg. Boletus mushrooms
- Adding mustard increases the elasticity of the product and serves as an additional preservative.
- By increasing the proportion of garlic when salting boletus mushrooms, you also increase the degree of spiciness of the finished product. Salted garlic from jars of pickles can also be consumed as a separate snack.
- When filling the jar, you can take into account the standard rules - the weight of the added liquid should be equal to 20% of the total weight of the mushrooms.
- Often mold appears on the lid of the pickling container. It must be removed immediately and the lid washed with a salty solution. You can prevent the formation of mold by sprinkling mustard powder on top of the workpiece.
