Autumn pleases with rich harvests, including forest gifts, among which mushrooms occupy a special place. Keen mushroom pickers hold the fragrant, egg-yellow chanterelles in high esteem. Although they belong to the 3rd category of nutritional value (conditionally edible), even after boiling they have a pronounced taste and high nutritional value. Therefore, many try not only to eat enough during the season, but also to make preparations for the winter from salted, pickled, dried and frozen chanterelles.
Care must be taken when collecting wild mushrooms. It is important to understand that the common chanterelle (pictured) can easily be confused with the false chanterelle, which is poisonous
Features of working with chanterelles
In the form of pickled pickles, these mushrooms are not as tasty as fresh ones, so the question naturally arises: how to freeze chanterelles for the winter. We provide the recipes in this article.
Only freshly harvested, strong, undamaged specimens are suitable for freezing. Wormy, old, with crumbling caps, it is better to cook and eat immediately. It is not recommended to refrigerate raw chanterelles, as after a few weeks of storage in the freezer they acquire a bitter taste.
Have everything ready to freeze within sixteen to eighteen hours of harvesting. However, this rule is relevant for all mushrooms. The faster you process them (clean, rinse, prepare) after collection, the more aroma, taste and vitamins you will retain. And they will live longer in your refrigerator.
Frozen chanterelles are stored for three to four months. If it is possible to provide a temperature below -18 degrees, they will “live” for up to a year. It is not recommended to store them for a longer period of time, as there is a high risk of product spoilage.
So, chanterelle mushrooms: how to cook for the winter? You can freeze them raw, boiled or fried.
Preparation of raw materials
The winter harvesting process begins with a high-quality selection of the main ingredient. Natural raw materials cannot be collected from highways or industrial enterprises, since mushroom fruiting bodies are capable of accumulating toxic substances from the air and soil that are not destroyed even during the cooking process. The cut batch of forest harvest needs to be sorted and sorted soon, namely within the next 4-8 hours, depending on further plans.
Only high-quality, whole, undamaged specimens, whose caps have not yet completely straightened, should be set aside for freezing. Young mushrooms can be sent raw directly to the freezer. Large, finally ripe chanterelles require preliminary heat treatment, otherwise the thawed product often acquires a bitter taste.
The harvested forest harvest is immediately put into processing until the lamellar caps crumble and stick together
Preparation consists of carefully removing dirt, sand, grass and other plant debris. In this case, both dry cleaning and rinsing under running water is possible ( soaking before freezing is not recommended ). After washing, the raw materials must be dried on a towel in order to preserve the integrity of individual specimens and prevent them from freezing into a single piece of ice.
Special attention should also be paid to the preparation of freezing equipment. It is necessary to clear a suitable space in advance, since initial freezing on open trays will require sufficient space. It is important to rinse the freezer, ventilate it and set the temperature to −18 ℃, which will preserve the beneficial qualities of the product.
Method one: raw chanterelles
If you do not heat treat them before freezing, the mushrooms retain their shape and flavor better. So let's find out how to properly freeze raw chanterelles for the winter.
Without pre-boiling, there is a high chance that the mushrooms will acquire a bitter taste. To avoid such situations, some housewives advise carefully sorting through the chanterelles, removing dried out specimens and preparing only the freshest and highest quality ones for freezing. But it’s not necessary once at a time, so such preparation will have to be done at your own peril and risk.
After you have sorted the mushrooms, wipe them with a napkin. You can rinse it, but we don’t need extra ice. And the aroma will be better preserved during dry processing.
After cleaning, spread the chanterelles on a flat surface in one layer (on a plate, tray) and put them in the freezer for ten to twelve hours. After this, they can be poured into containers or bags.
Is it possible to freeze chanterelles for the winter?
Mushrooms, including chanterelles, can be preserved in a jar or dried, but freezing is the most correct and simple solution. With a large amount of salt, mushrooms begin to lose their beneficial properties; moreover, heat treatment kills most vitamin supplements.
It is not recommended to use marinades if you are prone to swelling; they are contraindicated for people watching their diet and for girls who want to get a slim figure.
Dried chanterelles are suitable for soup, filling the dish with an exquisite aroma, but it is quite difficult to prepare a stew or fried side dish from them.
Modern refrigerators allow you to preserve the unique properties of the product, which can be added to absolutely any culinary masterpiece. In addition, freezing requires the least amount of time, which housewives already lack.
Method two: boiled chanterelles
How to freeze chanterelles for the winter if you don’t trust raw mushroom preparations, and you want to be one hundred percent sure that bitterness will not appear? Just boil them a little.
Clean the mushrooms from debris and rinse thoroughly. If the mushrooms are too large, cut them into several pieces.
Boil water in a saucepan so that there is twice as much liquid as product. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt per kilogram of mushrooms. Boil the chanterelles for five minutes. Be sure to remove any dirty film that forms on the surface of the water.
If you are still worried, you can increase the cooking time to ten minutes, but keep in mind that the longer the mushrooms are in boiling water, the more flavor they lose. Chanterelles cannot be kept in water for more than twenty minutes, otherwise they will lose their structure when frozen.
Next, drain the mushrooms in a colander, let them cool and dry them with a paper towel. Mushrooms absorb water well, which after freezing will turn into unnecessary ice. Place the mushrooms in containers or bags and put them in the freezer.
Unfortunately, boiling somewhat spoils the appearance of the mushrooms, so this method is well suited if fresh mushrooms have already lost their shape.
Freezing in broth
You can prepare chanterelles with broth from mushroom-flavored cubes. The “decoction” is obtained with a rich taste. If desired, you can add ground pepper mixture to it. After defrosting, mushrooms are a unique addition to vegetable stew.
Ingredients
To freeze chanterelles in cubed broth you need:
- fresh chanterelles, prepared - 1 kg;
- filtered water – 1 l;
- mushroom cube – 2 pcs.
Add a mixture of ground peppers according to taste preferences.
Step-by-step cooking process
Tricks for freezing chanterelles with cubed broth:
- Sort out the chanterelles, remove debris and dirt from them.
- Cut large specimens into pieces.
- Soak the mushrooms in salted water for about 1 hour. If you ignore this point, the broth may turn out bitter.
- Rinse and place the chanterelles in a colander for about 10 minutes.
- Boil water and put cubes in it. Wait until the water boils again and the cubes dissolve in it.
- Add mushrooms to the broth and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Cool the chanterelles in the broth, then place them in containers, pour in the broth and seal immediately. Immediately place the “workpiece” in the freezer compartment.
During the cooking process, you need to remove the foam from the broth, then the “decoction” will turn out transparent. The storage period for chanterelles in broth at a temperature of minus 18 degrees is 6 months.
Method three: fried chanterelles
How to freeze fried chanterelles for the winter? Peel the mushrooms, chop and fry in a frying pan with vegetable oil for twenty minutes. It is necessary that all excess moisture evaporates. It is not advisable to use animal fats instead of oil, since in this case frozen mushrooms can be stored for no more than one month.
After this, wait until the mushrooms have cooled completely, then put them in bags or containers and freeze them in the refrigerator.
Unlike porcini mushrooms, boletus and boletus, it is not necessary to boil chanterelles before frying. Also, when frying, you can immediately add onions and herbs.
How to prepare chanterelles for freezing
A special feature of chanterelles is the need for prompt processing after collection. By their structure, chanterelles are quite fragile, so it is best to harvest them directly on the day of collection. It is best to avoid freezing purchased specimens due to uncertainty about the timing of their collection.
Important! In no case should chanterelles be stored in the refrigerator before freezing - at low temperatures they begin to taste bitter.
One of the main preparatory procedures before freezing is the primary processing and sorting of the harvested crop. It is necessary to remove specimens damaged by insects and other pests. The product must not contain traces of rot or mechanical damage. It is also not recommended to freeze mushrooms that are too old - it is best to use young specimens with a dense structure.
To remove small insects and particles of earth and sand accumulated between the plates, chanterelles are placed in lightly salted water. After that, they take them out and start cleaning. Use a sharp knife to remove contaminated areas of the stem and cap. The prepared product must be frozen as quickly as possible.
Method four: “broth cube”
Now we’ll tell you how to freeze chanterelle mushrooms for the winter if you plan to use them mainly for making soups.
Prepare the mushrooms (peel, chop) and boil, but do not drain the broth. Wait for it to cool down.
Take a plastic container and place a plastic bag in it. Place boiled mushrooms in it and fill with broth. And put it straight into the freezer like this.
When the broth has hardened, remove the resulting slab from the container and place it in the freezer.
During the long cold winter, you can easily prepare a tasty and aromatic soup or stewed potatoes with mushrooms from the resulting semi-finished product.
How to store chanterelles in the freezer
To preserve the shelf life of chanterelles frozen for the winter as much as possible, you must follow a few simple rules. The most important rule for long-term storage is maintaining the optimal temperature of the freezer. The temperature should not rise above 18 degrees - this can lead to damage to the fruiting bodies.
Important! Chanterelles should not be re-frozen. Thawed product should be used as soon as possible.
When storing chanterelles, it is important to keep the packaging sealed. The mushroom smell can permeate nearby foods, so it is important to seal containers or plastic bags tightly. If the freezer volume is large, it is best to allocate a separate shelf for them.
Correct defrosting
It is important to know not only how to properly freeze chanterelles for the winter, but also how to defrost them. It is advisable to do this in stages. First, move the mushrooms from the freezer to the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf), and then complete the process at room temperature. It is not recommended to use the corresponding mode on the microwave for this purpose.
Thawed chanterelles should be cooked immediately. Leave them in the refrigerator for several days and cannot be re-frozen. Therefore, in the process of creating preparations, it is better to place chanterelles in containers in small batches - approximately in the amount that you plan to add to one dish.
If you have frozen mushrooms in different ways (raw, cooked, etc.), then for convenience, label the packages, since in the future it will be difficult to distinguish where each is.
Chilled mushroom semi-finished products can be fried, boiled, added to soups, used as a filling for baked goods or dumplings, etc.
Rules and terms of storage in the freezer
Chanterelles can retain their aroma, taste, and benefits in the freezer after freezing for 12 months after harvesting. But only if they were placed here raw.
For boiled or fried, this period is noticeably reduced and becomes equal to 3 – 4 months. Therefore, before placing mushrooms in containers, the containers should be washed as best as possible with a soda solution, rinsed and dried.
It is best to store chanterelles in a separate box, where the temperature is no less than minus 20 - 25 degrees. At the same time, throughout the entire storage period, you should avoid its fluctuations and do not allow the freezer to defrost.
Re-freezing after defrosting is no longer allowed, as this will cause not only damage to the chanterelles, but also the inability to maintain a beautiful, appetizing appearance.
Chanterelles are ideal mushrooms for pickling, pickling and freezing. Of course, they can be presented fresh and served with potatoes or used as a component for a salad. In any case, this versatile and incredibly tasty product will definitely appeal to those who like to eat not only healthy, but also tasty.
What other chanterelle preparations are there?
We figured out how to freeze chanterelles for the winter. But there are other preparations for the cold season. For example, pickling. If you don’t want to bother with jars, you can simply dry the mushrooms.
Only chanterelle caps are suitable for drying, so you will have to do something different with the legs. Do not forget that only unspoiled mushrooms are “allowed” for harvesting.
You can dry them either in the oven at low temperatures (65 degrees or less) or naturally. Store in an airtight jar or bag.
They can last up to three years in this form if they are protected from high humidity, but it is better not to risk it and eat it within a year. Before use, they will need to be soaked in broth or water.
So, chanterelle mushrooms. How to cook for the winter? Freeze them raw, fried or boiled? Or maybe just pickle or dry it? The choice is yours.
