There are many ways to prepare mushrooms for future use. And one of the most popular methods for storing such a product is freezing. You can put almost any mushrooms in the freezer for the winter, including, of course, oyster mushrooms. However, you definitely need to freeze mushrooms in the freezer correctly.
When freezing, it is important to ensure that the oyster mushrooms do not stick together. You should also try to ensure that after defrosting, the mushrooms retain their taste and do not spoil the dishes to which they are added.
In what form can it be placed in the camera?
Most often, oyster mushrooms are frozen for the winter, fresh, of course. In this case, mushrooms can be stored in the chamber for up to 5 months. You can also put boiled oyster mushrooms in the freezer. With such heat treatment (at least 15 minutes), the shelf life of mushrooms increases to 10-12 months. Oyster mushrooms fried in oil can be stored in the freezer for about 9 months.
The main advantage of freezing oyster mushrooms raw is that this procedure takes very little time. The mushrooms just need to be processed and cut. Boiled and fried oyster mushrooms, as you may have noticed, last longer. In addition, in this case, mushrooms take up much less space in the freezer. After all, when boiled and fried, oyster mushrooms significantly decrease in volume.
Which oyster mushrooms are suitable for freezing: selection rules
An excellent way to store oyster mushrooms for the winter is to freeze them. But it should be noted that not all mushrooms are suitable for this.
Important! Mushrooms for freezing should have an even grayish-blue color and be free from mechanical damage and cracks.
In order for the product to retain all its taste and commercial properties during the freezing process, before sending it to the freezer, you should select high-quality specimens:
- It is better to take young mushrooms with white flesh, as they are more juicy, tender and soft. Overripe fruit bodies with large caps are rigid, have virtually no taste and become “rubbery” during cooking;
- the cap should not have yellow spots, their presence indicates staleness;
- Oyster mushrooms should emit a pleasant, mushroom aroma. If they have a sharp, unpleasant, musty odor, then it is better to refuse to purchase such mushrooms.
The leg of this species is quite hard and tasteless, so it is not suitable for consumption. When buying oyster mushrooms, it is recommended to look at how well the stem is cut - it should be cut completely or as short as possible
Freezing raw: preparing mushrooms
Before you start freezing, sort the oyster mushrooms very carefully. Mushrooms that are rotten, worm-eaten, or covered with yellow spots are not allowed for storage.
Clean the selected oyster mushrooms from dirt and pieces of bark. Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly under running water. Place the oyster mushrooms in a sieve or colander to drain the moisture. Dry the mushrooms thoroughly on a piece of cloth.
At the next stage, cut the oyster mushrooms into not too small pieces. Place the mushrooms on a small baking sheet lined with paper.
The benefits and harms of frozen oyster mushrooms
The beneficial properties of the mushroom are explained by its composition. Oyster mushrooms contain the entire group of vitamin B, also A, D, E. There is zinc, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and fluorine. There is iron, zinc, copper, selenium. Many essential amino acids. Among them are valine, lysine, arginine, leucine. All these substances can be easily preserved by freezing.
Oyster mushroom has a low calorie content - 35 kcal. Moreover, it contains more than 3 g of protein. The mushroom is appreciated by vegetarians and people who are losing weight.
Useful properties of oyster mushroom:
- strengthens teeth and bones;
- promotes the preservation and growth of muscle tissue during weight loss;
- thin the blood, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- remove cholesterol;
- speed up metabolism;
- improve pituitary gland function;
- have a positive effect on vision;
- improve the functioning of the male genitourinary system;
- have a beneficial effect on hair and skin;
- reduce sugar levels.
Do you freeze oyster mushrooms for the winter?
Not really
The main contraindication is gastrointestinal diseases. The product is difficult to digest and gives a lot of load. You should not eat oyster mushrooms if you have liver failure. The mushroom will cause harm to pregnant women and children under 12 years of age.
Oyster mushrooms can be stored in the freezer for up to a year. The product preserves vitamins, macro- and microelements at a temperature not higher than - 15 degrees. Freeze raw, boiled, fried.
How to freeze correctly
Place the baking sheet with chopped fresh oyster mushrooms in the freezer for a day. After 24 hours, remove the baking sheet with frozen mushrooms and place it on the table. Take each piece of mushroom separately and place it in a container or plastic bag.
Using this technology, you will ensure that your mushrooms are guaranteed not to stick together in the future. Place the filled container or bag into the chamber.
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Shelf life of frozen oyster mushrooms in the freezer
How you freeze oyster mushrooms will determine their shelf life. With proper preparation of the product and proper adherence to temperature conditions, its storage period is:
- fresh - up to 2 years;
- boiled - up to 1 year;
- fried - up to 12 months.
It should be remembered that the temperature in the freezer should be within -18°C. Before sending the raw materials for freezing, experts advise marking the containers, indicating the date of preparation of the mushrooms and the harvesting method .
How to store boiled oyster mushrooms
In this case, also first peel the mushrooms, rinse under running water and cut into pieces. Boil water in a saucepan. Place the mushrooms in the pan and cook for at least 15 minutes. Cool the oyster mushrooms directly in the pan, and then drain the water.
Dry the boiled mushrooms in a colander and package them in bags. To freeze oyster mushrooms in this case, you can use the same technology as for raw mushrooms. That is, first place the pieces on baking sheets and freeze, and then package them in portions.
Selection and preparation of oyster mushrooms for freezing
For freezing, you need to select fruiting bodies without signs of spoilage, that is, without yellowish spots on the upper and lower sides of the cap. Cracking along the edges is also a sign of mushrooms that are not fresh.
In addition, fairly young mushrooms should be frozen, which are determined not so much by their smaller size, but by the color and texture of the pulp: it should be juicy, elastic, white at the break. This is the main sign by which they decide whether collected or purchased oyster mushrooms can be frozen.
The stem of this species is hard and fibrous, so it is better to cut it extremely short, almost at the cap itself.
Oyster mushrooms are distinguished by the fact that debris practically does not stick to their surface. Therefore, fruiting bodies ripened in the forest and cultivated independently can simply be wiped with a damp cloth. It is better to rinse purchased oyster mushrooms well to remove any contamination that may have remained after the technological processing of commercial mushroom plantations. Then dry the mushrooms well with a paper or regular towel.
How to freeze fried oyster mushrooms
Fried oyster mushrooms are prepared in much the same way as boiled ones. The only thing is that in this case the pan is replaced with a frying pan. Peel the oyster mushrooms, wash them and cut them into pieces. Pour oil into a hot frying pan and wait for it to heat up. Place the chopped oyster mushrooms in a frying pan and fry them for about 20 minutes. Be sure to salt the mushrooms.
When the moisture has evaporated from the pan and the mushrooms are covered with a golden crust, turn off the gas. Cool the finished fried oyster mushrooms, package them in bags or containers and send them to freeze.
Freezing fried mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are frozen and fried for the winter. Pour the prepared oyster mushrooms into a well-heated frying pan with a thick bottom, poured with a small amount of vegetable oil and, adding a little salt, fry until the released moisture has completely evaporated. Allow to cool completely, place in portions into containers and place in the freezer for storage.
Stewed oyster mushrooms are prepared in the same way, which are simmered in their own juice on a baking sheet in the oven until the protruding liquid disappears. Frozen fried and stewed semi-finished products are stored for up to a year, subject to storage temperature conditions.
Freshly frozen oyster mushrooms completely retain not only nutrients, but also vitamins A and E, which their pulp is rich in. Boiled, fried, stewed mushrooms after freezing become a valuable semi-finished product from which you can quickly prepare soup or stew. Thanks to their long shelf life, such preparations brighten up the long wait for the next mushroom harvest.
Adding boiled and fried oyster mushrooms: useful advice
It is recommended to freeze such mushrooms not in containers, but in plastic bags. Fill half the bag with cooked oyster mushrooms. Place the bag on the table on its side and distribute the mushrooms inside it in the form of a cake. Ultimately, you should end up with a mushroom plate no more than 1 cm thick.
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Remove excess air from the bag by pressing on the plate from above, for example, with a cutting board. Fold the bag in half and place it in the freezer.
Mushrooms frozen in this way will be much easier to use in the future for preparing various types of dishes. A plate of oyster mushrooms will defrost, of course, much faster than a large piece. In addition, breaking it into portions when cooking is necessary will be much easier. Mushroom plates also take up less space in the refrigerator than pieces. In any case, placing such flatbreads in the freezer can be much more ergonomic.
What's good about freezing?
Freezing is the most popular method of storing mushrooms for future use. It is with this method that they retain their original taste and smell. Raw frozen mushrooms of this type can be stored for about a year, and boiled or fried mushrooms for 6-7 months. From such preparations you can prepare any dish: from soups to pizza.
Freezing is also considered the fastest method, since, for example, canning oyster mushrooms takes much longer and takes a lot of effort.
Frozen mushrooms retain most of the vitamins and minerals found in fresh mushrooms. While canning takes away about 40% of the nutrients from mushrooms.
It is also very convenient that you can freeze the portion that is needed for one preparation of a dish, but in the case of canning, it is often impossible to calculate the required amount, and excess mushrooms remain. Mushrooms that have been stored frozen can be eaten even by children, while canned ones can be dangerous for them.
Freezing large oyster mushrooms
Old oyster mushrooms with large caps and legs are usually quite massive. Such mushrooms are sometimes frozen in a special way. After processing the mushrooms, cut off the stems of all large oyster mushrooms. Cut the caps into equal pieces as usual. Twist the legs in a meat grinder.
From the twisted mass, form “sausages” about 10 cm long and about 4-5 cm in diameter. Wrap the sausages in cling film and place in the freezer. In winter, such minced meat can be added to soups, fillings for pies, dumplings, pies, etc.
Freezing
Fresh oyster mushrooms
If you decide to freeze this type of mushroom, but want to do it a few days after purchasing or picking, temporarily place the unwashed and uncut mushrooms in the refrigerator. And when you decide to freeze, check each mushroom again to make sure it is not rotten or damaged.
Rinse the oyster mushrooms with cool water and place on a paper towel to drain all the liquid. Then cut the mushrooms into small pieces or slices and place them again on a napkin or towel in an even layer to dry.
Transfer the oyster mushrooms to a board or tray and place in the freezer at -18 degrees for four hours. This must be done so that the mushrooms do not stick together into a continuous layer. After that, put them in bags or a container and place them in the freezer.
Boiled
You can also freeze boiled oyster mushrooms. To prepare them you will need:
- 2 kilograms of oyster mushrooms;
- 2 tablespoons salt;
- 5 bay leaves;
- half a teaspoon of citric acid;
- black pepper – 4 peas.
Boil water in a saucepan. Throw peeled and chopped mushrooms into boiling water. Let them simmer for another 15 minutes and then add all the spices. Stir and leave to simmer for another 15 minutes. When the mushrooms settle to the bottom of the pan, remove them from the heat and place them in a colander.
Be sure to wait until all the water has drained from them; to do this, it is better to transfer the mushrooms to a wooden cutting board. Then transfer the oyster mushrooms to a tray lined with parchment or cling film. In this form, place them in the freezer for 3 hours. After freezing, divide the mushrooms into portions of the size you need and place in bags or plastic containers and place in the freezer.
Fried oyster mushrooms
To freeze fried oyster mushrooms, they must be properly prepared:
- Clean the oyster mushrooms, wash well and cut into pieces (use about 2 kg).
- Heat a frying pan, previously greased with sunflower oil.
- Place the oyster mushrooms on a hot frying pan.
- Add salt and fry until all the water from the mushrooms has evaporated.
- Wait for the oyster mushrooms to cool and divide them into portions into plastic containers. Place in the freezer.
You can see how to properly prepare mushrooms and freeze them in the following video:
Is it possible to freeze oyster mushrooms whole?
This method of storing oyster mushrooms is, of course, also allowed. However, only small store-bought ideal mushrooms can be frozen as a whole. It is better to cut large oyster mushrooms into pieces before freezing. Usually only fresh or boiled mushrooms are stored whole. For frying, it is better to cut even small oyster mushrooms into pieces.
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How to close oyster mushrooms: a quick recipe
If you don’t know how to seal oyster mushrooms in jars in the shortest possible time, then we suggest using this recipe. I must say that this dish can be eaten within a few hours. This appetizer will especially come in handy if you are expecting guests and want to treat them to a flavorful appetizer.
- Oyster mushrooms – 1.5 kg;
- Purified water – 0.2 l;
- Sugar - ? Art. l.;
- Table salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
- Vinegar 9% - 5 tbsp. l.;
- Vegetable oil - 10 tbsp. l.;
- Garlic – 4-8 cloves (depending on desired spiciness);
- Laurel - 4-6 leaves.
Oyster mushrooms prepared in the above manner must be boiled in advance before marinating. Tip: it’s better to marinate small young mushrooms; you can leave them whole, and cut the large caps into pieces.
So, while our mushrooms are cooking, combine all the ingredients from the list of products in water (except for garlic), stir and put on fire.
When it boils, transfer the boiled oyster mushrooms from the pan into our marinade with a slotted spoon, add crushed garlic cloves, stir and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Place the hot mixture into glass jars and leave to cool without covering with lids.
After 2 hours, wrap your hands around the jar and if the workpiece is barely warm, cover it with plastic lids and put it in the refrigerator. In just a couple of hours, a delicious mushroom appetizer will be on your table, and your guests will not even realize that it was prepared before their arrival.
Is it possible to use this quick recipe to seal oyster mushrooms for the winter and how to do it? Yes, you can, to do this you should sterilize the jars and replace the plastic lids with iron ones. And don’t forget to sterilize the lids themselves.
How to defrost correctly
In order not to spoil frozen oyster mushrooms, they, among other things, need to be defrosted correctly. There are several ways to defrost mushrooms. But the following is still considered the most correct:
- Remove the mushrooms from the freezer. Place them on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. Leave the mushrooms to defrost overnight. In the morning, take out the oyster mushrooms, remove them from the bag or container and keep them on the table for a while.
If you don’t have time to wait all night, you can defrost the mushrooms at room temperature. However, in this case, oyster mushrooms may lose a little in taste. It is also possible to defrost oyster mushrooms in the microwave in the “defrost” mode. The only thing you shouldn’t do is defrost mushrooms in hot water.
Mushrooms, including oyster mushrooms, can be added frozen to soups. In this case, they do not lose their texture and provide the same tasty broth as fresh ones.
How to choose oyster mushrooms for freezing?
For frozen preparations, it is important to carefully select mushrooms. When purchasing or independently collecting in the forest, pay attention to the appearance of each mushroom:
- There should be no yellow spots or any damage on the caps of oyster mushrooms.
- Do not use mushrooms with a strong, unpleasant odor. It is not suitable for freezing or eating right away.
- There should be no cracks on the caps. They talk about staleness.
- When purchasing, pay attention that the mushrooms have almost no legs or are very short. When picking mushrooms yourself, cut them off at the cap, as the stems of oyster mushrooms are usually tasteless and tough.
- A mushroom with a cap that is too large means it is old. Such mushrooms are not so healthy and usually they are tasteless. While young oyster mushrooms contain many vitamins, minerals, micro- and macroelements, and they are also soft and tasty.
- All mushrooms should be a uniform blue-gray color.
Advantages of the method
Currently, there are many different ways to prepare mushrooms for future use at home. But freezing remains the most popular
Thanks to this method, you can preserve the natural aroma and special taste of mushrooms, and also not damage their natural structure, which is especially important for oyster mushrooms.
It is about them that will be discussed further. When a large number of mushrooms are collected, or you can buy them at a good price, then knowledge of how to freeze fresh oyster mushrooms will be more useful than ever.
When frozen, such a product can be stored for a period of 6 to 12 months, depending on its initial processing. They will be a kind of semi-finished product, which can later be used to prepare first and second courses, as an ingredient for filling pizza, pies and pancakes, as well as for preparing pates, etc.
Comparing freezing food with other storage methods, for example, drying or canning, the first method has many advantages:
- This method can be implemented in a fairly short time, the process is not difficult, and the product can be stored in the freezer for quite a long time.
- Thanks to this method, the taste, color, aroma and structure of mushrooms can be preserved as much as possible.
- The content of vitamins, sugars and minerals in frozen foods is almost the same as freshly picked ones.
The first option takes approximately 40% of the biological value of mushrooms, and freezing takes less than 20%. Also convenient for the housewife will be the possibility of small portion preparation. Without any problems, you can freeze 100-200 grams of mushrooms, so that later it will be more convenient to cook for the family for one meal, but in the case of canning, this option will be impractical and difficult to implement.
Important! It is not recommended to use canned mushrooms as baby food, while frozen ones are perhaps the only healthy method of preparing such a product.
Preparation for storage
It is better to process the crop on the first day after harvest. Before freezing or other processing, the product must be inspected. The caps and stems should be free of dry or yellow spots, rot, or holes made by insects (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Inspection and preparation of crops for storage
Good specimens have a pronounced aroma, without any admixture of the smell of rot or mustiness.
One of the most important preparatory stages is proper preparation, namely cleaning. This stage is mandatory and does not depend on how you plan to store the crop.
Proper cleaning
Before storing, be sure to clean it. Otherwise, the fruiting bodies will become watery and lose their taste. They do not need to be soaked in water before cleaning. Because they grow on trees, they are almost always free of any layer of dirt or dust.
Figure 2. Proper cleaning
All mushrooms are sorted to remove any worms, rotten or dry ones. This will determine how long the crop can be stored, since even one spoiled specimen can cause the rest to rot.
The peel is very easy to remove. To do this, just put some of the mushrooms in a colander and rinse under a powerful stream of water (Figure 2). After this, the product is placed on a wire rack or sieve to drain off excess water, and further preparation for storage begins.
Salting
Salting can be done hot or cold. When cold salting, mushrooms are washed and soaked in a salt water solution for 6 days (Figure 6). The water needs to be changed every day, otherwise they will become bitter.
Figure 6. Salting at home
When hot salting, the product is first boiled in salted water for 15 minutes, after which it is placed in jars, sealed with nylon lids and stored in a cool place with a temperature of no more than +8 degrees.
The salting process is shown in detail in the video.
Secrets of successful freezing
The most gentle option for saving food is freezing. It is much healthier than pickling and less labor-intensive. The surest way to defrost mushrooms is to simply put them in a container and put them in the refrigerator for a day.
Well-prepared mushrooms can be cooked immediately. They can also defrost in the microwave; it’s quick, but some of the nutritional value is lost. So there's no need to rush.
Why oyster mushrooms may taste bitter after freezing?
A few days after defrosting, you may find that the oyster mushrooms are not suitable for consumption due to a sudden bitterness. To avoid such a result, during the preparation process you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- There should be no debris left on the surface.
- It is necessary to cut off all rotten areas.
- If there is any doubt about the freshness, it is better to throw away such a mushroom. Otherwise, when frozen, the entire portion may spoil.
- You can pre-soak the oyster mushrooms in cold water for 2 hours.
- Before freezing, the product must be dried thoroughly so that not a drop of moisture remains.
But even following all these rules may not help - and bitterness will still appear. A safer option is to boil it before freezing.
Another reason may be the time of collection. If the season has been dry, fresh oyster mushrooms will almost always taste bitter after freezing. Soaking in such cases does not help.
If fresh oyster mushrooms were frozen without cooking and began to taste bitter, you can do the following:
- Boil water by adding tbsp. l. salt and 3-4 pinches of citric acid.
- Place the oyster mushrooms in boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes over low heat.
This procedure will partially remove the bitterness.
Sources
- https://grib-info.ru/pererabotka/griby-na-zimu/zamorozka-veshenok-na-zimu.html
- https://agronomu.com/bok/4986-zamorozka-veshenok-na-zimu-poshagovyy-recept-s-foto.html
- https://povar24.info/zamorozka-vesenok-na-zimu.html
- https://MoeFermerstvo.ru/retsepty/zamorozka/veshenki
- https://fb.ru/article/392289/mojno-li-zamorajivat-veshenki-chto-prigotovit-iz-veshenok
- https://AgroGnom.ru/retsepty/mozhno-li-zamorazhivat-veshenki.html
How to make a salad with beans from oyster mushrooms for the winter
How to cook oyster mushrooms for the winter with beans? I must say that this preparation is perfect for dietary nutrition, as well as during Lent.
- Oyster mushrooms – 1 kg;
- Onions – 4 pcs.;
- Refined oil – 200 ml;
- Tomatoes – 700 g;
- Sugar – 50 g;
- Salt;
- White beans – 400 g;
- Ground black pepper – 1 tsp;
- Garlic cloves – 6 pcs.
Check out the recipe for preparing oyster mushrooms for the winter with step-by-step photos.
Cut the oyster mushrooms into cubes and boil in water for 15 minutes.
Peel the onion, chop and fry in oil for 10 minutes.
Combine mushrooms with onions and fry together for 5 minutes.
Boil the beans until tender and drain the water (you can cook them in advance so you can spend less time cooking later).
Cut the tomatoes into pieces and grind in a blender.
In an enamel saucepan, combine mushrooms with onions, chopped tomatoes and beans. Simmer together over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add diced garlic, salt, sugar, remaining butter and ground pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat and stir continuously.
Place in sterilized 0.5 liter jars.
Sterilize in boiling water for 30 minutes, roll up and let cool.
The beans and oyster mushrooms are ready, you can take them to the basement.
This preparation can be consumed as an independent dish, or can be added to borscht.
Preparing mushrooms for the winter is a simple matter. And I must say, many housewives will not miss the opportunity to do this. To prepare oyster mushrooms for the winter at home, you need to become thoroughly familiar with the suggested recipes and prepare all the necessary ingredients. After all, it’s hard to imagine a more delicious and desirable appetizer on the table than mushrooms. And if you have some oyster mushrooms, try cooking them.
To choose the right recipes for preparing oyster mushrooms for the winter, you need to take into account your personal culinary preferences and taste. You can experiment and combine mushrooms in a dish with other ingredients not mentioned in the recipes.
Excellent, proven recipes will appeal to everyone, because the mushroom aroma and wonderful mushroom taste will not leave anyone indifferent.
Pickling
There are two ways to marinate mushrooms. In any case, you will need a saucepan for marinating and jars in which ready-made dishes will be stored (Figure 7).
In the first method, vinegar, allspice, garlic or other spices are mixed in a saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, add mushrooms to it and cook for half an hour. After that, they are transferred to jars, filled with the remaining marinade and rolled up.
Figure 7. Pickling oyster mushrooms for winter storage
For the second method of pickling, mushrooms are first boiled in salted water, placed in jars, and then the marinade is prepared and poured with boiling liquid.
The difference between these methods is only in the duration of storage. The first method allows you to store mushrooms for a year, while with the second this period is no more than 6 months.
