Champignons - a product that has long been familiar and loved by modern housewives, used in the preparation of both classic, popular dishes and delicious gastronomic masterpieces. Despite the fact that these mushrooms can be bought in almost every grocery store, some zealous housewives prefer to have a fragrant supply in the refrigerator and freeze them in the old fashion for the winter. There are several ways to harvest this product - mushrooms are stored both raw and in a pre-boiled and fried state.

Preparing champignons for freezing

When preparing mushroom preparations for storage in the refrigerator, you should learn how to freeze the product, as well as pay attention to the selection and preparation of mushrooms. For storage, choose fresh, even specimens of a light, slightly pinkish hue, without spots and cuts.

The product is washed under warm, running water, without cleaning the skins, but only removing debris and dirt, as well as cutting off the remains of the mycelium.

Champignon freeze

Next, you need to decide why frozen mushrooms will be used in the future and choose the right option for their storage.

Neat, whole mushrooms can be stored in the whole freezer, separating the hats from the legs, as well as pre-sliced ​​into cubes or slices.

In addition, champignons can be pre-fried or boiled. Heat-treated mushroom slices are significantly reduced in size, and this saves space in the freezer.

Important! Before freezing, champignons should in no case be soaked in water - mushrooms are saturated with excess moisture and will become unsuitable for use after defrosting.

Raw

Raw champignons are usually frozen for baking as the main ingredient. Mistresses who plan to use mushroom preparations for preparing soups, casseroles and main dishes often store the product in neat slices or cubes.

To do this, the washed and thoroughly dried mushroom pieces are spread in a thin layer on a flat surface and sent to the freezer for 2-3 days. Next, the frozen workpieces should be carefully poured into bags and transferred to a permanent storage location.

Important! Frozen mushrooms are best stored in portions, as after thawing, they cannot be re-frozen.

Is it possible to freeze the whole freezer

Small, neat young mushrooms of the hostess prefer to be sent for storage as a whole. This is especially true for specimens in which the film under the hat has not yet separated.

The thoroughly washed product is dried to dryness with paper towels, laid out in one layer on a flat surface, wrapped in plastic film, avoiding the contact of mushrooms, and sent to the freezer for 3-4 days.

After the workpiece freezes, it is transferred to sealed plastic containers or to vacuum bags with a special latch, after releasing air from them.

Boiled

One of the popular ways to store mushroom semi-finished products is to freeze a cooked product. Coarsely chopped mushrooms are boiled in water for 10-15 minutes without salt and pepper, after which they are thrown into a colander. The fluid must drain completely. Dried mushrooms are laid out in food containers or sealed bags and sent to the freezer.

Did you know? Modern housewives often use disposable cups tightly wrapped in cling film to store boiled mushroom preparations. It is inexpensive, convenient and practical.

Fried champignon

For quick cooking of second courses using mushroom semi-finished products, they can be frozen, previously fried. Thoroughly washed and chopped champignons are fried in hot vegetable oil until the excess liquid evaporates. Then the mushrooms are cooled, dried on a paper towel and folded portionwise.

For frying champignons, it is better to use refined oil and not add salt and spices to the mushrooms - this will save the product a bright taste and aroma of fresh mushrooms.

How long to store in the freezer

Depending on the method of freezing mushrooms, the storage period is different. So, raw champignons are stored in the refrigerator for the longest time. The term of their freezing is one year.

Fried champignons are the least susceptible to storage; they can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 4 months. Boiled billets can be stored frozen for six months. In this case, the storage temperature should be -18 ... -16 ° C.

How to defrost champignons

When using frozen foods, it is important to thaw them properly. This process should take place gradually.. At the first stage, mushroom semi-finished products from the freezer are moved to the refrigerator shelf before thawing begins, and only then can they be transferred to the table.

After that, you can start cooking mushrooms. It is better not to allow complete defrosting of the product, as the workpieces will lose their aesthetic appearance - they will darken and become unappetizing.

Frozen champignons are a good option to prepare a tasty and unusual dish for unexpectedly guests. Indeed, in every house there are classic companions of this product - potatoes, onions and cheese. In addition, having mushrooms at hand, you can always please household members with a delicious soup or pie with mushrooms.