How to freeze fresh chanterelles for the winter at home: recipes

In the autumn season, lovers of forest walks bring whole baskets of mushrooms. Bright fresh chanterelles are much more fragrant and tastier than their store-bought counterparts of champignons, so many people dream of saving prey. Various methods of preservation and drying are used. Consider how best to freeze chanterelles fresh for the winter, retaining their taste, smell and beneficial properties.

Is it possible to freeze chanterelles for the winter

The season for picking mushrooms is short, so lovers of "silent hunting", who managed to fill the baskets to the top, try to keep the product for the whole year. Canning worsens the taste of chanterelles, and freezing not only does not spoil it, but also preserves the aroma and valuable qualities.

Useful properties that remain in the product after freezing:

remove radioactive substances and toxins;
protect against the development of tumors;
strengthen the immune system and promote the synthesis of hormones;
lower cholesterol production, protect against atherosclerosis;
stimulate the brain.

Valuable substances remain with proper freezing and storage. Chanterelles contain amino acids, vitamins, including PP, group B, trace elements. According to the content of phosphorus, they correspond to sea fish. They freeze mushrooms with dense pulp, which will not turn into dust after thawing and will keep their shape perfectly after several months in the refrigerator.

Features of working with mushrooms

After returning from the forest with a large batch of mushrooms, it will not be possible to rest. Raw materials must be de alt with immediately. Despite the fact that there are no worms in chanterelles, they need to be processed as soon as possible.

If the production is large, relatives are called to help in order to reduce the time of work. At the same time, only the smallest batch that is being processed should be in a warm room. The rest is stored in a refrigerator, cellar, or simply taken out to the loggia, where the temperature is much lower.

Raw materials need to be quickly sorted out, divided by type, if they are different. Doubtful specimens are culled so that they do not infect he althy ones.

Mushrooms are frozen raw, boiled or fried. In the process of preparation, they are sorted into two groups - for heat treatment and simple freezing.

Important: mushrooms tend to accumulate toxins and heavy metals from the surrounding air, so specimens collected near highways, hazardous industries will not bring any benefit. Harmful components remain after cooking.

Selection and preparation of mushrooms before starting the process

Especially carefully selected elements for raw freezing. Chanterelles are often bitter; large mature individuals have this feature. Raw freeze only young small fungi with unopened hats without damage. The prey must be sorted out, sorted by size, if it is decided to freeze raw. Garbage and grass are removed from the fungi, carefully shaking out small litter from under the caps, where it clogs between the plates.

If the mushrooms are clean, without earthy lumps, you can not wash them before freezing, just carefully clean the garbage. It is impossible to soak mushrooms before raw freezing, they must be washed quickly under running water. After washing, before being sent to the workpiece chamber, you will have to dry it on towels so that they do not turn into an ice lump.

Bitterness in chanterelles often appears after being stored raw in the freezer, so many mushroom pickers prefer to freeze pre-boiled raw materials.For cooking - boiling, frying, stewing, any specimens are suitable, they must be washed well and cut into equal pieces.

Important: you need to process chanterelles within 10-16 hours, cut mushrooms cannot be stored longer than a day.

Preparing the refrigerator

Before freezing the mushrooms, you need to prepare the refrigerator. To do this, free up space, ventilate and wash the freezer. Mushrooms will be placed on large pallets open, so you need a lot of space. The thermostat is set to a position that will create a temperature of -18 ° in the chamber. This will ensure fast and high-quality freezing without loss of useful properties.

Recipes for freezing chanterelles at home

Each type of workpiece has its own merits. If you freeze fresh - it's fast and does not cause much trouble. Since the mushrooms then still have to be boiled, because they are not eaten raw, like strawberries, there is not much point in fresh preparation.

Many people think that it's better to cook right away, so that later you can just add it to the dish during cooking.

Freezing raw mushrooms

Step-by-step plan for freezing without cooking:

Select small whole specimens with unopened caps. Wash and dry or just clean well.
Spread on a tray in a single layer, loosely to ensure even freezing.
Freeze 12-15 hours in the chamber at -16-18°.
Place in containers as tightly as possible, pack well to avoid excess moisture and odors. Choose the right size containers to consume at one time.

The container must be signed indicating that it is fresh mushrooms if other types are stored in the freezer.

Boiled chanterelles

Freezing boiled mushrooms will take longer, but it will avoid possible bitterness and speed up cooking. Boiled chanterelles can be added to the dish directly from the freezer. Work steps:

Any undamaged specimens are suitable for this type of blanks. They are well washed and cut into pieces of the same size.
Next, the mushrooms need to be cooked. Proportions - for 1 kilogram of chanterelles 2 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of s alt.
Cooking time - 6-8 minutes after boiling. To keep chanterelles well, they should not be overcooked.
Throw in a colander or sieve, let the water drain well. Put on a clean towel, dry as much as possible.
Spread loosely on a pallet, put in a chamber for 10-12 hours.

Transfer to storage containers, seal tightly.

Fried or stewed

Fried chanterelles are well preserved in the freezer, remaining fragrant and tasty. Before freezing you need:

Wash and dry the mushrooms. Cut into equal slices. Chanterelles are not boiled before frying.
Put in a saucepan and fry until the liquid comes out. Pour in the oil and wait for a slight browning.
It is necessary to cook with vegetable oil, animal fats are not recommended for long-term storage. Also, do not add spices and vegetables.

After that, you need to wait until the frying cools down, ensuring that excess oil drains. To do this, you can use a sieve or paper towel. Transfer to a storage container and put in the freezer.

In the form of broth

If the volume of the freezer allows, you can freeze mushrooms for storage directly in the broth. In this way, you can prepare the basis for the future soup:

Boil water, add s alt, pepper, add mushrooms.
Simmer for 6-8 minutes, skimming off foam.
Pour into containers with mushrooms, wait for cooling.
Place the containers in the refrigerator, after freezing, pack well in bags.

This is how they freeze the empty broth left after boiling the chanterelles for freezing.

How much and how blanks are stored

Frozen chanterelles keep good taste and smell for 3-4 months. At a constant temperature in the freezer, they can be stored for up to a year, but their taste will inevitably deteriorate. If it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator, the containers must be moved to another cold place to prevent defrosting, since they cannot be re-frozen. During long-term storage, bitterness may appear in chanterelles, which will have to be fought with several stages of boiling, as a result of which all taste and smell will be lost.

How to defrost properly

Frozen fresh chanterelles require a long gradual thawing. They are transferred from the freezer to the main chamber, to the shelf with the lowest temperature. When the ice breaks, the container is placed in the room for further warming.

Speeding up the process in the microwave or hot water will cause sagging, loss of shape and taste. If the chanterelles need to be cooked, it is better to take them out of the freezer in advance and place them in the refrigerator overnight. Mushrooms that have been previously boiled or fried do not need to be thawed. They are immediately added to the prepared dish in ice cream form. That is why it is better to store chanterelles in small portions at a time.

Freezing chanterelles and other forest gifts helps to diversify your menu in winter, make the diet more he althy and balanced. And although fresh mushrooms are constantly available in stores, it is impossible to compare them with forest beauties - chanterelles, even frozen ones.