How to freeze milk mushrooms for the winter at home and is it possible

The mushroom is famous and popular among mushroom pickers. It is traditionally made to s alt or marinate. In cold pickling, its dense structure is preserved, the mushrooms are crispy and very tasty. But it is impossible to store blanks for a long time in a city apartment, and pickles frozen on the balcony are only suitable for making soups or pies. Mushrooms soften and are of little use as an independent dish. For large crops, pickles can be put into jars, but storage in the refrigerator requires space. Therefore, the freezing method can be used to preserve mushrooms.

Features of freezing milk mushrooms

Maximum preservation of the quality of the product is possible with its rapid cooling at -30 °С, but at home only the possibilities of a freezer are available, where the temperature cannot be lower than 15-18 °С.With this method of freezing, large ice crystals destroy the cellular structure of the product. Is it possible to freeze agaric mushrooms containing milky juice under such conditions.

The breast has a dense body and it would seem that it should be ideally frozen. But the presence of bitter milky juice requires soaking. In addition, in the forest, they traditionally hide under a layer of fallen leaves, so in any case they will have to be thoroughly washed before being sent to storage.

All this raises fair questions, is it possible to freeze milk mushrooms without significant loss of quality and taste. The experience of mushroom pickers suggests that there are several methods that allow you to freeze milk mushrooms, but not fresh.

Before freezing, mushrooms are subjected to heat treatment, as a result of which a triple effect is achieved:

• microorganisms on the surface of raw materials are destroyed;
• part of the cell sap turns into broth, bitterness disappears;
• the volume of raw materials is reduced by 10-15%.

Fresh milk mushrooms - a perishable product that requires processing on the day of collection or the next day. Therefore, freezing milk mushrooms is suitable as an additional way to preserve a valuable crop. Small specimens are selected for s alting, and overgrown ones can be cut and frozen.

General rules come down to the following steps:

• sorting by type and size;
• cleaning and washing of raw materials;
• heat treatment;
• packaging of cooled raw materials in packages;
• freeze.

It is necessary to take into account the volume of the freezer and the fact that once frozen milk mushrooms cannot be re-exposed to this process. The volume of containers or bags in which the product is packaged must contain a small amount of product, designed for one-time preparation.

Methods of preparing mushrooms for freezing

The freezing recipe comes down to choosing how you prefer to heat the mushrooms. They can be boiled or fried. Let's try to answer the question of how to freeze milk mushrooms in the refrigerator.

Freezing boiled mushrooms

Sorted mushrooms are thoroughly washed and dipped in boiling water. From the moment the water boils, they are boiled for 10-15 minutes. Under the influence of temperature, the protein begins to fold, harden, the structure of the mushrooms is better preserved. Then they are thrown back on a sieve, let the water drain as much as possible. The cooled semi-finished product is packaged in containers, laid in the freezer. As an option, prepared mushrooms are placed in cold s alty water, from the moment of boiling they are boiled for 5-10 minutes, dried, laid out in bags.

Freezing fried mushrooms

This recipe involves frying milk mushrooms in a pan with vegetable oil and spices.So you can process regrading and oversized specimens by cutting them into small pieces. Another option for preparing mushroom raw materials for freezing is frying without oil, in your own juice.

In both cases, raw mushrooms are placed in a deep frying pan, fried for 20-30 minutes, trying to evaporate moisture as much as possible. During frying, active processes of protein and carbohydrate breakdown and the formation of new substances begin in the product. The products show a more pronounced taste and aroma. Fried mushrooms are cooled and frozen in portioned containers.

Freezing pickled milk mushrooms

As an option to save the crop, there is a way to freeze s alted milk mushrooms for the winter. In this case, you have to forget about the elastic structure of the fungus. Once defrosted, they will become soft and can be used to make soups, as a filling for pies.

In this case, s alted mushrooms are thrown back on a sieve and slightly squeezed, trying to minimize the amount of moisture. Arrange in containers and freeze. To speed up the process, the mushrooms are washed from brine, preferably with boiled water, dried, packaged, stored in the freezer.

These freezing methods imply that mushroom products must be the freshest. Only in this case, the blanks can be safely stored for up to six months. Mushrooms removed from the chamber must be thawed during cooking.

Recommended