Have you picked or bought too many mushrooms? With these tips and tricks to keep mushrooms longer, you can enjoy delicious mushrooms later on. Did you know that you can pickle, freeze or dry mushrooms? Discover the many tips and tricks to keep mushrooms longer.
Autumn and mushrooms
When autumn returns, people will once again venture into the forests in search of edible mushrooms. However, if you're picking more than you can handle at once, it's a good idea to store the mushrooms properly. Mushrooms have a moisture content of 90%, which means that a right balance must be found between moisture and dryness. Too much of one or the other can result in the mushrooms molding in some cases. Otherwise, the mushrooms will dry out. However, there are a number of tips and tricks to preserve mushrooms for longer.
Not sure which mushrooms you should or should not pick? In any case, read my article about poisonous mushrooms or err on the side of caution and simply buy mushrooms in the store.
Tips and tricks to keep mushrooms longer
- Place cleaned mushrooms in an air-permeable box and place in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. In this way mushrooms can be stored for at least 24 hours. Note:NEVER store mushrooms in a plastic bag, this will make them mouldy
- Bring the mushrooms for a while (“Breaking is searing a dish, after which it continues to cook in its own moisture or with the occasional addition of some water, stock, wine or beer. Braising is done with the lid on the pan, so that the moisture does not evaporate too quickly Braising is suitable for fatty meat, mushrooms, tomatoes and other vegetables www.voedingscentrum.nl ) also ensures that you can store mushrooms longer
- Mushrooms can be used perfectly for preserving them (some tips below for preserving mushrooms), so that the mushrooms can be used at a later date as a (flavor) addition in delicious autumn and winter dishes
- Mushrooms can also be dried. This can be done in the following way:line the baking rack with baking paper, set the oven to 50-60˚C and dry the mushrooms for 6-8 hours
- Freezing mushrooms is another way to preserve mushrooms for longer. Frozen mushrooms can be stored for up to 6 months. Please note:frozen mushrooms must NOT be thawed before use, but must be prepared frozen!
Canning mushrooms
- Clean the mushrooms thoroughly and cut them into pieces
- Sauté the mushrooms over a low heat in their own liquid
- Remove the mushrooms from the pan, without taking the liquid with it (easily with a slotted spoon), and put them in clean glass jars (for this it is best to wash the glasses and immerse them briefly in boiling hot water to make sure the glasses are completely covered. sterilize; let it dry upside down on a dry towel, after which the glasses are ready for use)
- Filter leftover cooking liquid, add salt and pour over the mushrooms
- Close glass jars with lids well and then put them in the oven or in boiling water to preserve them.
In the oven :cook at a temperature of approximately 160˚C for 40-60 minutes and then for another 10 minutes at 100˚C
In a pan :let water boil at 100˚C and leave the glasses in it for about 60 (pressure cooker) – 110 minutes (normal pot).
The heat puts pressure on the lid and sucks itself completely against the glass edge. This allows the mushrooms to be stored in a vacuum.
Freezing mushrooms
If you want to freeze mushrooms, it is best to do so with fresh mushrooms. Please note, not all mushrooms are suitable for regular freezing. Mushrooms such as chanterelles, for example, must first be blanched. Incidentally, blanching mushrooms has more advantages:fewer vitamins are lost and less taste loss will occur.
Blank mushrooms as follows:
- Clean the mushrooms well and cut them into slices
- For 500 grams of mushrooms, bring 2 liters of water to the boil with some lemon juice and then put the mushrooms in the boiling water for 2-4 minutes
- Remove mushrooms (with slotted spoon) and quench under cold running water
- Let it drip well
- Pack mushrooms immediately, without seasoning, in portions in freezer bags (vacuum packing if possible)
- Place flat in the freezer, so that the mushrooms freeze quickly and are easy to use later
Food myth surrounding mushrooms
Many people think that you should not heat mushrooms. However, this is a myth because mushrooms can be cooled quickly after preparation and kept at a temperature of 2˚-4˚C. Heating should take place at a minimum temperature of 70˚C!
