If you enjoy eating mushrooms, stock up on your favorite species. You can freeze them to use later in different dishes. Choose fresh mushrooms that smell good. Discard any that are dry, wrinkled, darkened, or moldy. Also avoid mushrooms that have suspicious stains or an unpleasant smell
Wash the mushrooms in cold water and cut off the ends of the stems. If they are larger than 3.5 cm in diameter, cut them into pieces. Freezing will change their color and texture. The mushrooms will become darker and softer.
Remember to cook them before freezing. Interestingly, mushrooms have a longer shelf life if you steam them rather than fry them in a pan
Wondering how to fry mushrooms? Heat them in a pan with a little butter or oil over high heat. They usually need to be cooked for 5 minutes. You can also steam them. To minimize the darkening effect, soak the mushrooms in a solution of one teaspoon of lemon juice or 1 ½ teaspoons of citric acid per half pint of water for 5 minutes
Wait until the mushrooms have cooled completely. Then spread them out on a baking tray and flash freeze them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, use a spatula to remove the mushrooms from the tray. Now pack the mushrooms into containers or special bags. Remember to leave about 1.5 cm of free space. Put the mushrooms back in the freezer. You can eat them for a year, although the earlier, the better. Sometimes washing mushrooms can overly soften them. Some people prefer to wipe them thoroughly before putting them in the freezer.
Mushrooms are healthy and delicious. They contain copper, potassium, B vitamins and selenium. So it’s worth freezing a few bags of mushrooms to take out whenever you get the urge
Place a frying pan over medium heat. Remember to grease it beforehand. This will prevent the mushrooms from sticking during frying. If you are using a non-stick pan, spray it with a suitable spray before placing it on the stove
Put the butter in the pan and swirl it around. Cook the butter until it stops foaming and smells slightly nutty. If you use room temperature butter, it will melt faster. Now add the mushrooms to it. You don’t need to defrost them beforehand. They naturally contain a lot of water, and a little ice won’t make much difference. Remember to stand far enough away. Put on your oven mitts, too. When you throw wet mushrooms into a pan, you have to expect to splatter butter. So protect your hands and face so you don’t get burned.
Cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Then add the shallots and cook for a few more minutes. If the mushrooms have darkened, there is no visible moisture, and the shallots have become translucent, you can turn off the burner. Do not wait until they turn black. The cooked mushrooms should be medium brown. You can now transfer them to a platter and garnish nicely. Remember to serve them hot. This is an excellent accompaniment to steak, fried turkey, or poultry chops
Mushrooms contain a lot of water, so do not freeze them raw. Otherwise, they will become mushy after thawing. The water in the mushrooms will turn into ice crystals. Remember to freeze them only after they are cooked
Before you start blanching mushrooms, consider whether to freeze them whole, sliced or in pieces. You can prepare them properly by following these steps. Bring water to a boil. Prepare a bowl with water and ice cubes. Put the mushrooms in the boiling water and cook them for 4-5 minutes. Remember to cook sliced or diced mushrooms for only 3 minutes. Using a straining spoon, transfer the hot mushrooms to the aforementioned bowl to cool quickly. Now wait a moment, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel to dry peacefully.
Never put hot or warm mushrooms in the freezerbecause the temperature difference will cause condensation. The resulting moisture will turn to ice and jeopardize the quality of the mushrooms. Check that they are not in contact with each other, or they may stick together.
