How to Preserve and Store Fresh Mushrooms
Wild Mushroom Season is well under way. As of this writing, Chantrelle Mushrooms, Lobster Mushrooms, Porcini Mushrooms and Matsutake Mushrooms are all available in addition to all of the cultivated mushroom varieties. Plus, more is on the way. As we move from Fall to Winter, the Winter mushrooms (black trumpet mushrooms, yellowfoot mushrooms, hedghog mushrooms) will begin popping up.
In any event, buying fresh mushrooms in bulk is a cost-effective way to buy wild mushrooms. So, below is some advice how to preserve and store your fresh mushrooms:
How to Dehydrate Fresh Mushrooms
If you dry them, they will last for years and retain an intensified form of their intrinsic flavor and vital properties. Simply dehydrate your left over mushrooms at under 140 degrees, in an oven (or a dehydrator if you have one.) The cooking time varies with the amount of moisture the mushroom has. Keep an eye on the oven-dried shrooms until they are moisture-free. Many chefs will dry leftover mushrooms and keep them for soup stock, to use months down the road.
How to Freeze Fresh Mushrooms
1. Most varieties you can simply brush off the clinging dirt, but for mushrooms with a lot of nooks and crannies, you might want to give them a gentle rinse, and then carefully dry them as thoroughly as possible.
2. Whether to cut your mushrooms into smaller pieces depends on the size of the mushrooms and your future plans for them. In general, when freezing something the smaller the pieces the better…but if you need them whole or in larger pieces you can freeze them that way.
3. Put a sheet pan in your freezer until it’s good and cold.
4. Place the mushrooms/pieces on the sheet pan in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Freeze them solid, uncovered.
5. For storage, move the frozen mushrooms to a freezer bag or (even better) a vacuum pack bag. Get as much air out as possible, seal, and keep them frozen until you’re ready to use them.
6. Only thaw mushrooms when you’re ready to use them, as refreezing can damage their flavor/texture.
Note: You can also partially cook (sauté) fresh mushrooms in oil and then freeze them, which will save cooking time later on.
For more info, read How to Freeze Better at Home.
How to Can Fresh Mushrooms
Lastly there is canning mushrooms in oil. Cook down mushrooms in oil and place inside a mason jar, the heat should seal the jar. Keep refrigerated for up to two months!
If anyone has other techniques, please add them in a comment below, or link to your content.
Related: How to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
Would like to know how to preserve mushrooms in their natural state without cooking?
December 7th, 2008 at 11:16 amVery interesting. I don’t know a thing about how to cook or store mushrooms. This is good for me. I can learn and not ruin anything by seeing what you do and then the recipes people post. And then maybe someday I can make a mushroom dish. Lynn A.
April 4th, 2009 at 2:20 pmChanterelles.
I prefer to never dehydrate Chanterelles because they are rather leathery and bland when reconstituted. Instead, clean, slice and then saute the Chanterelles over high heat in butter until they just begin to soften, then remove from heat. When cool, store in weighted portions using food-saver bags and then put them into the freezer. I find 8 oz portions to be an ideal size.
-cheers
August 28th, 2009 at 1:29 pmwhen freezing the miataki mushroom, do you rinse/wash, cut/keep whole??
December 9th, 2009 at 5:41 pmi don’t quite understand. also, can they be frozen in plastic freezer bags? thank you
Hi Eileen,
For freezing mushrooms raw, we recommend this process:
1. Most varieties you can simply brush off the clinging dirt, but as maitakes have a lot of folds, you might want to give them a gentle rinse, and then carefully dry them as thoroughly as possible.
2. Whether to cut or not cut depends on the size of the mushrooms and your future plans for them. In general, when freezing something the smaller the pieces the better…but if you need them whole/in larger pieces you can freeze them that way.
3. Put a sheet pan in your freezer until it’s good and cold.
4. Place the mushrooms/pieces on the sheet pan in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Freeze them solid, uncovered.
5. Move the frozen mushrooms to a freezer bag or (even better) a vacuum pack bag. Get as much air out as possible, seal, and keep them frozen until you’re ready to use.
6. Only thaw mushrooms when you’re ready to use them, as refreezing can damage their flavor/texture.
For more info, read How to Freeze Better at Home.
Hope this helps!
Matthew
December 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pmMarx Foods